Controlled improvisation in piecing with a unique quilt-as-you-go design using circles to make a Circle of Life. Discover traditional inspiration, basic instructions on quilting and exciting projects. There are nine projects - each one has an explanation of how it came about with inspiration and interpretation, fabric requirements, cutting, piecing, assembly, finishing and binding. This book is full of innovative takes on a tree of life theme including tree quilts, coral, a spider's web and more. There are some suggestions for changing the quilts but these are not explored visually. Full colour photos and illustration throughout. I liked this a lot and would make several of the quilts or adapt them. yarnsandfabrics.co.uk, 6/6/16 If you like your quilts to be bright, bold and use clever techniques this is the book for you. Trisch Price has taken inspiration from the Tree of Life to present a collection of nine quilt projects that push the boundaries of quilt design. The book starts with an overview of the history of Tree of Life quilts which I found really interesting. There are photographs to go with the text so you can see the development of designs from the 1850s to the modern day. This is followed by the quilts, which are made using techniques such as improvisational piecing, circular quilt-as-you-go and machined pieced hexagons. I would be hesitant to recommend this book for beginners, for example the techniques section starts not with rotary cutting or quick pieced triangles but partial seams, however the projects are presented in a clear way and so easy to follow. I feel that even if you do not follow any of the patterns the quilts will make you think 'what if I tried that'. I think lots of the quilts would translate well into group projects. One Tree and Life Surround in particular would be fun to make with friends, taking a block each and then raffling for charity. If there are any techy readers out there then you will love the Binary Quilt. Trisch's background is in software engineering and this graphic quilt combines her skill in this area with her talent for quilt design. If you are looking to create quilts that are modern, but with their roots in the past, then this is the book for you. Popular Patchwork, July 2016
