Karen Platt- yarnsandfabrics.co.uk
I never thought I would praise the negative. Just as we often look at negative spaces when drawing, you can do the same when designing quilts. Positive design fills 18 quilts in this superb book. Trisch explores negative space fully, looking at Gradation, Reversal, Interruption, Negative Form, Ghosting and Piecing. Each category has three inspired designs. Tap into Trischs thought processes and know-how and turn the negative into positive. I liked walking through Trischs mind. I would happily make most of the quilts in this book. I love the clean lines of String of Pearls and Silk Bricks (the latter shown on the front cover). The instructions seem easy to follow. The layout, photos and general book production are great. The book has a quality feel.
British Patchwork and Quilting
April 2016
These 18 quilts are examples of 'Modern Quilting' with areas of negative space, i.e plain fabric 'around and between prominent designs'. The first quilts have joined strips in graduated colours. Later quilts feature free cut applique. They are complex designs with detailed cutting instructions and charts the text is written in small grey print. The photos show the negative spaces filled with dense quilting but there are only references to the quilting patterns on three quilts.
This is one of the most inspiring books I've seen this year, its' a wonderful collection of really quite technical and mathematically constructed modern quilts, designed specifically to showcase negative space. Negative space has always been present in our quilts, traditionally border and sashings are used to provide negative relief, but Trish Price's analysis and categorisation of negative space in six different ways here, gradation, reversal, interruption, negative form, ghosting and piecing. She has designed three different quilts to illustrate each category and I really do love most of them. This are all quite challenging to construct, often using difficult piecing or very complicated layouts but I'm sure experienced quilters with lots of patience would enjoy these designs very much. I'm not sure i am technically competent or determined enough to tackle one, but have greatly enjoyed thinking about it!
