A welcome addition to the library of quilting books is Quick and Easy Projects For The Weekend Quilter. Patchwork, like all age-old crafts, is enjoying a resurgence but few of us have the time to spend on traditional methods.

In this book, timesaving and easy methods using a wide variety of modern tools inspire and encourage patchwork beginners as well as those more familiar with the techniques of the craft.

The contributors - Gill Turley, Katharine Guerrier, Rebecca Collins, Jenni Dobson and Anne Walker - are five well-known United Kingdom quilters with years of experience in quiltmaking. They are much in demand and are committed to passing on their expertise through workshops and lectures. Their individual talents are highlighted by 26 different designs - some new, some old but all with brilliant colour and pattern twists.

The books starts with an excellent basic guide to techniques, quilting terms, equipment and methods of quick piecing. Following this section are the 26 designs shown in beautiful colour photographs and diagrams. Each design comes with full step-by-step instructions for cutting, assembling, quilting and finishing. Without confidence and the benefit of experience, colour combination is one the most difficult techniques to master and some of the quilts have alternative colour combinations illustrated.

Finding pure cotton suitable for quilt is difficult in South Africa and at the back of the book there is a helpful list of some of the suppliers in the UK, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.

At R149.95 the book is excellent value and would make a wonderful Christmas gift. Published by New Holland, Quick and Easy Projects For The Weekend Quilter is also available in Afrikaans. – Sheina Wood