Unconventional & Unexpected...A Book Review

To say that Roderick Kiracofe's world has been touched by quilts would be an understatement. He has spent many fruitful years of his life searching for, collecting and cataloging quilts across America (predominantly from the last half of the twentieth century) and now he shares his incredible collection with us in his exceptional new book "Unconventional & Unexpected: American Quilts Below The Radar 1950-2000" released 9th Sept.

Roderick has long been involved with craft, painting, photography, art collecting and co-authoring quilt books. In the introduction to this book he shares how he fell in love with quilts and how his magnificent quilt collection came to be.

Woven throughout the book and striking photographs of the quilts, are fabulous essays from renowned quilters (some of whom you will recognize I'm sure!).

I have thoroughly enjoyed sitting down with a cuppa and losing myself in the essays that, along with the quilts tell stories about the people who made these quilts, their lives, the influences on them and the communities they lived in.

Roderick shares that his collection is based on "quilts (that) are not precious: they are "real" and were made to be used" (pg 13). Personally I love the quirkiness and colour, the design and sense of adventure a lot of these quilts possess and could easily see these quilts both being used on my bed, or hanging on my wall! (oh I wish!!!).

Some of the quilts are shown with their beautiful, patched backs.

I've been inspired by so many of the quilts in these pages, and one of them has already made my fingers so itchy to create I've started my own based on this fabulous quilt called Mosaic Rose (pg 176).

I am making my version of it out of Liberty of London fabrics, and I'm thrilled with the result so far. Two blocks done, I will probably do 30 in total. Perhaps I will call it Liberty Rose?!!

As I wrote to Roderick...the quilts, the colours, the essays, the eye-catching flyleaf cover, even the beautiful weight and finish of the paper used to create the book, and the collection of quilts he has spent years putting together, all combine to make this a very significant book in the quilting world. I am thrilled to have it in my collection!