East-Meets-West Quilts: Explore Improv with Japanese-Inspired Design

Belyea invites quilters “to create something new—something that is totally yours” in this neat book. Her designs are based on the Hachi Quilt Manifesto, five rules that end with, naturally, “Break any rule you like.” Her support for creative freedom makes sense in light of her background as an improv quilter who pieces together random scraps of fabric in novel ways. For Belyea, an American and longtime admirer of Japanese culture, that means using her vintage Japanese yukata cottons. Each hand-dyed piece bursts with colors and patterns. Belyea adds an unexpected element to each quilt—a remnant of bright red hiding in a corner, L-shaped forms of gold cloth connecting blocks with wilder patterns. The body of the book lays out 14 projects calibrated for beginners as well as experts. The quilts’ backs prove as interesting as the fronts, and Belyea’s stitching designs are innovative, too. With fresh designs and useful directions, Belyea’s book is both practical and aspirational. (Oct.)