Modern Memory Quilts goes beyond a sewing instructional book and looks at the emotional drive behind ​creating.

Author Suzanne Paquette stresses the importance of celebrating human stories and connections through the medium of quilt making.  Modern Memory Quilts is broken out into projects, but uses the people the quilts were made for as an inspiration and adds an exquisite richness to the process. Paquette encourages readers to highlight, instead of hide, the signs of wear in the clothing fabric she uses as raw material for the quilts. Her thoughtful approach includes the value of smell in memory preservation and photo documentation of garments prior to disassembling them for a new life as a quilt, apron, or pillow.  

While not a quilter myself, I really enjoyed seeing fabric that represented love, memory, and tribute for families become transformed into a unique heirloom steeped in meaning.  The author’s quilting style encompasses a broad range of approaches, all of which embody fresh modernity and a richness that makes it seem that you can almost feel the fabric textures in your hands, just by looking at the pictures.

Whether as a guide for creating your own masterpiece or for a quick flip through for ideas and inspiration, Modern Memory Quilts is a delightful book.