Quilts of Chestnut Ridge: Autumn at the Courthouse

Quilts of Chestnut Ridge: Autumn at the Courthouse
By Debbie Pierce
Publisher: Schiffer Publishing
www.schifferbooks.com
Reviewed by Jessica Nichols, Editor of FaveQuilts.com

Quilts of Chestnut Ridge: Autumn at the Courthouse is a charming book that teaches readers how to make several variations of a courthouse steps block, an autumn leaf block, and several sizes of Autumn at the Courthouse quilts combining the two block patterns.

Author Debbie Pierce begins Quilts of Chestnut Ridge: Autumn at the Courthouse by recounting the story of how she and her children first learned to quilt and eventually began Chestnut Ridge Quilting, a profitable family quilt business. The story provides a wonderful backdrop for the Autumn at the Courthouse quilt pattern designed by Chestnut Ridge Quilting. The pattern is clear and detailed throughout, with a complete materials list and instructive full-color photos for each step of the quiltmaking process.

The Autumn at the Courthouse pattern begins with separate tutorials for a courthouse steps block (with several variations) and an autumn leaf block. Templates are included for cutting pieces of the autumn leaf block so that you don't have to do the math yourself. Once you have mastered the basic blocks of the Autumn at the Courthouse quilt, you will learn how to join the courthouse and autumn blocks in order to create the larger quilt pattern. This section of the pattern provides instructions for piecing a 22" x 22" Autumn at the Courthouse wall hanging featuring only one autumn leaf block surrounded by quarters of courthouse steps blocks. In order to make larger quilts with more autumn leaf blocks, you can refer to the charts and diagrams on pages 65-67. The charts include fabric requirements and cutting directions for various sizes of Autumn at the Courthouse quilts, from a wall quilt to a king-size bed quilt. Two diagrams demonstrate how different sized quilts should be pieced together, and how many of each block you will need for various sizes of quilts. Full-color photos show Autumn at the Courthouse quilts in every size, so you know exactly what your quilt will look like when it is finished. A second variation of the pattern, titled Woodland Frolic, features autumn leaf blocks separated only by sashing and small blocks of color, rather than full courthouse steps blocks, which only appear in the margins of the Woodland Frolic pattern. Instructions and fabric requirements are given for every size Woodland Frolic quilt as well. Quilts of Chestnut Ridge also includes a final bonus pattern: the Autumn Leaf Wall Hanging/Runner. Several photos illustrate the possibilities of this quilt pattern as well. The final pages of Quilts of Chestnut Ridge feature photos of variations on the Autumn at the Courthouse pattern, including Lilies at the Courthouse and Stars at the Courthouse patterns and several log cabin projects.

With this book, Debbie Pierce invites readers and quilters into the history of Chestnut Ridge Quilting, showing a photo album's worth of quilt photos and family photos and sharing several of their original quilt patterns based on the beautiful Autumn at the Courthouse design.