Book Review - Caliente Quilts by Priscilla Bianchi

¡Caliente Quilts!

a book by Priscilla Bianchi

a book review by Patricia Cummings

¡Caliente Quilts! - Create Breathtaking Quilts Using Bold Colored Fabrics by Priscilla Bianchi is a quilt book that whose time has come. As one turns page after page, there are exciting quilts that warrant the description of "dynamic" because of their colors and designs.

Priscilla Bianchi is a native of Guatemala who successfully incorporates both traditional methods of American quiltmaking and the woven fabrics of Guatemala to create here stunning works of art. In this book, she provides advice to others about how to work with the loosely-woven fabrics that are hand-loomed in her country.

A color gallery features no less than 78 examples of her quilts. In addition, the author provides lovely photos of her native land to show the source of some of her inspiration. In another chapter, she shares the Mayan history of Guatemala. She provides how-to directions for no less than nine projects. Do you know what a rodillera is? Another charming feature of the book is a glossary of Mayan Textile Terms.

Her work ranges from somewhat traditional, such as her “Blue and White Kaleidoscope,” to a pictorial quilt called the “Giant Sunflower” that measures 58” x 80”. To create other quilts, the artists often relies upon repeating block designs, made exciting by multiple color variations.

At the present time, Priscilla Bianchi designs fabric for the Robert Kaufmann Company. She travels to teach, internationally, and she lives in Guatemala City, from where she exports Mayan-Guatemalan textiles.

Examples of Priscilla's work were shown at the Mancuso International Quilt Show in 2006. I can say with certitude that it is very exciting to view them in person, where she was also a teacher.

Now, the student of quilting can rely on the clear directions found in ¡Caliente Quilts!, (Hot Quilts!), to make his or her own stunning work of art. If one were to purchase this book only to look at the photos, it would still be well worth it. If you are hoping to be inspired, you will come away from this book with your wish fulfilled by this cutting edge artist. The title of the book is right on the mark. In Spanish, the word, caliente, means "hot." These quilts positively "sizzle!"

The book is published by krause publications, an imprint of F&W Publications, Inc., 2007. www.krausebooks.com. ISBN: 10:0-89689-383-9

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