Ricky Tims' Kool Kaleidoscope Quilts: Simple Strip-Piecing Technique for Stunning Results Paperback – December 16, 2010

I bought Ricky Tims' book on Convergence Quilts a few years ago, and have made several of convergence quilts since then. They are lots of fun to put together, and extremely easy projects. Everyone says "Wow!" at the results, even though I've often made one of these quilts, start to finish (from "Hmm, which fabric?" to sewing on binding), on a quiet Sunday afternoon. When I saw Tims' had a new book out with another cool-looking quilt design, I ordered it immediately. I'm very glad I did -- though this design is a little more involved.I just finished my first Kool Kaleidoscope quilt top this morning. (I've yet to quilt and bind it.) I really like how it came out, and I'm already thinking about how I'll do the next kaleidoscope quilt -- surely a good sign!The quilt top made from the "basic" instructions is about 50" square; that isn't obvious from the book description.While the convergence quilt design is ideal for not-quite-beginners, you might want to gain a *little* more experience before you take this one on. It's not as easy to throw together the kaleidoscope as the convergence quilt, but it isn't a LOT of effort either. It took me a couple of weeks of here-and-there effort (a few hours after work one day, a couple of hours stolen from a weekend morning another, etc.). Now that I have one quilt done (checking the book for instructions every few minutes), I think a second one would be an easy weekend project.One thing that Tims does *astoundingly* well is write easy-to-follow instructions with lots and lots of photos. I won't say that you _can't_ get lost, here, but you'll have to work really hard to do so. (And this is coming from a woman who has an iTunes set of music called "songs for ripping out stitches.") There's a two-page overview of the technique at-a-glance that helped me grasp what I was about to do, and then about 30 pages that show *exactly* what to do, with pictures for each step of the way. There's also an extensive photo gallery of quilts made with this single technique -- a necessity, here, and more than "ooh pretty!" since the technique can generate so many "looks." Ricky Tims has a wonderful "bedside manner" in sharing a new technique, too; I felt very reassured, all the way through, that I wouldn't screw this up.The basic technique IS very cool! And it's very low on tasks that require you to measure-this-exactly, since you create a template from freezer paper, whack it up sort-of-randomly, and then use those templates against strips-of-many-fabrics to build the design.I have a few words of caution, however, at least based on my vast experience of one quilt made with this technique. First: it calls for 15-20 fabrics, and he suggests a half-yard of each. Fat quarters won't work for this technique. I didn't have 15-20 fabrics in my stash that'd go together, so it required a trip to the fabric shop for a deep dive into the batik section. (Not that this was a painful thing -- quite to the contrary -- but if your stash is limited, you might want to recognize that making one of these quilts may have an impact on your Visa bill.)I do have quite a bit of fabric left over, though, and I think I might have been able to do this with less. As I mentioned, Tims has you create strips of many fabrics sewn together, what he calls a "strata" -- five of them for a quilt. Each strata, he says, needs to be 10" wide. I think I could have done just as well with 8" or 9" wide, as in one case my template didn't even touch one strip of fabric and had barely a fingernail's width of another. And I could have repeated a few of the fabrics more often. Maybe it's just the way my design worked out; I'll have to experiment more, next time.Overall, however, this is a great book and a fun technique. If you're a beginning quilter looking to expand your repertoire, I recommend Tims' convergence quilts book first. But if you're comfortable with matching seams and can sew a 1/4" seam with reasonable accuracy, this is absolutely a great book.

Wow, what a book. With such simple directions and no need for a one use ruler, I can't wait to try the technique shared in this book. The possibilities are endless with what can be created as shown by the beautiful quilts shared in this book. I have some fabric that aren't really a match, they're kind of orphan prints, so this would be an awesome way off adding those. The colors are pretty, but just don't jive with other fabric themes/colors. I like the element of surprise which brings back memories of those kaleidoscope toys I had when I was younger. Such nostalgia!

I read the book and watched Ricky's instructions on this segment of The Quilt Show online. Apparently, there is more on the DVD. I am glad that I both purchased the book AND watched the program. There is important information and detailed instruction on each, but neither is complete without the other.I work slowly, but it strains my imagination to envision a quilter making this quilt over a week-end. Plan on more like two weeks than two days, but maybe that's just me.This quilt uses 15 - 20 half yards. I found about ten in my stash and succumbed to buying the other ten. It would have been a great stash buster had I resisted temptation. But then, I'm a quilter.

This is a wonderful book with the full instructions on how to make a kaleidoscope quilt. Ricky Tims always makes beautifulquilts, but this book is so well written that even the beginner could make this quilt. There are complete illustrations to show youhow and I am a "see how", not just a "read how".

Do be warned, it calls for WOF not FQ. And the whacking technique is great but doesn't work well on 1/3 a yard or less. You'd also better be the mistress/master of accurate 1/4" seamage.... I had to adjust my templates for the fact I 'shrink' when I sew...You will quickly fall in love with the technique and results though! I am the queen of fussywhack and OCD about cutting a traditional kaleidoscope wheel... and I've been seduced by this technique. I combined these medallions with a FunNdone assembly method and can easily quilt these in sections on my sewing machine and assemble into beautiful quilts.The only 'bad' part is drafting your templates, and if you take patience and follow the instructions carefully you will be very happy. I drafted a second set, adding the seam allowances, this is me. You can add the seamage during whack just as easily, I know how I sew... and can forget such things. Two sheets of 22x28" posterboard, an 8.5x24" ruler, a good sharp mechanical fineline pencil and an afternoon and you'll be ready to create greatness.Thank you, Mr. Tims. Love your book! it was well worth my purchase price!

This quilt looks complicated but it is really easy. The directions are easy to read and if followed correctly you will have a beautiful quilt with very little effort.It was fun to put the different colors together and a real surprise to see the finished product. You will be pleased with this book.

This was a Christmas gift for my daughter-in-law, who is the expert quilter in the family. When she opened it, she looked at me and said " how did you know I've been wanting one of his books?". It looked interesting to me and since we are very much alike, I thought it was a good choice. It is a great book ;we both enjoyed just looking through it and I told her I may want to borrow it. I don't sew quilts per se but I do sew clothing , accessories and home decor. I saw several patterns in the book I want to do for something other than a quilt. Really a great book for the price, especially if you enjoy color and patterns that are a bit different.

Was für eine koole Technik! Toll erklärt, schnelles und einfaches Projekt wenn du korrekte 1/4 Inch Nähte nähen kannst. Schöne Fotos von fertigen Quilts, die inspirieren.

Great book, which I purchased after watching Ricky Tims' videos on his Kaleidoscope quilt. The instructions are clear, although I suspect that it won't be quite as easy as Ricky makes it sound, and there are some wonderful photos of quilts made using this technique; they are all so striking and different from each other. It's to be my winter project his year and I can't wait to make the fabric pull.

This is a must have book if you like challenges and Ricky Tims way of quilting. I am going to make one of the kaleidoscopes from this book.

Un libro interessante facile da capire anche con il traduttore sono molto soddisfatta del mio acquisto lo consiglio per appassionati del patchwork

Es un libro que hizo que me enamorara de los Kaleidoscopios y me adentrará en el maravilloso mundo del Quilting Art