Book review: Twelve by Twelve

This book, Twelve by Twelve: The International Art Quilt Challenge published by Lark Books, is crazy good. Here’s why.

The look: The production quality is first-rate. It’s beautifully bound with a bountiful amount of photographs in its generous 176 pages. The book shows all 144 mini art quilts and a few more made by the twelve artists over the course of the two-year challenge.

The layout: The book is logically organized by the twelve challenge themes. Each artist selected one. They are as follows: Dandelion, Chocolate, Community, Water, Illumination, Shelter, Mathematics, Chairs, Window, Identity, Passion, and Twelve.

The content: For each chapter’s theme, one of the Twelve’s work gets highlighted. We are introduced to the selected artist with a photo and come to know her by what she includes in her piece. All talk about what a positive experience it has been to be a part of the Twelve by Twelve collaboration. Diane Perin Hock, founder of the Twelves, in her chapter Dandelion, shares tips on starting a challenge group. In Brenda Gael Smith’s chapter Illumination she writes, Twelve Reasons to Blog. All the artists include some sort of extra tidbit in their chapter that is worthwhile.

The giveaway: I am giving away a copy of this book to a lucky Craft Gossip reader. Go to CG Giveaway: Twelve by Twelve book. Deadline is March 30, 2011. US and Canada only.