In March it is my turn to ask for Friendship Blocks from one of my quilt guilds.

I would like to have them all do a section of a bookshelf or bookcase. Using items such as books, planters, knick-knacks, etc.

I have been collecting pictures and ideas for a couple years.

Do any of you have (free or cheap!) pictures or patterns of book shelves or ideas you have done?

I need help with instructions for the blocks. Do I have them just do the blocks with a common background and then I put the "shelf" part on? Should the books be all the way to the front edge of the 'shelf' or back a bit? What about height and length? Help!!

I am sort of thinking of having them use selvedge edges for the book titles and using their own names for the authors? Or they can make up their own titles.

Doesn't that sound like fun?
:shock:

Sounds like a great idea. Keeping a similar background could work, then again, any pictures you find of bookcases ( in real life) have shadings due to the angle of sun light. Perhaps giving them a 2" square of your "bookcase wood" would help them. Setting a minimum and maximum for book lengths might help too.This is like a mystery quilt. Cant wait to see what you end up with in your library.

I made one several years ago and there is a book that explains how to do it. Sorry, I don't remember the title because I borrowed the book. The pictures might give you an idea on what to put on your shelves.

Mary

http://www.blockcentral.com/quiltblocks.shtml

It's on my to-do list, too! Here is a link to a pattern I'm thinking about.

well there is a pattern on www.winnowing.com
Christine Thresh's site.

That is so neat!

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Someone a day or so ago asked for a single Wedding Ring pattern for her DD. I think this might work nicely for her, but have lost the link. She can use either 2 of the rings or all over the quilt with them with this pattern.

I absolutely LOVE this book case quilt, I have book cases both free standing and built in all over my house.

This is the one I did for a grandson last year. I added my own touches for his interests - labeled Harry Potter books, a Coke can etc. I ordered the pattern from here: http://quiltbug.com/patterns/winnowing.htm

Those are perfect ideas. Giving them each a piece of the "wood' will help them with colors. I think I will provide the background fabric. Maybe something mottled so it looks like light is showing. I can have different heights to the shelves, have some of them make tall books, some shorter so I have an assortment.

Thanks for the great ideas, Sandra!!

OMGosh, its wonderful, Chris! Thanks for sharing!

I thought I could give them ideas of what I would like on my shelves, a plant, a fish bowl, a toy, etc

Love it!

I think a picture frame would look great on the shelf! I love the idea of candle sticks. I'll have to add that to my list. Also, I saw a pic of keys which has stuck with me. I hope its ok to share it here. Not sure where I got the pic. I do remember that the keys are real and hang over the edge. How clever is that!!

LOVE your quilt!!! :thumbup:

There is a book called the Collectibles Quilt by Wendy Etzel that has all kinds of ideas for bookshelves.

Hmm. Wonder if I can get it through amazon or ?

Thanks

Like this?

Sure can, here's the link. http://www.amazon.com/Collectibles-Q.../dp/0962764698

I made one for my parents. I put lots of pictures on it, a vase with flowers, a tea pot, a teddy bear resting on top of the books and I used embroidery stitches to create a plate on a shelf. You can be so creative with this!

I just found it on Amazon for only $0.25! Shipping was $3.99!

Anyway, thanks for the lead, I appreciate it.


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PICTURE???

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Nice ideas! I'm a librarian and was thinking of doing an autobiographical quilt this year - one shelf for each decade!

Your quilt is adorable. What a great job.

I started a list of free things for bookshelf quilts.
Here's my list of finds so far..
http://yarn-or-fabric.weebly.com/she...ial-links.html

Maybe they will help?
I want to a make one as well for my kitchen... it's on the never ending to do list...!

Deb!!! I cannot tell you how amazing your list of links is!

I want to link your site to my blog, please?

I absolutely love your resources.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Lovely! Those keys look so real.

i too would get the wendy etzel if you can. she has some that you can even put your picture on. she has so many ideas

Link away :)
I add to my lists when I see new things that catch my eye or when someone is looking for a project. I try to add a new topic every week too... although the next few weeks I'll be really super busy so I doubt I'll add a new topic til after the new year. :)
Oooh - extra brownie points if you link to my main (crochet pattern) site lol. The more inward links the better according to google.

Will do!! Probably not until after the Holidays, though.

Thanks!!!

Hee, Hee! Those keys ARE real! The fob is fabric, though. Cool, huh?

I made a bookcase quilt for my parent's 50th anniversary in 1999. I hadn't been quilting for very long back then and I used the Wendy Etzel book for the design. The instructions were easy to follow and the suggestions were great. I highly recommend it.

My quilt has my parents wedding picture and then current picture, their parents above them (one set has their 50th picture) and their kids and grandkids below them. Some of the books have titles on them - an author my mother liked, a play they went to in London and something meaningful for my dad.

those are nice quilts, took alot of time? love them

That is awesome. I wish I knew how to put pictures onto fabric... I'll have to look into that. I could do pictures of my family, grandkids.

Thanks for sharing!

I am a librarian also and was just thinking the same thing. Well, almost. Just doing a bookshelf quilt.

I made a shelf quilt with jars of bugs. If you have a grandson or son, you may want to include one jar with bugs crawling around. It would definitely add some interest.

Sorry, forgot to compress the photo first.

How cute is that! I'll be your little guy just loved it!! All those cool bug in jars. And, you are right, I just might need to put a jar of bugs on my book shelf!

Thanks for sharing.

Here's two photos of the quilt I made for the retiring librarian at my daughter's school. I embroidered the names of the various programs she instituted at the school for book titles. One of the programs she started was "Reindeer Games", so I embroidered a reindeer on a stack of books.

The Librarian wrote me a thank you note and told me that when she came home from school, her husband went right out and purchased the necessary tools to hang the quilt (55" x 65") above the living room sofa. Her son came home from college and walking up the driveway, he thought they had purchased a bookcase and wondered why it was above the sofa!

However you design it, it will be appreciated. Belles

Love it!! It would look real from a distance!

Thanks for sharing

All these quilts are lovely. I didn't know what a bookshelf quilt was until I read this thread. :oops:

That is one ambitious and beautiful quilt. That "neighboring town someone" did a great job. Belles