I've not read the Guide to Quilting Careers book, but the Civil War Diary series is really good. I made a Civil War quilt for my husband. He is into genealogy and had many relatives on both sides of the Civil War. So I made a double T block and embroidered the names he came up with in each block, with their rank and state they were from. Used Civil War reproduction fabrics in blue and red. It hangs in the hall now and he just loves it and tells our grandchildren who each person was.