I checked the book out of the local library and decided not to purchase it. I did purchase the software, but I haven't started on my DJ quilt yet. The book isn't really so much about making the quilt as it is filled with the author's musings to the quilt's maker about what her life was like in the 19th century. I found this to be a bit silly and off-putting, but another friend loved it. If you look at the lower-rated reviews on Amazon you will find the complaints that others have about the book. Several complain that the line drawings of the blocks often don't match the blocks themselves, and that the book doesn't contain useful directions for making the blocks.