If you watch the book stores, you can get Better Homes and Gardens Complete Guide to Quilting for $5.95 on clearance.
For beginners I recommend any book by Eleanor Burns, she is the best teacher by far.
Be sure and watch her on QuiltersTV.

Roben....good choice....Rotary Magic by Nancy Johnson-Srebro.

Elly wrote
I just bought that book for my sister who just retired and is ready to take up quilting. She has sewn for years but not quilts, so I thought this was a good guide. I have several books but liked this one better that the ones I have. I got this one at Borders.

Beverly

My very first book was a Alex Anderson beginner. I loved it and learned a lot. Ended up getting every book she had that I could find. I think she does a great job showing how to do things. Hope this helps

Rita

Hi Rita,

I liked [i]First-Time Quiltmaking: learning to quilt in six easy lessons.[/i]
It has a nice format, is easy for the beginner without being condescending. The book lies flat for referencing. It only goes over pieced quilting. But does it completely, including the borders, sandwiching, and quilting methods. The pictures are colorful and helpful. Once familiar with piecing ... your friend may want something more about the 'A' [applique] and the paper piecing techniques.

As for designing quilts, if she doesn't want to do something more expensive like theElectric Quilt computerized program [whick I have used a lot and love due the ease of use and the books that go with it], I love the reissue of Mary Ellen Hopkins The It's OK if You Sit on My quilt Book.

Hope this helps
alice

I have the Complete Guide to Quilting (Better Homes & Gardens). I recently started teaching a quilting class for the ladies at church. This book is great for refreshing my memory. It has everything a beginner needs to know. If Barnes & Noble doesn't have it, I'm sure they would order it for you.

I agree about the Eleanor Burns books. My first 2 quilts were done from her Quilting through the seasons book which we borrowed from the quilt guild library for the summer last year. In fact I just bought my own copy last week while in Seattle on holidays. I was a total novice at the time and it really helped me with yardage and cutting instructions so much.

all these suggestions are so good I got a book a few years back that I still see sround and it's qyuilting 101 a beginners guide to quilting it helped me with tools to use and it has patterns it is a real step by step for a beginner...quilters TV has been just a wonderful thing to watch and see how easy it is to do certain steps that I would other wide not even attempt...Alex Anderson books are great for beginners to....and if she can take a basic quilting 101 in her local quilt shop thats really the best way...hands on...

I like your first quilt book or it should be for new quilters

tricia

Fons and Porters complete guide to quilting is my favorite resourse. You can order it from their web site or at any book store. Good luck and have fun!