Or do you? Since I'm a complete newbie, I wondered if there are any books you would suggest to someone who hasn't a clue. I know I'm about to start a class on Thursday, but sometimes a book gives you ideas and help.

I'm looking forward to checking some of your suggestions out.

Any of the Quilt in a Day books are easy to follow, with lots of pictures and clear instructions - and you don't need to finish them in a day, either.

If you are completely asea about getting started, ShellyQ has some great basic lessons in the Tutorial Section, which you can reach from the home page.

I think The Quilters Ultimate Visual Guide: From A to Z is fantastic, it is beautifully illustrated and a comprehensive guide to quilting processes and techniques.

See it at this link, including peeking inside:

http://www.amazon.com/Quilters-Ultim...2183640&sr=8-1

I woulde get a couple of referenc books and gets patterns off the internet and buy occasional magazines. Books take up space and clutter. Take this advice from someone who has a ton of books. Buy more fabric than books :D :D :D

My DH gave me Quilter's Complete Guide by Fons and Porter. It helped me with my hand quilting and a few other things as well.

I also use this book,any questions I have about something I look in it first and most of the time With the illustrations they have I can figure it out. Like how much material to add if you are going to miter the border. I had forgotten. Looked in the book and there it was. 2 times the width of your border. Great book!!
BillsBonBon

Don't buy a lot of beginner books, one or two will be enough. After your first quilt you won't be a beginner you will be a quiltmaker :D

I have this one and it has a lot of helpful detail. Perhaps you could check it out at a library and determine if you would find it useful.

I read both The Complete Idiot's Guide to Quilting and Quilting For Dummies. Both really helped me understand a lot. I was totally green a month ago.... I still have a lot to learn, but they helped me get my feet wet.

A book that I found very useful and informative is "That Perfect Stitch" by Roxanne McElroy. It explains in detail so many things. It helps you understand the why's as well as the how's of quilting. I bought my copy on Amazon.com for a fairly low price. I have thoroughly enjoyed this book!