Join me for this crazy little exploration in quilt blocks.
For each book I read in 2025 I am making a quilt block inspired by the cover. Not necessarily by the book or the story itself, but by the cover. So it is really a block inspired by the book designer’s work. And they would have been guided by the contents of the book. Sometimes the covers use original artwork, created just for this purpose, sometimes they pull from existing artwork.
Credit where credit is due - for both the book designers themselves and the woman who gave me the idea for this project. Margaret Fleisher did a similar thing for a 100 day project a few years ago. She is a great improv quilter! I was enamoured with her idea then and am doing my own version now.
I’m not here trying to make a literal interpretation of the book cover. Knowing that I am playing improvisationally I just try to capture the feel of the cover. Not every detail is included, and rarely is the text even referenced.
For example, for The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store above (amazing book by James McBride!) I used the illustration made by the designer Lauren Peters-Collaer as my started point. I picked fabrics from the scrap bin that were similar. To be honest, I debated going a bit more abstract as the human figure can be tough to translate, depending on the posture, and this posture is not an easy one. I am so glad I pursued the play! Of course, it is not exact, but it does have a clear relationship.
Don’t tell the others, but it is my favourite of the blocks so far! Probably also my favourite book of the year.
Someone on Instagram asked me if I was choosing books based on the covers. Nope! I read all sorts of books and choose them based on my mood more than anything. If you look at the books I’ve read this year I have memoir, literary fiction, historical fiction, cozy mystery, cozy Japanese, history, and more. I do consider audio books reading, so they might make the list too. Here are the books so far in 2025:
Moon Road by Sarah Leipciger, cover art by Grant Haffner
The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittle, cover design by Alysia Shewchuk, image by Xavier Noel
Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town by Stephen Leacock, cover illustration by Alessandro Valdrighi
This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett, cover design by Robin Bilardello
The Wager by David Grann, narrated by Dion Graham (this one is absolutely worth the audio book version)
The Maid by Nita Prose, cover by Elena Giavaldi
What’s Mine and Yours by Naima Coster, cover by Sara Wood
The Sleeping Car Porter by Suzette Mayr, cover by Ingrid Paulson from art by Janet Hill
Crook Manifesto by Colton Whitehead, cover by Oliver Munday
The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl, cover design by Charlotte Struck, with art by Billy Renkl
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride, cover by Lauren Peters-Collaer
The Blanket Cats by Kiyoshi Shigematsu, translated by Jesse Kirkwood, cover by Vi-An Nguyen
I’m not the kind of person who sets reading goals. As long as I read every day - even if only for a few minutes before bed - I am content. I usually keep a list of books read for the year and I finish about 20-30. So I am looking at the this list and kind of surprised I am already through a dozen!
For the blocks, I wait until I’ve finished 3 books, then I make the 3 blocks. It becomes a little afternoon of playtime and remembering the books. If you want to follow along a little more ‘live’ then make sure to check out Instagram. As for what I will do with the blocks? That remains to be determined.