Urban Views

April 15, 2013
House comes down solidly on the side of solids, and with her imaginative designs, the fabrics soar. Before she presents how-to patterns for 12 lofty quilts, House applauds solids and near-solids, teaches about triangles and grids, color and design, and praises the quilting that makes the quilt. House ends with a section of useful basic techniques, pointing out, for example, that ironing is not the same as pressing. Her “purely abstract” designs expand the theme of her previous City Quilts. For Portland, Ore., House varied the theme of “Flying Geese” on the city’s 17 bridges; for Boston, she was led by the inspiration provided by that city’s Freedom Trail. Seattle conjured “City Rain,” for which Walters quilted drops and drizzles; and “City Woods” highlights Fairfax, Va. The major city House riffs on is Houston, her hometown: among the eight designs, “City Hall” is stripped with red tape (and hot pink and orange), whereas “City Loft” strikingly employs Robert Kaufman’s linens, white-framed in brick.