Unconventional & Unexpected: American Quilts Below the Radar, 1950-2000
By Roderick Kiracofe
STC Craft, $50

There is something of a consensus, says Roderick Kiracofe in the introduction to this lively book, that the end of traditional quiltmaking happened in the 1940s and that “no good quilts were made after that.” Unconventional & Unexpected is an eye-popping counter-argument to that belief. The book features about 150 examples of eccentric and previously undocumented quilts from the author’s collection, most dating from 1950 on. These are not precious quilts; most were made from ordinary scraps and meant to be used every day. And the vast majority are anonymous; Kiracofe, author of the classic American Quilt (2004), happened upon them in his searches across the country. 

Kiracofe’s charming introduction is not the only context provided in the book. Essays by Elissa Auther, Ulysses Grant Dietz, Denyse Schmidt, and Natalie Chanin, among others, add warmth and insight, as if sharing wisdom around the sewing circle. Wholly appropriate to its subject matter, Unconventional & Unexpected exudes a refreshing authenticity, character, and humility. ~Monica Moses

Strange Material: Storytelling Through Textiles
By Leanne Prain
Arsenal Pulp Press, $25

From memory quilts and storytelling tapestries to embroidered cotton squares and even large-scale yarn bombing projects, textiles are often embedded with powerful narratives. In Strange Material, author Leanne Prain plumbs those depths, and urges readers to do the same. “I want you to identify your own stories,” she writes, “and encourage you to share them through handmade work.” For inspiration, the book features interviews with 24 contemporary artists (including “poetry bomber” Agustina Woodgate and crochet king Howie Woo), a multitude of writing prompts, plus in-depth how-to guides, such as how to make a memory sweater. ~Dakota Sexton

In the Realm of Nature: Bob Stocksdale & Kay Sekimachi
By Signe S. Mayfield
Mingei International Museum, $45

Guest curator Signe S. Mayfield has produced an exemplary catalogue for her exhibition on this married couple, who have contrasting backgrounds and mediums but share a similar ability to imagine three-dimensional results. You’ll wish the fine supplementary essays by Melissa Leventon and John C. Lavine were longer and that following along with the detailed discussion didn’t require so much page-flipping to the superb plates – but who can complain? Woodturner Stocksdale, who died in 2003, uncovered extraordinary effects in grain; textile artist Sekimachi makes complex weavings that are sculptural when cut from the loom. Mayfield’s tribute expands, in both feeling and detail, on her previous study of the artists, the 1993 Palo Alto Cultural Center exhibition titled “Marriage in Form.” ~Janet Koplos