More than half of the projects in this book can be completed in less than 8 hours

In an age of mass-produced, look-alike merchandise, there’s no greater pleasure than to receive—or to give—a handmade gift. To make gifts for family and friends testifies to your esteem for them and to your loving dedication of precious energy and time.

And there’s the rub. These days, few people have time to create elaborate hand-fashioned gifts. Understanding the demands on contemporary crafters’ schedules—but understanding, too, their wish to express their love and care in this very personal way—led Joelle Hoverson to write Last-Minute Knitted Gifts. Now, in the follow-up to that extremely successful 2004 volume—with nearly 80,000 copies in print—Hoverson and photographer Anna Williams present Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts.

The book—designed for use by both first-time and longtime quilters—features 30 patchwork and quilted projects organized according to the amount of time it takes to complete them: less than 2 hours, 2 to 4 hours, 4 to 8 hours, 8 to 12 hours, and 12 hours or more. The gifts are inspired by Amish, Appalachian, and Japanese quilting traditions, among others, and range from easy pillowcases and covered scrapbooks to simplified (but heirloom-worthy) log cabin and crazy quilts. Hoverson also shares an overview of her approach to color as well as the tools and techniques she used to complete the projects in the book.

JOELLE HOVERSON is the author of Stewart, Tabori and Chang's Last-Minute Knitted Gifts and the owner of Purl (a yarn shop) and Purl Patchwork (a fabric shop) in New York City. Before opening Purl, she worked as a senior style editor at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and as a freelance stylist. She holds a master of fine arts degree from Yale University. Visit her website at www.purlsoho.com.

ANNA WILLIAMS is a freelance photographer based in New York City. Her work appears in Martha Stewart Living, O, The Oprah Magazine, Food & Wine, Gourmet, Real Simple, and other national publications. She is the photographer of Last-Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson.