In this book, Ruth guides the quiltmaker in exploring and developing truly original designs. She presents 17 new quilts based upon the 17 pattern concepts, and she leads the reader through the fun of applying the concepts to the creation of new quilts. Her students have often called this process the most useful design workshop they have ever taken. For the beginning designer, she presents the possibilities inherent in very simple asymmetric block designs. Each chapter presents a new block design and a new concept, illustrated by a quilt shown in color, with templates, yardage chart, and directions. Each of the new blocks can be used in other symmetries to produce new patterns. And each of the concepts can be applied to thousands of other blocks.