Retro Quilts: 15 modern designs with a vintage vibe

by Maude MacDonald

Overview

Join Maude, the Retro Quilter, and bring a touch of vintage cool to your quilting designs! With step-by-step instructions, beautiful photography, and easy-to-follow templates, this book has everything you need to make your retro quilting dreams a reality.

• Timeless Designs with a Modern Twist – Maude’s signature blend of nostalgic colorways, retro motifs, and contemporary flair makes this a must-have for any quilter looking to try something fresh and fun.
• Projects for Every Quilter – Featuring 15 retro-inspired quilts, each with instructions for four sizes, you can create everything from small wall hangings to full-size bed quilts.
• Beginner-Friendly Guidance – A comprehensive skills section covers essential techniques, from selecting fabrics to finishing your quilt, ensuring that even new quilters feel confident.

With Maude’s "fun and done" approach, quilting is about progress, enjoyment, and creativity—never perfection. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced quilter, this book will help you find your quilting joy. Pick up your fabric, thread your needle, and start stitching your way to retro bliss today!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781446315903
Publisher:	David & Charles
Publication date:	08/26/2025
Pages:	144
Product dimensions:	7.48(w) x 9.84(h) x (d)

About the Author

Maude MacDonald is a modern quilt pattern designer from Niagara, Canada. Maude hopes to share her love for retro with all quilters and to inspire folks to get out of their comfort zone and try something groovy! Her designs have been featured in numerous quilting publications including Love Patchwork and Quilting and Modish Quilter. Find out more about Maude at theretroquilter.com or join her 40k followers on Instagram @theretroquilter.

Read an Excerpt

Hello, my quilty friend! I am so (SEW!) glad you're here. I’m Maude MacDonald, the Retro Quilter who, you guessed it, loves retro style and quilting.

 

I like to think that I didn’t find quilting—rather that it found me, back in 2018. It was the holiday season and I needed a gift for my dad. I had the brilliant idea to make him a T-shirt quilt out of all his old NASCAR shirts. I mean, how hard could it be? Well, it turned out to be trickier than I thought, but Christmas morning he opened his gift and loved it. From then on, I was hooked, and constantly thinking about quilting, fabrics, and patterns. But what I wasn’t seeing was my beloved retro style in quilt patterns, and so my journey into quilt pattern writing began. 

Retro style for me isn’t just something I like or integrate into my life here and there; it’s

my lifestyle. My home is retro, my clothes, cookbooks, and more. I’ve always been amazed by the sleek, cool styles of the 1960s and ’70s, growing up in a house with hand-me-down teak furniture and stories from a hippie dad.

 

Even when I was a wee mini-Maude, I strove to be different and stand out, and retro style has always given me that edge. What I hope you get out of this book is a cool quilt that is totally you! The styles in this book are certainly retro, but they feel incredibly modern as well. What makes them unique is how YOU make them—the fabrics you pick, the finishing you choose—and I’m so honored you have chosen these patterns for that journey.

Keep creative and stay cool!