My book is now available for order, with shipping to begin about October 26.  It’s all about thread, how to use it, how to make it work with you not against you, and having a whole ton of fun with lots of color!

Click here to order and
click here for more information.

Wow…. it’s hard to believe that the time is here… I can now take pre-orders (here) for my book–and yes, I’ll ship outside the US!  AQS worked like whirling dervishes I think; I had the page layout version of the manuscript to edit over Labor Day weekend, and they still got it to the printers who will have it ready in the nick of time to have at Quilt Market in Houston starting October 10th!  I’ll be at Market working to promote the book before I start teaching.  If you’d like to pre-order a copy, read on!

PRE-ORDER My book on understanding and using thread on the surface of a quilt which is now available!

You’ll learn everything you need to know about thread, from how it is made to what will make your life easier, and your quilting better!  You’ll learn how needles, tension, your workspace, sewing machine, stabilizers, and other tools all help you in using all those wonderful threads now available.  I’ll help you understand how and why certain tools and notions work best and when another option is a better choice.  And there are fun projects, from a quick and easy needle-keeper to decorative-stitch leaf appliques, free-motion quilting with fancy-fiddly threads, and a leaf-printed table-runner.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Please let me know if you would like me to autograph or add a dedication in the comments area of your order.

Please note that books will not ship until LATE OCTOBER.  The will be hot off the press in mid-October, when I am teaching at Quilt Festival in Texas.  I’ll need to get home, receive the books and process the orders (hopefully finding a little time to sleep, eat, and say hi to the family, too! )  Books will be sent in a Flat Rate Priority Mail envelope.

Price:  Book 28.95 +  US Delivery  5.00 =  33.95; prices for first class mail delivery to Canada ($11 in postage) and the Rest of the World ($13 in postage) are slightly higher due to postage.  Please make sure when you order you:

1. select the correct shipping (US, Canada, Rest of World)
2. put down correct snail mail and e-mail addresses
3. let me know if you’d like me to dedicate the book (for example:  to Denyse, Happy Quilting, Sarah); if there is no  note, I’ll just sign it on the title page.

Thanks…I can’t wait to actually hold a copy!

Last Thursday (just in time for the long weekend with kids at home to be loud and distracting) the page layout version of the book (printed off the office printer at AQS) arrived on the midday FedEx truck for my review!  Basically, I get three big whacks at the book:  when I write it, once the text is edited (that was a few weeks ago), and then a page-layout version that is what the book will look like in print.  I had to have the entire thing reviewed, edited, and back to FedEx by Tuesday for arrival in Paducah by Wednesday!  EEEEK!  Time to work FAST!!!!   Here is what came in the envelope:

I caught a number of small typos–the sort of thing that you never see if you are looking at something you’ve worked on but that jumps out at fresh eyes (in this case mine), two larger “OOPS!!!!” things that became evident only when the pictures were added and are being fixed.  The good news is the OOPS moments provided the opportunity to sneak in one more quilt (yeah!), a few minor word-fiddles on my part, and a last-minute change to one of the patterns — an improvement that needed minor changes in text.

I was surprised at how SMALL the envelope was…. after three YEARS of work!   But I really like the font of the text, captions and headers…nice and clean.  The layout is good…easy to read and not fussy or cluttered.  Plus, I am thrilled that I’ve been able to include so many wonderful quilts from other artists!   I was absolutely giddy that both Jane Sassaman and Hollis Chatelain, who is one of my quilting idols, were kind and generous enough to allow me to include their work in the book…can you imagine?!!! WOWIE ZOWIE!   And many other artists famous and not so…. I’ll tell you more when the time comes (how’s that for a tease?!).

And the last fun bit…. you see that green mini-quilt/classroom sample on the title page…. that’s THE BACK of the sample!  The front has the lime green on half and a busy batik on the other half…. so they used the plain back…. can you imagine the BOBBIN side on the title page?  Thank heavens the one stray thread tail on it is covered by the title…. I’m so glad it looks good enough for them to use…still chuckling!

Goodness….. how time flies!   I can’t believe I have been so busy I’ve only had two posts in how long?????

Well the thing that went bump was me…yesterday…. I was printing out a photo for my younger son for his Social Studies homework, and it fell on the floor–this was up in my studio, the printer is up there and I was sitting on chair I use at the sewing machine.  I bent over to pick  up the photo and before I knew it, I was slamming my head into the corner of the fourposter bed,  and the chair pictured in this photo:  

was in TWO parts….base (still stable on the floor) and top!  Usually when the screws come loose (yes, this provided great mirth in my family, once they realized I was OK–I kept insisting it was the CHAIR that had loose screws…..I failed to convince them it was the ONLY thing that rattled), I can tell, the chair wobbles, and I get out the screwdriver.

Here’s a picture of the studio… you can see the lovely 200+ year old bed behind my worktable.  That tall post…the one with the SHARP corner…was the one that put the little cut in my head.

Basically, I’m fine, have a doozy of a bruise on the back of my leg from banging onto the front corner of the chair, and promptly returned to photo-printing and working on a sample for a “tester” workshop I’m offering to Coastal Quilters tomorrow.  I actually have photos ready to go for at least seven blogposts, and just haven’t had time to write.

One reason for my absence…I’m prepping kits and supplies for teaching in Houston.  The other main one:  my book has received its FINAL edits!     All in all, I am THRILLED!   Stay tuned… I’ve got more to share……now, back to prepping for tomorrow’s workshop.

Woohooo…..  a while back my contact at Janome America (I am VERY fortunate to have a loaner Janome 6600 from them, thank you Janome-America for your support!) called to ask if she could interview me about thread.  It turns out she moonlights writing for The Quilter magazine….

I had thought I would be one of several people quoted in a longer article, as she had also spoken with Bob Purcell, co-owner with wife Heather, of Superior Threads (which also happen to be some of my favorite threads…I must, literally, have several hundred spools!).  Well… it ended up being a 2-page profile!

In the magazine’s machine quilting section are an interview with longarm master quilter Renae Haddadin, the profile of me,  an article (I’m guessing this one is also by my contact) on “choosing the Perfect Thread:  a Machine Quilter’s Product Guide” and one by Morna Golletz of the Professional Quilter Magazine on a machine quilting career.

Thanks A. for calling, asking me, and turning it into a whole article (and bless you for mentioning the book up front!)!