Shipping News

This box was not only ripped front and back, it was open when it arrived. The plastic shopping bags loosely wrapped around the quilt had come apart, leaving the quilt exposed and vulnerable to theft and damage.

Sending quilts to shows or publishers can be scary, for the quilter and the recipient. The horror stories you may have heard about quilts being lost, stolen or damaged are most likely true. This is one time when overdoing the safety angle makes excellent sense. We've written up the best practices in shipping quilts, so our authors and contestants can rest assured their treasures arrive at AQS safely. If you have additional suggestions, we'd love to hear them and will pass them on.

AQS Shipping Information

We know how much your quilts mean to you, so we’ve compiled this checklist of best practices when sending us (or anyone) your quilts.

Mail or ship them to:

(the contact name you were given on your entry form or email)
AQS
5801 Kentucky Dam Road
Paducah, KY 42003
(270) 898-7903

Email a tracking number as soon as you have it and let us know when we should expect your quilts to: Tracey@aqsquilt.com.

If you don't take any other measure suggested here, at least sew a label with, at a minimum, your name, the quilt’s name, and your address and phone number onto each quilt.

For quilts larger than 30” x 30”, sew a 4-inch sleeve across the back at the top. Be sure the sleeve is set down far enough not to show above the quilt when hung.

Enclose each quilt in some sort of plastic bag that you can close or tape shut to prevent water damage should the box rip or tear. Ziploc makes large-quilt size bags. Do not use anything that might be mistaken for a trash bag!

Include a color photo of the quilt in the bag with your name and contact information and why you're sending the quilt to us - the name of your proposal, book or magazine article or the contest or event you're entering.

Enclose a packing list with the box that includes your name and contact information and a list of the quilts in the box. Do not include any indications of your quilts’ values.

If you are concerned about insuring your quilts, have them appraised, and use a fine arts rider on your home owner's insurance rather than buying the shipper's insurance.

Do not pack your quilts too tightly. We have to use a sharp blade to open most boxes and the danger of damaging a quilt stuffed into a container is real. Consider adding a layer of cardboard on top of the bagged quilts as a safety barrier.

Do not indicate anywhere on the outside of the box that it includes quilts. Do not use the word “quilt” anywhere inside or outside, including the shipping label. Use “AQS,“ not “American Quilter’s Society.”

Send your quilts early in the week so they do not sit around a warehouse or loading dock over the weekend, or send them overnight so they arrive here by 2:00 pm CST on a Friday.

If you are sending multiple quilts or multiple boxes of quilts, consider packing them either one quilt to a box and sending them on subsequent days, or put two or three quilts in a box and send the several boxes on subsequent days. This prevents having all of your quilts on the one truck that gets into an accident or burns down in a warehouse fire.

If this seems like overkill, it isn’t. The condition in which many boxes reach us is terrible, and quilts have been known to get wet, become damaged or disappear in transit.

See additional good information about shipping sent in by Pat from Montana in the comments section. Thanks, Pat!

We hope you will take these precautions and we look forward to seeing your quilts.

Calling All Groupies!

If you're a quilter, you've got books, and if you've got books, you probably have a few favorite authors. You can meet your faves during the Book Fair at any AQS show, collect autographs and buy the latest, greatest AQS publications. Here's the author line-up for the AQS Knoxville Quilt Expo July 22-25:

Pepper Cory, Pepper Cory's Quilting Pattern Collection
Margie Engel, Bodacious Applique a la Carte
Rita Fishel, Mystery Quilts
Klaudeen Hansen, Quilt Art Engagement Calendar 2010
Sandy Hart & Gudny Campbell, Piecing with Pixels
Deb Karasik, Quilts with Attitude
Rami Kim, Quilted Elegance
Ann S. Lainhart, Fussy Cut Mariner's Compass
Laura Patrick, Heart for a Hero
Marsha D. Radtke, A Baltimore Album
Florence Riesen, Heirloom Quilted Nursery
Sharon Sebrow, Kaleidoscope the Smart Way
Lynda Smith, Quilt This!
Helen Squire, Quilting UFOs
Alice Wilhoit, Crazy Patchwork

See you in Tennessee!

Being an Author with AQS

Thankfully, there is more than one correct way to make a quilt and to write the how-to instructions. This has given rise to several major quilt book publishers, and AQS is proud to be among the leaders.

If you're considering authoring a quilt book, this is what you can expect from AQS:

• Clear, succinct proposal and manuscript guidelines
• A fast consideration of your proposal
• Transparency in the publication process
• Generous contract terms
• A close working relationship with editorial staff and individual attention
• Retention of your author's voice; no cookie-cutter books here
  
• Regular contact and communication, from concept through post-publication
  
• Offers to teach at AQS shows once you're published
• The opportunity to tape online classes that provide college credit for students
• Expansive marketing and advertising efforts and assistance, wholesale and retail
  
• Friendly support and advice every step of the way

We offer a lecture at every AQS show that details what it is like to be published by us. If you're considering writing a how-to quilt book, treat yourself to the facts and join us in Knoxville, July 22-25, for "Writing a Quilt Book: The Reality Show," or Des Moines, October 28-31, for "Putting Pen to Paper: Publishing with AQS." Our proposal guidelines are posted under the "Authors" tab at www.americanquilter.com. And you may always contact us at 270-898-7903 or andi@aqsquilt.com. There are a lot of talented, creative quilters out there! We look forward to hearing from you!

It's Baa-aack!

Anita Shackelford's very popular book on feather quilting patterns, Infinite Feathers, is back. AQS has reprinted her book due to popular demand. That, and the fact that it's still one of the best how-to-feather-quilt books around. Whether you quilt by hand or machine (of any kind), treat yourself to a wonderful resource by calling 1-800-626-5420. Ask for item # 6072. Also available on CD -- item # 6521.

Inchie Quilts Are in the House!

What started as a "just between friends" trading card-like pasttime has been turned into a hot new quilting trend. Leading the way is AQS author Nadine Ruggles with her book, Inchie Quilts.

Inchie quilts really are just that - tiny, one-inch square quilts. They are adorable, addictive, and oh-so-fun to embellish! You can make inchies the star of the quilt or use them as accents. They are equally at home on traditional, contemporary and art quilts.

And because Nadine explains how to attach the inchies in a semi-permanent way, you can move them around! She even gives you an Inchies Chess quilt pattern!

You will have hours of fun creating inchies and hours more thinking of creative ways to use them. Enjoy!

Call 1-800-626-5420 to order. Ask for item # 8021.

Quilt Market Update

Just back from the Spring 2009 Quilt Market trade show only two days and my feet have finally recovered! Wearing sensible shoes is a must to stand on cement with a layer of carpet and walk several miles. So much to see and so little time. Everyday we met many charming retail shops and our major distributors. Our schoolhouses were a huge success with the shops eager to plan classes from all the ideas that the authors provided.

Walking around the show I saw so many exciting new fabrics — jewel tones, bright fun florals, and the cutest animal focus prints everywhere. I loved two of the new notions from Simplicity that will make sewing easier for quilters. My favorite was the electric rotary cutter that cuts strips that can be used for piecing, bias tape and binding. The bias tape maker was so cool, it makes 12’ in 60 seconds! It folds and presses different sizes in one step. Simplicity also has a new Jelly Roll ruler from Kimberly Einmo. Shhhh! She happens to be working on a new book using the ruler for next year. A new quilting glove that was at market for the first time from GrabARoos is great for free-motion quilting. They have PVC dots on the finger tips and when they wear out you turn them over and there are dots there for more sewing! And they come in purple, a favorite color of mine.

The city of Pittsburgh was so welcoming, with friendly people everywhere we went. They were not only excited about the quilters in town — shuttling them around in Trolleys — but they also were the host for five baseball games and the Stanley Cup hockey playoffs. We went by the hockey arena after setting up the booth to see the many fans watching the game on big screens outside and celebrating their victory. Every evening we could see the baseball stadium across the river from the hotel room, and I think I could smell the hot dogs and peanuts, or maybe it was wishful thinking.




Thanks to all the shops that stopped by our booth to share with us what quilting projects they were working on and which AQS books they have in their stores.

Spring Market 2009

Spring Market 2009 is history. It was the usual colorful, lively, interesting mix of companies, businesses and individuals in the quilt industry. While attendance seemed down, most vendors said they had a good show, which is welcome news for anyone interested in quilting. AQS is certainly pleased with the number of book ideas that came our way. The citizens of Pittsburgh were super friendly, and we could see the Pirates play from the hotel!

We were delighted to have three authors teach during Schoolhouse: Karen Gibbs, whose Bits of Bargello was so hot off the press, she saw it for the first time when her session began!; Terry White, who demonstrated three of the techniques from All Beaded Up by Machine; and Alice Wilhoit, whose Crazy Patchwork projects had the audience oohing and aahing like - well, like crazy! You can learn more about these three new titles on our website's "Buy Books" page and order them by calling 800-626-5420.