Come Talk with Me in Paducah

Andi Reynolds, executive book editor for AQS here. In just four short weeks the 27^th annual AQS Quilt Show & Contest – Paducah will open!

Being at each AQS quilt show is always exciting for me, because I get to meet so many creative people with such interesting ideas. If you have given some thought to writing a quilt book, come to the quilt show April 27 – 30 and see me! Bring just an idea or a full-blown proposal or anything in between.

My office will be on the second floor of the Julian Carroll Convention Center, to the left as you come up the stairs or off the elevator. There will be a sign indicating where to find me. The field editors for American Quilter magazine will have space there, too.

If you'd like to talk about a book or magazine idea, you can prepare in advance by reviewing our proposal guidelines. Go to www.americanquilter.com and click on “Authors.”

Potential book authors can also attend my lecture, Get into Print!, which will be Wednesday, April 27 from 10 am to 11 am in the Eisenhower Room on the first floor of the convention center. Tickets for Lecture # 2802 will be available at the Workshop Desk; this is a free event.

Later that afternoon, also in the Eisenhower Room, I will moderate the Author's Roundtable. From 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm come hear what five AQS authors have to say about what it’s like to publish with AQS. This is your time to ask all the nitty-gritty questions you can think of about what it is like to write a quilt book. Invited authors are Dilys Fronks (Dual Image Appliqué); Linda J. Hahn (New York Beauty Simplified); Sally Terry (Pathways from Quilt Top to Quilted); and Linda K. Johnson and Jane K. Wells, aka The Crafty Ol' Broads (Cuddly Snuggly Quilts). Tickets for Special Event # 2202 will be available at the Workshop Desk—and it’s free, too!

Both events should help explain the process of becoming an AQS author, but you don't need to attend them to talk with me. Walk-ins are welcome (leave me a note with your phone number if I’m not around), or you may make an appointment by emailing me at andi@aqsquilt.com no later than Wednesday, April 20. You can always ask for me at the Workshop Desk, too. I hope to see you in Paducah!

A Big Apple of a Book

This is a step-up-to-the-plate book. If you've ever marveled at the handsome New York Beauty block but shied away from making a quilt from it, this is your time.

Linda J. Hahn, quintessential Jersey girl and well-known teacher of this block, has created a paper piecing template and simple sewing technique combination that is so successful, you'll get a perfect block with perfect points every time. And, you won't spend your sewing time pinning and unpinning! She really does make it simple.

Color and design options are endless, as are the quilting possibilities. One of the neatest things about this book, in addition to the technique itself, is the inclusion of many suggested quilting ideas. Linda and her daughter, Sarah Hahn, have created a line of quilting stencils to use with New York Beauty blocks and quilts (or any quilt, for that matter) and have shared those designs here.

Give yourself permission to make a fun quilt this next year and try a New York Beauty. You will be very uptown. The book is AQS item# 8346. Ask about stencil availability when you call: 800-626-5420.

New York Beauty Puzzle

I've always been a fan of jigsaw puzzles. At AQS, we've been thinking about ways we can provide fun and excitement to quilters in addition to our shared love of fabric. We'd like to see whether anyone else is interested in puzzles, too.

We've made an online jigsaw puzzle one of the quilts from  New York Beauty Simplified  by Linda J. Hahn. We hope you enjoy putting it together as much as we did. Let me know what you think!


Have some fun putting this quilt together. Please share your comments and thoughts on whether you'd want to see more of these in the future.

Happy Piecing!