Everybody's Working for the Weekend

Here's the perfect antidote to the Monday morning blues...a new book from AQS meant specifically to use on weekends! Or any day you have an hour to spare!

In Weekend Quilts Judy Laquidara has created 16 easy, colorful quilts that are a joy to make and use. The great thing is, she wrote the instructions for each quilt in one hour segments, and none take longer than a weekend to piece!

If you're a quilter who has to find bits and pieces of time for your passion, this is the book for you. Judy's tips on getting the most done in an hour spent quilting will work for anyone. And she even includes time-saving recipes so you're not stuck in the kitchen.

A real bonus in this book is Judy's knack for interesting borders. Never make a ho-hum quilt again, and get lots more done with Weekend Quilts!  Order it (AQS #8149) on the web or by calling 800-626-5420.

Patchwork, Gardens and Thanks!

Look what came in while we were having a great show in Des Moines! Kathleen Hulett's Patchwork 4 Ways is perfect for piecers. Using four blocks -- Star, Log Cabin, Stripe and Snow Goose -- she shows how to create one-, two-, three-, or four-block quilts. This book is perfect for beginners and classes and would be great inspiration for a round robin project. (AQS # 8027)

The designs in Garden Nouveau Quilts were inspired by the nature surrounding Vicky Lawrence's farmhouse, but she used her artistic flair to tweak them into elegant designs reminiscent of the Art Nouveau era. Appliquers will love the way these flowers can be changed and re-arranged. A special treat for experienced quilters is the miniature version of the Nouveau Fleur quilt, Little Vicky. (AQS # 8031)

Many of us are short on time but long on gratitude for the others in our lives. When you want to say thanks for a special occasion or good deed, use Small Quilts, Big Events from Julia LaBauve and Tammy Silvers. Their no-fuss piecing and fused applique patterns combine batiks and wool for a big impact with a minimal time investment in these 15" x 16" beauties. Show how you feel! Make someone a small quilt for a big event. (AQS # 8030)

Fall for These New Books!

Just in time for cooler weather and more time spent quilting are two new books from AQS.

Sarah Ann Smith has written a wonderful resource book on that most essential of quilting elements, thread. Not at all a dry, dusty treatise, this beautiful book is a great read with interesting projects to keep your thread knowledge at the top of the game. You may stand in awe in front of thread displays in the future, but it won't be because you don't know what you're looking at if you read Sarah's book, Threadwork Unraveled. AQS # 8029

If you love to piece you will love Donna Poster's book, Block Beauty. Much like quilters two, three or more generations back, Donna is happiest when she's working with a familiar shape but creating new designs with it. Each of five shapes - Rail Fence, X-Quisite, Texas Trellis, Peak and Drunkard's Path - is shown in four designs and seven possible quilt sizes with multiple border options. Talk about a resource book! Twenty quilts and "doodle corners" included so you can keep going with simple shapes that make fabulous quilts. AQS # 8023

Both books are available at www.americanquilter.com or 1-800-626-5420.

Put Some Magic in Your Quilts!

Hot off the press, we are proud to announce the arrival of Michelle Linder's book, Square Magic!

Michelle has devised an ingenious way to transform a plain square into hundreds of different blocks. Simple straight piecing and clever color use transform the ordinary into extraordinary.

Even better, she explains how to perform her magic with 3", 2" and 1" squares so you can work with a size you like.

As a bonus, after you trim to get the block you're going for, you've automatically created a miniature version of the same block!

Seeing is believing how amazingly simple but effective her technique is. And the 12 projects in Square Magic offer lots of placement and color options, border choices and more. Try it for yourself and you'll become addicted to using Michelle's method in all of your pieced quilts because it's -- magic!

AQS item # 8024 on our website, www.americanquilter.com or 1-800-626-5420.