Men and the Art of Quiltmaking

Long before Europeans colonized America and brought quilting as a textile tradition with them, men were the professional quiltmakers, not women. So begins Joe Cunningham's new book, Men and the Art of Quiltmaking. 

AQS is honored to be the publisher for this book, which profiles 30 of today's male quiltmakers. What they do, why they do it and how they do it are discussed. Photos of their work are included along with nine patterns.

You'll recognize some names but others will not be familiar. Men aren't quite the oddity in quiltmaking in 2010 that they were even five years ago, but are still worth understanding, because they add a certain dimension to the art of quiltmaking.

Joe is a great writer and clearly enjoyed his interviews with his fellow artists. As he writes, "...I began to feel like we were brothers of the quilt." It's a brotherhood with a huge spectrum of tastes and style, from traditional to contemporary to art quilt. Their methods and approaches vary tremendously, too.

For those attending the AQS Des Moines quilt show this October 6 - 9, a bonus is a special exhibit by 24 of the book's quilters, curated by Joe. There have been exhibits of quilts made by men, and male quiltmakers are no longer rare participants in shows and exhibits, but this is the first all-male quilter exhibit to come from a single book on the subject.

Joe will be teaching quilt classes and lecturing in Des Moines, and giving a performance of his musical, "Joe the Quilter." And, he will be signing his book in the AQS booth, so this is a great opportunity to immerse yourself in quilts made by men and talk with a male quilter. Click here to learn more about the show: www.americanquilter.com

Joe's fondest wish is to write more about male quilters. Read his first book on them by ordering AQS item #8243 at 1-800-626-5420, or at the link above. See if anything Joe discovered surprises you, and let him know about it by commenting here.

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.

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.