A Star (or Two) is Born!

Today, April 27, is the day our own Bonnie Browning and upcoming AQS author Judy Woodworth appear on The Quilt Show! Be sure to tune in and watch both quilting experts. Judy will show how to stitch freeform feathers, and Bonnie shows all kinds of ideas for finishing a quilt's edge.

Then, when Judy's first book, Freemotion Quilting Handbook, comes out early this Fall, you'll know something about her.
Her book includes all kinds of tips and techniques she uses to longarm amazing, award-winning quilts.

Click here to enjoy the show!

It's Show Time!

The quilts are up, the vendors are in, the quilters are arriving every minute. The dogwoods are hanging on to their blossoms just long enough for everyone to get that last glimpse, and the weather is gorgeous. The National Quilt Museum has fabulous exhibits up and the area merchants are all decked out with quilts to welcome everyone. It's show time in Paducah!

If you aren't here or on your way here, stay tuned to www.americanquilter.com for the latest: photos of the show winners and later, a video overview of what you missed. The new Pavilion is a wonderland inside with vendors, Quilter's Park and special exhibits, and the Expo Center and Convention Center are their friendly familiar selves, packed to the gills with quilts, quilts and more quilts, and vendors galore. The Best of Show quilt will knock your socks off. The classes are outstanding and several are still available; check the Workshop Desk during show hours (9am to 6 pm Wed - Fri, 9am to 5 pm Sat). There are even seats available to hear Kaffe Fassett, Eleanor Burns and Ricky Tims at the Carson Four Rivers Center! Don't you wish you were here!

I'm expecting to meet several authors and would-be authors during the show. It's always exciting to see what creative people have in mind for a book or article, so the show is a special time for AQS Publishing. Chris Brown, Editor-in-Chief of American Quilter and I will have office space on the second floor of the convention center past the Admissions Desk. Jan Magee, Editor-in-Chief of our new magazine, The Quilt Life with Ricky Tims and Alex Anderson, will be in Booth 4008 in the Pavilion. If you are in Paducah, stop by to see us!

Creative Confidence

Nothing helps creativity like having the right tools, skills and techniques at hand. Renae Haddadin, well-known for her stunning machine quilting on intricately designed medallion quilts, has written her first book to share the simple, easy-to-do methods she uses to achieve her award-winning results.

Amazing Ways to Use Circles & Rays is more than a technique book. In addition to the projects, which range from wallhangings to large quilts to a tree skirt, Renae offers - no, gives - permission to take the skill set she's provided and run with it. She has truly broken circle and ray drafting, construction and foundation paper piecing into such simple steps, beginners can produce highly sophisticated original designs right away.

AQS #8154 at www.americanquilter.com or 1-800-626-5420.

An Annual Favorite Returns

It's that time of year again -- publication of the winners of The National Quilt Museum's annual New Quilts from an Old Favorite contest.

The 2009 block was a perennial love -- the Sunflower block. Barbara Brackman shows no fewer than 19 variations in her Encyclopedia of Pieced Patterns, and the contestants were as imaginative as ever. First place winners Claudia Clark Meyers and Marilyn Badger are frequent quilting partners and award-winning quilters, yet they say every win is a thrill.

Catch their excitement and the joy of stretching boundaries shared by the other contributors to this book when you order AQS# 8152. www.americanquilter.com/buybooks or 1-800-626-5420.

Learn which block will be next at www.quiltmuseum.org.

Just in Time for Spring

What better way to celebrate the arrival of warmer weather and green growing things than with a sweet food treat! Ann Hazelwood has completed her trilogy of "100s" with 100 Sweet Treats by and for Quilters. The book itself is delicious with many photos of quilts by the dessert makers. When you need something more substantial, dig in to one of 100 short, yummy recipes for bars, breads, brownies, cakes, cobblers, cold desserts, cookies (are you hungry yet?), crunchies, fruit dishes, pies, puddings or sundries. Is it your turn to make treats for the guild or your sit-and-stitch group? Need a hostess gift? This book is the one!  (AQS #8156)

Now that you're all happy from eating a sweet treat (or two), it's back to the quilting with Sue Patten's latest books, Adaptable Quilting Designs.  Here are 90 pages of designs Sue created to fill those tricky spots on a quilt -- the sashings, cornerstones and setting triangles. All of them can be worked by hand or any type of machine, and reduced or enlarged as needed. Sue's designs work up beautifully as is, or use them to jump start your own ideas. If you enjoyed Sue's first book, Quilting Possibilities...Freehand Filler Patterns, you'll love this one. (AQS #8234)

The blogging program doesn't like posting pictures today, but you can see the books on our home page -- www.americanquilter.com. Call 800-626-5420 to order.

Lancaster or Bust!

If you've ever planned a birthday party, a wedding, even a potluck dinner, you know what a mad scramble it can be as the time draws near. Add hundreds of quilts, dozens of teachers, hundreds of vendors and thousands of quilters and you can imagine life at AQS this last week before we open in Lancaster on March 24!

Our first show in that lovely city will be like our other shows, only different, because each show has its own "flavor," depending on so many variables -- the city, the local volunteers, the weather (!), and most importantly, the attendees. This show we expect to have many, many more people from the East than we usually see, certainly in Knoxville and Des Moines. Be prepared to hear a wide variety of accents, y'all and you guys!

Not only is this our first event in Lancaster, the show will be the first big event in the brand new Lancaster County Convention Center. Everyone there is excited and probably a little nervous. Truth to tell, so are we, for although we've put on big quilt shows for 25 years, and have become accustomed to being in new-to-us venues, every show is different. We can only hope we've planned the best to make this a memorable time for everyone involved.

We are thrilled with the enthusiastic reception we've received from Lancaster folks and from people long accustomed to attending a quilt show in Southeastern Pennsylvania. The area is a must-visit Mecca for quilters, and we're delighted to keep the quilting spirit alive there. See you next week!

Create Masterful Quilts Based on Mosaic Tiles

Mosaic tile patterns have inspired quilters for years, and Jean Biddick is no exception. She has put clever drafting and piecing techniques in play to create visually stunning quilts based on the tiled floors of the Truro Cathedral in England.

These exceptional quilts are truly easier to make than they appear. A few of them are challenging, which many quilters find appealing. Not many books on the market today appeal to quilters looking to elevate their skills, so Masterful Machine Pieced Quilts should light up their sewing rooms.

The quilts are so beautiful, this book could almost pass as a coffee table book. There plenty of ideas here to inspire competition-level work. Call 1-800-626-5420 to order AQS #8153.