Cabin Fever Relief

Just in time to relieve winter's cabin fever -- two new books from AQS Publishing. Both guaranteed to keep you and your sewing machine warm and cozy.

First up is Rita Fishel's latest fun-filled romp, Everyday Quilts. These are quilts that are a snap to make. They're so easy, you'll be happy to use them everyday. Go ahead -- love them to death! It won't take much time or effort to make another. These are great patterns for retreats, charity, and gifts.

Need a break from piecing? Read one of Rita's humorous stories about her adventures in her funeral-parlor-turned-quilt-shop and on the road in the Stitch Mobile as a popular teacher and vendor.

Getting hungry? Make one of the delicious recipes she's included -- because quilters need nourishment!

Ready to quilt that top you just made from Everyday Quilts? Turn to Sally Terry's latest book on machine quilting, Pathways from Quilt Top to Quilted.

Sally is a well-known machine quilting instructor, and in this book, she gives the soup to nuts info every quilter needs for getting from a completed quilt top to a quilted quilt.

The book emphasizes longarm techniques, but domestic machine quilters will find oodles of tips and helpful techniques. If you've contemplated quilting tops for other people, there's advice here about that, too.

Best of all, Sally begins her books with troubleshooting so you can avoid machine quilting mistakes right from the start.

Lose those winter blues! Rev up your sewing machine and get stitching!


Both books are available at www.americanquilter.com. 

Everyday Quilts by Rita Fishel is AQS item # 8349; Pathways from Quilt Top to Quilted is AQS item# 8348. Enjoy!

Sherlock Sue Puzzle

We received loads of positive feedback on last week's puzzle. In celebration of the release of the latest book from AQS, here's another puzzle challenge to enjoy.

Sunbonnet Sue Goes Abroad!

Sunbonnet Sue recently discovered a love of travel thanks to first-time author Debra Kimball, M.D.


Deb fell in love with hand applique and created a Kimono Sue quilt, which was shown in the Des Moines Area Quilt Guild's show during the first AQS show in Des Moines. I saw Kimono Sue and instantly thought about the rest of the world. When I contacted Deb to ask her if she'd be interested in creating a bunch of "International Sues," she didn't hesitate. Of course she'd be delighted to help Sunbonnet Sue hit the road!

And here it is, a book of 49 brand new Sunbonnet Sues. Each one wears an iconic costume and most hold a souvenir or symbol from her native land or from one of seven parts of the USA. Best of all, you can use these patterns with any type of applique!


Think of all the different ways you can express your life with International Sunbonnet Sues! Make a quilt that celebrates your family's cultural heritage. Sew a block for every place you've traveled. Send a memento to friends in far away places to remind them of where you are from.

Yes, indeed. Sue has left the comfort and safety of home and garden and is out and about. There's no stopping her now! You can use Deb's patterns as presented or tweak them to make blocks that are highly personalized. Either way, enjoy accompanying Sunbonnet Sue on her latest adventure!
AQS# 8347. 1-800-626-5420.

And here's a fun question: which is your favorite International Sue pattern? If you'll tell me yours, I'll tell you mine! Let me know by Valentine's Day and we'll see which Sues are faves.

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.

Thanksgiving and Memories

Oops! I must have gotten busy over the last few weeks because I just discovered this Thanksgiving weekend post. Here it is, hopefully better late than never.


It's not unusual for people to become nostalgic at holiday time; cementing tradition is part of the  plan.

So is reviving memories, and quilting certainly lends itself to that, what with making quilts for special occasions, using certain patterns to invoke feelings and messages, giving quilts as gifts to commemorate milestones...

And here on this Thanksgiving weekend I've come across just such a heart string. I found the  "label" I wrote for the third quilt I ever made. I didn't know back then (1991) that sewing an annotated history of the quilt onto the quilt was good to do. I merely wrote a note and handed it and the wall hanging off to my mom, who had the foresight to encase my bad handwriting in plastic. Thanks, Mom.

"Unlimited Mileage

This piece, my third, was done for my mother's 60th birthday -- 8/15/91. It commemorates our April '91 trip to Paducah, KY, for the American Quilter's Society annual conference.

The Mariner's Compass block is for all the "unlimited mileage" we put on the car. The deep turquoise is for the bridges over the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. The gold fabric is for the ceiling of the lobby bar at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis. The red fabric is for the Catherine the Great exhibit. The long row border is for the long, flat Missouri roads."

Well, now.

No one told me back then that making a Mariner's Compass (in the era before paper piecing) wasn't something a novice should do. I'm happy it doesn't bow that much in the center (grin). But more than any other quilt I've made, that one is special.

I'm sure every quilter has a super special quilt, even when it's impossible to choose among the "children." Feel free to share your favorites with us on Facebook or here on the Publishing blog.

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!

Smart Quilting in These Economic Times

If scrappy quilts are not your style, and if you like applique, and if you're trying to work out of your stash to save money, then Dilys Fronks' latest book is just the ticket.

In Dual Image Applique she describes how to get two images from one cut. You save time as well as money, and you end up with two blocks, quilts, or projects to show for your effort. For example, look at her book's cover: clever!

Besides having 10 fun projects from home dec to quilts, Dilys teaches terrific machine applique technique, so if you've been looking for instruction, this book will show you what you need to know.

The extensive gallery will inspire you to put her technique to work in any quilt project.

Dilys is known in her home of Wales as "Dilys the Quilt." She has taught internationally for years and will be teaching at the AQS Paducah show in 2011 (online registration will open in early December; her classes fill fast, so don't wait!). To maximize your quilt dollar and produce amazing quilts, order AQS #8240 online or by calling 1-800-626-5420.