Episode #32 of Quilt Cabana Corner is up on Podbean and will be on iTunes later today. This episode has lots of great information, so I hope you’ll join me!!

Some show notes:

EDITED – the thread sketching ebook I mentioned as being free is actually $5.97 – my mistake, didn’t realize that I purchased that one. However, www.quiltingdaily.com does have a free thread sketching book that includes part of the Susan Brubaker Knapp book. The $5.97 book is there as well or you can find it at www.interweave.com

Postcard Swap – if you are interested in taking part in holiday or winter themed postcard swap where you make a fabric postcard and mail it to another person, please let me know by the end of October. I need you to send me your first and last name as well as your address and I will pair everyone up. Postcards need to be made in November and in the mail (taken to post office for hand stamping) by December 1’st so your swap partner will have it to display thoughout the holiday season. I will provide links for tutorials on how to make the postcards in another blog post. Based on the success that Sandy H. and I had last year, I think this will be very fun!!!

In this episode, I reviewed the book, Quilter’s Handy Guide to Supplies & More. I gave a brief review on the show but here is the written review of the book. Take a minute to read it as the book is very good. It is available for pre-order. You can order on Amazon here….
http://www.amazon.com/Quilters-Handy-Guide-Supplies-More/dp/1607057697

And through C&T here…
http://www.ctpub.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=3049

Quilter’s Handy Guide to Supplies & More
Dawn Cameron-Dick
I recently had the opportunity to review the Quilter’s Handy Guide to Supplies & More by Dawn Cameron-Dick. The book is published by C&T. The book is an overview of all things related to quilting and it has the added bonus of some entertaining and inspiring quotes sprinkled throughout its pages. I was first drawn to the book because I enjoy reading everything I possibly can about the quilting process. As a person who is self taught, I know I can benefit from these types of books and I always learn something new. This book was no exception and I found myself taking lots of notes as I read through it.
It is a very well thought out book with great photography, easy to read diagrams and a section for notes at the end of each chapter. I particularly liked the way the book was laid out and how easy the graphics were on the eyes.

The book is broken down into the following chapters: Needles, Threads, Sewing Machines, Batting, Fabric, Bits & Pieces (a catch-all category) and Resources. The Needles chapter is very comprehensive with information and graphs on needle types and sizes. I had no idea there were so many parts to a needle!

The Thread chapter gives an excellent description of what kind of fibers thread is made from and how it is made. A table indicating thread use and proper needle size is included in this chapter. Good information on thread weight and usage as well as a discussion on thread breakage is provided. If I had to choose which chapter I took the most notes on and learned the most from, it would be this one! There are so many threads on the market and it’s hard to know which one to select, this chapter helps to de-mystify that process.

The Sewing Machine chapter gives a nice review of a machine’s features, feet, cleaning, tension and tips on purchasing a machine. A nice tip from this chapter is that the clear plastic extension tables for sewing machines can also double as a light box!

The Fabric chapter is interesting with a brief description of how fabric is made. The chapter touches on the wash or no wash debate as well as information on color bleeding and fading. Some great tips are given in this chapter on how to test for bleeding and what can be done about it after the fact.

The Bits & Pieces chapter is full of a bit of everything. It covers storing quilts, setting up a sewing area, rotary cutting, rulers, basic cutting formulas and pressing. I loved seeing the different layouts in the book for setting up a sewing area that works best for you.

The end of the book contains a Resource page with information for different manufacturers mentioned in the book.

This book would make a wonderful gift for a new quilter who is just learning to navigate the sometimes confusing world of quilting. I am also pleased to have this in my library as a reference guide and I’ve been quilting for nearly ten years! The information in the book is current in the industry and it is presented in a clean, concise way with beautiful graphics.

You can find this book on Amazon and through C&T.

Here is the link for the Panasonic iron:
http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-NI-C78SR-Steam-Stainless-Steel-Soleplate/dp/B000H1YS28/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381500694&sr=8-1&keywords=panasonic+iron

Quilt Market – If you are there and could stop by booth #315 which is the Quilt Woman booth, please take a few photos of the booth and my quilts being displayed…I would really, really, really love that!

That’s it for today…enjoy the podcast!!!