I’d like to share one of my favorite books from my own studio bookshelf with you today.
“Color Harmony for Quilts – A Quilt Makers Guide to Exploring Color” by Weeks Ringle & Bill Kerr is a fantastic addition to the fiber artist’s bookshelf.  It’s not an instruction manual, more of a guide to using colors more effectively in your quilts, either art or traditional.

The book begins with a discussion of basic color concepts like the color wheel, how color affects our perceptions and even how to find inspiration in the real world.
The authors use traditional and modern quilt blocks in …read more

Who doesn’t like a good chicken dish? Chicken is hearty in the winter and a light entree in the summer. It can be prepared braised, grilled, sauteed, roasted…in sandwiches, salads, pastas, and as a stand-alone entree. Almost every cuisine features at least one spectacular chicken dish. That is the premise of “Food + Wine’s” latest cookbook, “Quick from Stratch Chicken Cookbook.”

The 185-page volume is divided into sections based on different cooking methods, such as braising, grilling, stir-frying, and roasting. Each recipe is matched with a luscious, color photograph of the prepared dish. Selections include examples from …read more

Whenever I hear the term “tantric sex” I think of somewhat-corny episodes of my favorite sitcoms. (Or that slightly less corny episode of Sex and the City.)
However, the newly released Tantric Sex for Busy Couples: How to Deepen Your Passion in Just Ten Minutes a Day by Diana Daffner, M.A brings the concept into a whole new lighting that I actually GET, which means I can actually maybe apply it to my life. Or at least fantasies, for when I get a life.
No time for marathon sessions a la Sting? Whether it’s time, energy or interest that’s lacking, this …read more

As women, it’s easy for us to think that it’s way less complicated to be a guy.
The truth is, it’s not. What does it mean to be a man today? What can a man do to improve his relationships?
Recently, Elliot Katz, author of Being the Strong Man A Woman Wants, was posed this question during a television interview – the answer sparked great insight. We share some his thoughts here!
Show leadership
One of women’s biggest complaints is that men don’t show their share of leadership in the relationship. When a man sees a situation that needs to be dealt with, he …read more

New York Fashion Week is in full swing right now which means that the designers are showing their best & brightest ideas (at least for this season!)
I think that fiber artists can learn a lot from different fashion construction techniques – check out the spectacular tailoring on this jacket:
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The stitching and construction almost turn it into a piece of sculpture.
How about the precise applique & piecing on these dresses:
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Check out the fabulous fabric flowers on this piece!
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I just came across a book that can help you master some …read more

I love books.
I probably have more books than I actually need, but I simply can’t part with them
I thought it would be fun to go through my bookshelf and share some of my favorite needlework books with you, my favorite readers!
My first pick is “Glorious Needlepoint” by Kaffe Fassett.

It’s a rich, beautifully designed and photographed book.  Despite the fact that I’ve only ever made a couple of the projects in the book, I wouldn’t part with my tattered copy for the world.  It’s a source of inspiration – just leafing through it makes me happy.
So what’s on your …read more

Visit the Tangled Thread Store at Amazon.com. It’s very cool!

My mother is spending part of her vacation visiting my family, and she brought me a present! Yay! I have hunted online for a vendor that has an image of this book, or even just has it for sale, but no luck. It is titled “Navajo Rugs in Cross-stitch & Needlepoint” (ISBN 0-9708911-1-3). It has 8 different traditional rug designs as charts. Each design has a bit of history, stitch count, colors needed, and size of cloth. Color numbers are listed for DMC and 3ply wool. There are no symbols listed …read more

Yesterday I spent hours re-organizing our shelves of books, and in the process unearthed a few needlework gems I’d forgotten about. One of these is the March 2006 issue of Cross-Stitch & Needlework magazine (formerly Stitcher’s World).

This issue has several smallish motifs to stitch, as well as some Springy pieces. There are Faberge-style eggs, some bunnies, etc. In addition, there is a set of kitchen cloths with Southwest themes (chili peppers, clay pots..) and a set of Christmas ornaments done in pastel pinks and greens. ah, and the issue includes a larger piece – ’spring quilts’, …read more

Last month I reviewed the Cross Country Stitching magazine. I also put in a request on their site for a free issue of their magazine as well as their catalogue. Yesterday I checked my mailbox and there was a large envelope from Jeremiah Junction, Inc with my (spelled incorrectly) name on it. Woo-hoo! (I don’t mind the name spelling. As my husband pointed out, it just means they are a company more personally involved in handling and processing their orders, instead of highly automated.)

I think that is pretty speedy service on a freebie request, don’t you? …read more