All Hands on Stitch!

It’s Wednesday and time to check in on the storm that is my sewing room! It’s also time to spill the beans about what I’ve been busy with for the past several weeks – a new, updated edition of Stitch it Up a Notch: How to Piece Perfect Quilts!

This was my very first book, originally published as an ebook in 2009, and it’s all about precision piecing – how to piece so that every seam you sew matches perfectly and predictably every time.

When I wrote this book, I also shot videos to demonstrate many techniques. Up until now, those videos were always separate from the book, and sometimes difficult to watch as you were reading.

With this update, Josh has edited the text, I’ve updated the layout, and we’ve included links to the videos inside the book so you can go watch them as you read the book. Even better, the videos will now be compatible with ipads, so you should be able to watch from any device – computer or tablet.

Now all that’s left is shooting new photos, which is not a small job. From my calculation, I will be cutting over 8 yards of fabric today to create the 5 quilt projects included in the book. It’s an overwhelming task of stepping out and shooting over 250 photos on everything from measuring exact 1/4 inch seams to cutting scraps accurately.

This has been a perfect project to work on with a new quilter because it’s given me the opportunity to teach them all aspects of perfect piecing from the ground up. As I’m teaching these steps to our very first employee and watching their progress, I’m also reviewing the information in the book and making sure it’s as clear and informative as possible.

It’s a big job, but I love having so much help to work on it! Our piecer and I will knock out the piecing with occasional help from Josh to shoot photos and then my Father-in-Law, Chet will give the book a final edit to be sure everything is in good shape. With so many helping hands, we’re on schedule to have the book finished by early July!

Update: We’ve since finished this update to Stitch it Up a Notch: How to Piece Perfect Quilts and it is now available in both a digital download edition here and a print edition from Amazon.com!

This new book is a million times better than I’d originally planned with over 200 additional photos, five step-by-step skill building projects, and page after page of extreme detail on the topic of quilt piecing. If you’ve been struggling to figure out why your blocks don’t finish exactly right, it’s time to stop guessing and pick up a copy of How to Piece Perfect Quilts today!

Let’s go quilt,

Leah Day