“[A] gem . . . [Susan] provides a wealth of tips and examples for composing great photographs that have potential to make for lovely quilts.” —Piece, Love & Happiness! Fiber artist and designer Susan Brubaker Knapp teaches quilters how to compose and shoot dynamic digital photos from a quilter’s perspective. With fun, creative workshop-like exercises in art quilting, you’ll learn how to turn those photos into small art quilts, both realistic and abstract, combining traditional fabrics with innovative materials. Every quilter can succeed with Susan’s achievable designs and accessible techniques. 16 artful appliqué projects inspired by digital photographs Learn how to shoot better photos and turn them into art quilt designs Boost your creativity with new tools and techniques Use unique materials to achieve your vision, including Tyvek, foils, paints, and more “Shows how a photo can be a starting point for something truly artful . . . The focus is on creating good design, not on simply recreating a scene . . . anyone who ever made a piece inspired by a favorite photo can learn something from this beautiful book.” —And Sew It Goes . . . “I sat down and went through each page and gobbled it right up . . . Susan shares how to take great photos for translation into an art quilt.” —IHAN (I Have a Notion)

The author of Better Together shows you how to use prairie points in traditional blocks

Quilt along with Christa using walking-foot or free-motion techniques to create fabulous quilts--from start to finish--on your home sewing machine. Award-winning quilter Christa Watson shows you how with 8 different walking-foot designs and 10 free-motion quilting motifs, plus 12 inventive patterns to put all the quilting techniques to use! Go beyond quilting in the ditch--quilt parallel lines, radiating lines, and shattered lines as you turn straight stitches into walking-foot wonders that wow! Love the look of free-motion quilting but not sure where to begin? Start with simple stipples and expand your repertoire to include wandering waves, boxes, pebbles, loops, and many more. Discover Christa's top tips for machine-quilting success and learn to use quilting designs to enhance each part of the quilt, whether you're making a baby quilt, wall quilt, or throw.Video

Learn to create modern quilts more quickly and easily than ever with this popular method, featuring thirteen projects and twenty-five bonus ideas. Do you believe rules were meant to be broken? If so, this improvisational quilt-as-you-go technique is for you. Instead of dealing with precise paper patterns and cutting measurements, you’ll learn how to piece fabric onto small, manageable batting blocks. Let your creative juices flow as you quilt directly on the blocks (not the whole quilt!), whether in large abstract zigzags or small structured stitches. After the blocks have been joined, all you need to do is add backing fabric and binding, and—voila—it’s finished! A modern approach to quilting that’s fresh, fun, and simpler than it sounds; it will change the way you quilt (for the better) Great for moms or anyone with a busy schedule—these thirteen projects are easy to transport because they make it simple to pick up where you left off Go your own way: This method allows you to use a pattern or improvise, creating a wide variety of design options Save money! Learn how to finish your own quilts without the use of a longarm professional “Quilting is easier than ever with Jera Brandvig’s modern spin on the popular quilt-as-you-go technique.” —Modern Quilts Unlimited “Quilt-as-you-go (QAYG) is one of those techniques that every quilter is curious about trying, but can be daunting as the process is so different to the traditional process of making a quilt top and then quilting it. . . . The book introduces the technique very thoroughly, so you can clearly understand the difference between traditional piecing and quilting and QAYG. Then there’s a great selection of gorgeous quilts that are sure to appeal to the modern quilter. A must if you’ve ever thought about trying QAYG and haven’t had a clue where to start.” —Make Modern Magazine

Learn easy, efficient tricks for piecing irresistible quilt tops with precuts and leftover fabric scraps, and discover 18 machine-quilting motifs you can mix and match. Award-winning quilter and designer Christa Watson guides you through 11 skill-building projects with quilting designs in three categories: walking-foot, free-motion, and a combination of the two techniques. Christa is here to help you start and finish strong!

Whether responding to a CNN.com survey or voting for the NFL All-Pro team, computer users are becoming more and more comfortable with Internet polls. Computer use in the United States continues to grow—more than half of all American households now have a personal computer. The next question, then, becomes obvious. Should Americans be able to use the Internet in the most important polls of all? Some advocates of Internet voting argue that Americans are well suited to casting their ballots online in political elections. They are eager to make use of new technology, and they have relatively broad access to the Internet. Voting would become easier for people stuck at home, at the office, or on the road. Internet voting might encourage greater political participation among young adults, a group that stays away from the polling place in droves. It would hold special appeal for military personnel overseas, whose ability to vote is a growing concern. There are serious concerns, however, regarding computer security and voter fraud, unequal Internet access across socioeconomic lines (the "digital divide"), and the civic consequences of moving elections away from schools and other polling places and into private homes and offices. After all, showing up to vote is the most public civic activity many Americans engage in, and it is often their only overt participation in the democratic process. In Point, Click, and Vote, voting experts Michael Alvarez and Thad Hall make a strong case for greater experimentation with Internet voting. In their words, "There is no way to know whether any argument regarding Internet voting is accurate unless real Internet voting systems are tested, and they should be tested in small-scale, scientific trials so that their successes and failures can be evaluated." In other words, you never know until you try, and it's time to try harder. The authors offer a realistic plan for putting pilot remote Internet voting programs into effect n

This visual reference will help anyone inspired to make art quilts gain the practical tools and inspiration necessary to translate your ideas to fabric. Start on the path to art quilting success! For anyone inspired to make art quilts, this visual reference includes step-by-step photos and illustrations to guide you on your creative journey. Dip your toes in the water with an introduction from some of the biggest names in quilting arts to design theory, supplies and tools, and working with fabric. Practice surface design, embellishment, and quilting by hand and machine as you learn a variety of finishing techniques to turn your unique ideas and imagery into art quilts. • Expand your art quilter’s toolbox with helpful lessons, plus step-by-step photos and illustrations • Study dyeing and printing on fabrics, embellishment, quilting, and working in a series • Gain the practical tools and inspiration you need to finally translate your ideas to fabric