Where to get my books & how I make them

During the American Quilt Study Group Seminar in Lincoln, Nebraska, several people asked me about my books- how to get them, and how they were done. I'm glad they asked! I've published a few books through Blurb, a self-publishing company that offers print-on-demand services for books created on the home computer. I first learned about Blurb three years ago, after working for a few years with iPhoto. At this point, I've lost count of how many books I published, and some were only gifts for family and friends- picture books of vacations and such.

My study center guide - and I've corrected the date (d'oh!)

It's not too difficult to figure out how to make your own book, and there are now books on the subject and people who teach others how to do it. Kyra Hicks recently released a book about how to self publish books, and she has a blog about it, too. The book templates are included in the free software provided by Blurb, and all you do is bring in your own text and pictures. There are ways to play with the layout and customize it, but you must work in one of a few standard book sizes. You may order as few as one copy at a time, and that really helps when you're trying to self-publish and need to see a proof copy.

Two pages from my "Beauty Secrets" exhibit catalog

The first quilt book I published was the "Small Wonders: Doll Quilts by Andrea Balosky" catalog for the 2011 exhibit at the Latimer Quilt and Textile Center in Tillamook, Oregon. We exhibited about 80 of the quilts, but the book is 120 pages, full color, and contains pictures of all 116 quilts. To preview or order the book, click here.

The next book I published was the catalog for "Beauty Secrets: 150 Years of History in One Quilt Pattern" at the Benton County Museum in Philomath, Oregon. The 80-page book contains pictures of 42 quilts, 21 of which were included in the exhibit, and a comparison of the blocks. To preview or order the book, click here.

Recently, I published a small catalog for an exhibit of 15 quilts from the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative at Anne Amie Vineyards in Carlton, Oregon. The 20-page booklet includes pictures of all the quilts and an introduction to this group of quilts within my collection. To preview or order the book, click here.

My latest book is a special edition version of the "Beauty Secrets" catalog, made especially for the AQSG Seminar in Lincoln, Nebraska. I admit, it may be a little over the top to make a book as a study center handout, but I really wanted participants to go home with something they would keep. In my haste to get the book published in time, there were some errors - I'm a terrible proofreader, but I've got a new friend who has offered to help me in the future. I've now corrected the errors and released the updated edition of the book. For anyone who has one of the copies I handed out, please note the date for my exhibit in San Jose is 2013, not 2014. (d'oh!) To preview or order the book, click here.

So, that's how it's done, and each book is printed when it is ordered. That's why I usually don't have stacks of books to sell when I do lectures. The booklet for AQSG was a little bit of an investment - I gave copies of it away - but I was happy to give something back to the people who came out to see me and the quilts. They seemed to enjoy it, so I'd do it again in a heartbeat! To visit my Blurb bookstore, click here.