BOOKLIST” Emma Byrd has just moved to Sweet Anne’s Gap, a tiny mountain town in North Carolina. Her husband loves his new job and her kids are settling in, but Emma feels adrift. She expects to work on the novel she’s been mulling over, but she’s quickly drawn into the close-knit community of quilters in town. Before she knows it, she’s enlisted to help organize a display of historical quilts from around the state, which comes with a crash course on the town gossip. When Emma uses her fledgling quilting skills to help the local outcast make a big gesture, she realizes just how much heart is in the hobby. An uplifting story of a woman finding her way in a small town, this will delight experienced quilters and novice crafters alike. Author Dowell is best known for her YA fiction, and her experience crafting narratives around the power of female friendships transfers easily to more mature subject matter. With buoyant prose and an uplifting message, this will appeal to fans of Mary Simses and Erin McGraw.” –Turza, Stephanie Copyright 2016 Booklist

“A truly enjoyable read! Quilters will relive their own first patchwork steps alongwith Emma as she searches for her place in a new community. Non-quilters willexperience vicariously Emma’s discovery of the power of quilts to connect,heal, and restore the soul.” –Marianne Fons

“What a delightful book! … As I read, I wastransported out of my chair and into the town of Sweet Anne’s Gap and the livesof the quilters that I can understand so well.”  –AnnieSmith

“Birds in the Air is a great book and quilt block — it’s as unusual as liking the book and the movie! It was such a pleasurable read. I cared about the characters and what happened to them. I enjoyed revisiting what it is like to be a brand new quilter.” –Kathy Mathews, ChicagoNow

A Quilting Q&A with Author Frances O’Roark Dowell

• Why did you decide to write about quilters? There’s a rule of thumb for writers: Write the books you want to read. I’m so happy whenever writers like Jennifer Chivavirini, Marie Bostwick and Sandra Dallas come out with new quilting novels–I wish more quilters wrote books! So it makes sense that if I love reading books about quilting, I should write one.
• What draws you to quilting? I’ve always loved quilts. For many years I was convinced that I’d never be able to make a quilt (I’m math phobic, for one thing), and when I finally realized I could, quilting became my new passion. I recently interviewed novelist Marie Bostwick for my blog and asked her why she made quilts. Her answer: Because I can’t paint. I totally got it. Making quilts satisfies my artist soul (the one that can’t paint, alas).
• How are quilting and writing similar; in what ways do they differ? With both quilting and writing, I revise a lot. I find this especially true now that I’m designing more of my own quilts. I mess up a lot in both endeavors, but find that sometimes my failures lead to good, unexpected places. Neither books nor quilts always end up being exactly what you intended them to be — for better and for worse. One thing that’s different about making quilts is that you’re constantly in motion, going from the cutting board to the sewing machine to the ironing board and back again. It’s great to move while I’m making something instead of just sitting in front of a computer.
• How did the “Off-Kilter Quilt” podcast come about? I’d been making quilts for a few years when I discovered quilting podcasts. For the most part, these podcasts were homey and conversational, and I loved listening to the hosts talk about their projects and guild meetings, and hearing about the books they were reading and what they were having for dinner. For me, starting a podcast was like joining an ongoing conversation with other podcasters, which then became an ongoing conversation with my listeners, who leave comments, send me emails, and sometimes even come through town and have a cup of coffee with me. It’s a really wonderful, supportive community.