Printed books eclipse ebooks for me, every time. As someone with a publishing background, I am so happy to at long last share that Crafting a Life, LLC, is publishing. Yes, publishing, as in print.
First up, a co-authored gem of a book by surface design, colorists, and quilters extraordinaire, Carol Soderlund and Melanie Testa. The content is a must-have for anyone interested in making or designing their own fabrics—or an entire collection–from scratch. It’s about combining your own pictures, sketches, drawings, ideas, or favorite color schemes with low-tech, inexpensive and readily available tools to create one-of-a-kind fabrics for quilts (art, modern, traditional) or sewing projects.
Carol and Melly also illustrate (in great detail with step-by-step photos) how to creatively use a variety of surface design techniques to achieve just the fabric you are seeking.
It’ll be full of recipes for color, techniques, and exercises, and yes it will be an e-book, too.
This book will also be manufactured in the United States, which means we wont be waiting months for a ship from overseas to deliver the content. Furthermore, I am teaming up with talented people with whom I used to work at Quilting Arts/Interweave––Larissa Davis and Larry Stein––as well as Indigo Perez, among others.
Will there be other books or printed offerings down the line? Yes. But I am going to be a bit choosy, and I am not dependent on churning out a number of books or special interest publications in a given time.
Release date will be announced shortly. For now, I just want to celebrate that I can finally share this news, to toast these two talented artists, and the team of people who are helping bring this endeavor to life!
Looking forward to getting a copy!
10:03 pm, October 3, 2012|I’ll wait to I hear the dialogue and see the acting. Where Zombie really fails is his writing and acting. Until he fixes those … he’s a one trick pony.
Congratulations Pokey!
Yay, yay, hallelujah! So happy you’re publishing again. I look forward to holding a copy and relishing the content! Congrats!
Pokey, you rock! congrats and all best wishes in ALL your new and improved ventures.
Alright! So exciting! I love my books and I’m thrilled to know others do too! Looking forward to it…Thank you!
Great! Looking forward to this publication!
Sounds like a great book. I’ve been looking forward to something new from Melanie.
I love it and I love the way you’re doing it!
Congratulations on getting back into publishing, Pokey! Am looking forward to seeing all that content in print.
I am so excited to see you getting into publishing again!!! We fiber artists and hobbyists are going to really benefit!! Can’t wait to see this publication, and what comes next…..
Wow! Very excited about this! Way to go!
Congratulations!!! This is fantastic news! I am so happy for all of you and also for ME (and all the other surface design artists out there who want to continue learning more from great authors like Melly and Carol). Doing the happy dance for all of you!
Yes! to paper and ink in my hands!
Yes! to printing my own ideas on fabric!
Yes! to being choosy!
Yes! to printing in America!
I wait with bated breath — don’t take toooo long. I might turn blue.
Best news I’ve heard for a long time. And congratulations to all of you for pursuing your newest dreams.
Great news I will look forward to hearing more.
What exciting news. Raising a glass to your continued success!
Congratulations! I can’t wait to read your newly published book! Paper in hand is always my preference (and those of my customers, too!).
ShaluThe fact is people who are engaging in good SEO are also getting effected. With frequent updates, we are really losing track of what to do and what not to do with our blogs and websites. I really wish Google stops updating the search engine algo so often.
Aren’t they still going to need to be able to tell the difference between opium and cotton to press charges to those who continue to grow cotton? Sheesh!Oh my lord – why not just hire smarter people?Well, there’s the rub. We need to educate ourselves better to be able to distinguish between Opium and Cotton. Eco-Education please!Thanks for this post. I will go and harvest hemp to make into paper to write treatises about the importance of growing cotton in the US.J
What excellent news. I look forward to the beauty and wisdom manifesting in print! thank you for birthing yet another amazing inspirational creation.
Congratulations!! Can’t wait to see it!!!
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Very exciting! And, I agree, there is no substitute for a book in hand, the feel of the pages, the scent of the ink….
Beautiful fabrics
Great news! At least one copy will travel all the way to a little town in Finland, to land in my welcoming hands. 🙂
Congratulations to all!
Woot! I’ve taken classes with Carol Sodurland and have Melly Testa’s books – what a wonderful collaboration. I’ll need 2 copies – one to stay clean and one for my dye studio!
Pokey, you just made my day today and so many other followers I’m sure (picture me happy dancing around my studio)! I’m excited for all of us; but I am really excited for you! The content and quality of all of your previous publications just can’t be matched by any but you and “your team.” I’ll definitely be a customer for life and this book by Carol and Melly is such a wonderful beginning to what I know will be a super-successful business! I love having the pages of paper. I like the digital form as well and if possible I purchase both when I can; but I always have to have the “paper” if possible. Happy Happy, Joy Joy!!!!!
Way to go Pokey! Ink and dye must be in your blood. Love that the printing is in the USA! Any thought to calendar publishing?
Congratulations Pokey, you always had that special eye for design etc. Good luck with it all but I’m sure you won’t need it !
Congratulations! Can’t wait!
I will buy this one for sure. Great news!
Congratulations! This is so exciting for you, and for Melanie and Carol (I’ve learned a lot from both of these talented artists).
That’s wonderful news Pokey! I am very excited about your new publishing business. It means fantastic books for all of us who love your style and ideas. This first co-authored book is going to be a winner and I can’t wait to make it a part of my library. Please keep us posted as to publication date and whether we can pre-order! All the best to your and your team.
Congratulations! I can’t wait to see the book!
That’s wonderful Pokey! Books like fabric have a tactile association for me you can never get with an ebook! Publish on!!
Wonderful! I’m ready to order now.
Dear Pokey,
Congrats on yet another publishing career. You gave me my first break at getting published with my Magic Wallet in Quilting Arts 2006 and I will be forever grateful. Looking forward to following your new publications. My best, Normajean
This is great news! Congratulations on this new endeavor. And to have Carol Soderlund and Melanie Testa supplying the content! Love this idea. It’s funny, I was introduced to Melanie’s amazing art on your Quilting Arts show. Her ideas, her art and her unassuming teaching manor really impressed me. I have been following her even since. And Carol Soderlund work with dyes and fabric is amazing too. Can’t wait for this books publication!
Congratulations! I look forward to the new book.
Can not wait for this book!!
Congratulations Pokey! This sounds like a great book and I can’t wait!
So happy to hear this Pokey! Can’t wait!
I am really pleased that you are publishing now and being choosy. I hope you will focus on technique and not just patterns. I was looking at Ruth McDowell’s Piecing book and Pattern on Pattern by Doreen Speckman recently. Both have a lot of technique information that make me feel like I got my money’s worth out of their book. Of course, I don’t know if that kind of book would sell to most people.
I’m looking forward to it!
Congrats Pokey ~ that’s great news and I’ll look to order it as soon as you make it available ?
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