Sally Collins has outdone herself with this book. In our modern day society, there is an emphasis on speed - everyone rushes around trying to squeeze in as many activities and projects into each minute of every day. This sometimes has the unfortunate consequence of less attention to detail and the result is sloppiness. In this book, Sally shows the quilter how to slow down and enjoy the process of creating each quilt block.

She starts her book with a chapter on Philosophy and Creativity and her deep love for quilting is very evident in the words that she uses. Phrases such as "..take pleasure in the journey", "..experience the joy and bliss that quiltmaking gives each of us". She views errors as "gifts...opportunities for success" and says that "problem solving is a real key to finding the joy in quiltmaking". With these statements, she removes the fear of making mistakes and turns errors into learning opportunities. She states that quality workmanship is not just about perfect sewing, but also knowing how to solve problems as they occur. One would be tempted to skip this introduction and jump right into the technique and block sections - this is a mistake. It may sound a bit corny, but after reading these pages, I was inspired at the prospect of making miniature blocks rather than being intimidated as I know most quilters are by the tiny pieces used in small scale blocks.

She follows the introduction with a detailed section on tools and explains what they are used for which is very helpful. A chapter on Color and Fabric is next and she does a wonderful job explaining the importance of color and fabric selection in general and also how to select appropriate fabrics for small scale blocks. There are a number of helpful example images that accompany the text. As we progress further into the book, we begin to learn about designing blocks and drafting. She goes into detail on how to draft blocks from beginning to end, a discussion that I found fascinating. Sprinkled throughout this chapter and each of the ones that follow, there are tip boxes titled "Noteworthy" that are filled with valuable information.

For the quilter interested in improving their accuracy in assembling blocks, the chapter entitled "Workmanship" is without question, the most valuable one to read - and should be read through several times to reinforce key concepts. Sally discusses various factors that cause problems from cutting to sewing to pressing. The bottom line is that the quilter needs to pay careful and close attention to each step of the process. Her quilting experience is evident in the tips on pinning, blocking, and measuring that she includes.

The last chapter before starting the block section deals with various construction techniques, such as assembling half square triangles, English Paper Piecing, and using bias bars. But, she does not stop there - she ends the chapter with a detailed and well illustrated tutorial on matching seams, a very important factor in sewing quilt blocks and one that is rarely addressed in instructional quilting books.

The Block Collection consists of forty-nine blocks with familiar names such as Churn Dash, Dresden Plate, or Bear's Paw and six of the blocks are her own designs. Each block is accompanied by a color photograph and includes template outlines and color coded measurements for three, four, and six inch blocks. She always includes a tip or two appropriate to the block, perhaps about construction or color selection. Each of these blocks is used in her quilt that she discusses in the last chapter. I was fortunate to see this quilt at a show and can vouch for its beauty and attention to detail. I spent several minutes looking at various blocks and marvelling at how well she put it together. If you are interested in making a similar one for yourself, she includes the instructions for the quilt along with fabric requirements.

She concludes the book with more eye candy in the form of a Gallery of full color photographs of quilts that she has made using the blocks in the book to whet the appetite of the reader. An alphabetic index and a brief biography of the author can be found on the final pages of the book.

It is well worth taking the time to read the book from cover to cover before embarking on the blocks. The instructions are clear and concise and well presented from a visual standpoint. This is definitely one to add to the collection!

Sally Collins' Art Of Machine Piecing [...] tells how to use precision piecing methods to help attain quality quilts. Almost fifty traditional blocks are represented in the course of explaining how machine piecing works.

FINALLY....a book that teaches the virtues of good workmanship. Sally takes you step by step through the methods of perfect piecing. No, it is not complicated and yes it will require an investment of time to create a beautiful quilt (as it should be). As Sally explains in the first few paragraphs of her book, the process is a journey to be enjoyed. She breaks down the information in easy to comprehend sequential steps. Master the "TECHNIQUES",(not rules),and beautifully made quilts will follow. This book will help you achieve positive experiences in your quilting adventures!

I received this for Christmas and have read it three times since then, referring to it constantly as I build our new hummingbird/butterfly friendly backyard. Sally Roth has changed the way I garden - her relaxed style, her obvious pleasure in her subject, the wonderful photographs, great descriptions of hummingbirds, butterflies and the plants to sustain them, have made organic gardening accessible and understandable. I have always had a no-spray garden, but always felt some distress when things started getting chewed, as will happen. Now I look eagerly for the first signs of 'munching' on the passiflora I just planted, hoping for some fritillary action. Host plants are now mixed in with the nectar flowers - and I can't wait to see a monarch caterpillar on the milkweed! Thanks, Sally! I have hung up the big giant strawberry feeder with pride!

I borrowed this book from our local library, and I read it from cover to cover! Most gardening books are good for browsing, but are too boring to read. I am an avid gardener and bird/butterfly watcher, and I found this book VERY informative, well illustrated and also well written. I've added this book to my wishlist hoping someone will buy it for me! If you're interested in butterflies or hummingbirds, this is the book for you!

I've read a number of gardening books lately, as I have decided to start gardening. This is one of the best. There are beautiful photographs and illustrations of flowers, butterflies and hummingbirds. The author has an obvious love of the subject. She doesn't make the whole gardening idea into a religion, however. She has a light touch, tells some stories on herself, gives a lot of good advice and makes the whole thing seem like a joy, not a chore.

This is a wonderful tie-in to the whole "Twin Peaks" mythos. The book is written in the style of a transcript of tapes that Dale Cooper made throughout his life - from childhood, through the initial Windham Earl affair, and ending with the call for Cooper to head to Twin Peaks. (Oddly enough, that's where "Diane..." the audiobook picks up.) Author Scott Frost (brother of Mark Frost, co-creator of "Twin Peaks" with David Lynch) captures the quirky nature of Dale Cooper and the Twin Peaks universe perfectly. From amusing anecdotes in childhood to experiments in college (seeing how long he can go without sleep, without urinating) and beyond, "My Life, My Tapes" helps fill in the unknown quantities of the enigmatic Dale Cooper. If you're a "Twin Peaks" fan who hasn't found a copy of this book yet, I encourage you to do so. It is a wonderful read.

I bought this book when I was in eight grade and I connected with it instantly. I'm 24 now and it is still as touching as it was then. I really feel for dale coopers's character. He has so much go wrong and yet he keeps his inocent perspective on the turbulent world around him. This my sound lame, but I think this is a truly great coming of age story.

Dale Cooper, How could someone like this write spmething like this? it's beyond me. Dale's life seems to much for anyone but he managed to keep himself together. His closest friends and family all desert him one way or another yet somehow he keeps his head up. I was so amazed by this book and this life thatI am in the process of writing a dramatic script to coinside with it. This book is someone's life this should be shared with everyone. Dale Cooper His Life- His Tapes

I was given this book when my son was 3 months old and have been recommending it and loaning it out to friends ever since. THe focus is on speech development, but it has great ideas for play and interaction at every stage of infancy thru age 4. While the author specializes in children with speech difficulties, this program is great for all children. My son is now 24 months old and ahead in speech for his age. He seemed to learn to speak really quickly and now many of his sentences are pretty long and complex, e.g. at the playground yesterday: "Mummy, that boy is really upset because his mother is going away", or "Mummy, please can you come and see what I'm doing". I attribute this pretty much to the BabyTalk program because the principles here have really determined how his Dad and I have interacted with him ever since we got the book. Being able to communicate really well already not only makes his life less frustrating (he has only ever had a handful of tantrums), it also sets him in good stead for the future academically. I had no background in early childhood development so it's been most helpful to have such a thorough and practical book to accompany his development. There are vital principles to learn about playing with, listening to, and talking to your child that are fundamental but easy to apply, and clearly presented here. It also warns you against very common ways of talking to young children (pointless questions, correcting, asking the child to say this or that, amongst others), which turn out to be quite harmful to their speech development. In addition to giving me needed ideas about structuring our play and interactions (I ran out of ideas and sometimes became a little bored before reading the great ideas in the book), it gives you the background in cognitive and sensory development that helps you understand why they are the way they are and what's going on inside their heads. It gives you a great respect for the child and their ability to learn. There are ideas for age appropriate games, conversation, books, and toys at each stage of development. It's based solidly on research and clinical experience. This is a gem of a book and I am so thankful that I was given it early on, but it doesn't matter at what stage you get started. Go ahead and get it!

Along with "Baby Signs," this book should be on the shelf of any person who wants to help boost their child's communication skills. The author advocates a daily 1/2 hour playtime during which you eliminate all distractions so that you can have one on one time with your baby/toddler/preschooler to play with her toys and focus on talking with her. One of the main points presented is that you should never outright correct a child's speech, ask them to repeat words, or ask them questions demanding an answer as this can make them feel belittled and actually hinder their speech development. Instead you should simply repeat the word back to them in its correct form and use short, direct sentences so that they can follow the words.

"Baby Talk" is full of great advice for helping your child to listen and understand. There are suggestions for toys and books for each age group (the program is for children birth to age four) and it also lists signs to look for in the case that she might need a speech therapist.

I have been waiting for this book since February, and I am very pleased with it. This book is very easy to read and follow. It is filled with direction as well as examples. My toddler is speech delayed. I found this book to be comforting, my child is one of many experiencing speech delays. The author's suggestions are realistic, and span the ages birth to 4 years old. I plan to buy this book as a gift for the next baby shower I attend.

wow! i often find myself gravitating toward the book, repeatedly pressing the same buttons over and over! this is what i would classify 'a real pageturner.' i couldn't put it down; i read it in one sitting! thank you, ms. hananan.

When I first picked up this book I was uncertain as to how I would like it. I'm normally a straight-sight girl so when I saw this book had sound I was a little hesitant. All my worries were soon dispelled however because when I started reading and pushing the sound buttons I was immediately drawn into the 'barnyard mystery.' The determination of Rose and Sally Dog in their search for Mommy's watch drew me right in. I particularily loved the character of Emma Chicken. I haven't seen such life in a chicken since I last watched 'Chicken Run.' Reliving all of these memories makes me want to go reread the book right now. You know, I think I will.

This is an absolutely fantastic book by a pair of wonderful authors. When we read it we had a whole group of young people gathered around, laughing, joking and enjoying the fabulous story. We couldn't wait to find out what had become of the watch. We couldn't put it down!

As background material for this book, the reader is referred to "The Scientist in the Crib" (Dr. Gopnik, et al; Perrenial, 2001). It offers a fresh and detailed evaluation of the language acquisition process by infants. At about 6 months of age, a critical change seems to occur. The specific pronunciation patterns of the language(s) heard begin to be retained in a very focused manner. Also see "The Monday Tape" (The Snow Water Corporation) at Akilo.com for more insight into this process. This audio tape, one of a series, provides multilingual speech patterns for infants. These tapes are available exclusively through Amazon.com (not available in stores). It appears that they should help an infant (birth to age 2) gain good pronunciation skills for many widely used languages.

This is a great baby book (and I'm not just biased because I'm one of the baby models in it!). There are plenty of helpful facts and ideas, as well as a lot of useful how-to.

I recently read this book during my pregnancy, having read other books like, "What to expect when you're expecting", and the Mayo Clinic Guide, and this was the best book out of all of the books I have read. I found it well-organized, concise, easy to understand, and extremely informative. I highly recommend it to any expectant mother or father!

I just bought a used version of this (I can't believe it's out of print) to replace one I lost. It's an extraordinary resource. A wealth of fascinating information on behavior, care, breeds, genetics, etc. Not the least bit dry, it is presented with clear and intriguing narratives and fun illustrations. And the original paintings by Peter Warner are exceptional. Someone update and republish this!!

I purchased this book as an cat lover while at College. I am now 38 years old, I still have this book and my 12 year old has read it so much that the covers are falling off. This book has helped in the choosing of several pets / breeds, as well as helped us determine if an ailment needed vet attention, or to watch it closely. The illustrations and photos are attractive. The text is to the point. My child is now using this in understanding genetics in science class.

This book's been out of print for a while now. I can't really understand why this should be. It's one of the best cat books for both information and illustrations. Just ask any cat fancier..

This is a nice book. It is well written.
The chapters are devided into areas of New Mexico. In each chapter there is a little bit about the history of that area, places to visit and more information about other nearby areas.

Having been to many of the areas that are discussed in this book, I found the description on target and the suggestions of places to visit good. I particularly liked the history of the area with directions to see some of the historical spots in each area.

Very nice. Well worth the money. This book will join me in the car as we go on our trips. It will join the RoadSide History of New Mexico as one of our invaluable, must keep in the car resources.

Enjoy.

My family and I planned a trip last summer (2000) using this book. Our original plan was to spend most of our time in Santa Fe and Taos. After we read this book, however, we found several far more interesting trips that cost us about half what it would have cost in Santa Fe. Sure, we did a night in Santa Fe and Taos, but this book showed us the hidden spots in town that really were known only to locals. This book is so good that we even had a wonderful time in Farmington! Yes, that's right, Farmington. In fact, we plan to return their and once again enjoy the hidden restaurants and trading posts in which we found some of the most unique indian jewelry ever (and at about 1/3 of Santa Fe prices). Kudos to Ms. Moore! I just wish I could talk her into writing a similar book about Wisconsin.

This small but fact-filled book explores the richness of New Mexico beyond the Albuequerque-Santa Fe-Taos axis. The author really knows her stuff--giving equal weight to the Native American, Hispanic and Anglo influences that make New Mexico such an interesting state. It's in the car beside me every time I head there.

Hand on heart, this is truly the best book I've ever read. Beauman recreates the period in such a way that you'll feel you were actually there. Constance's devastating effect on one family has you loving and hating her at the same time, and I fell in love with Acland as well. One complaint: no book I've read since has lived up to this one. I miss the characters and places so much, it's as if I physically knew them. A truly great novel.

Just finished it. Dreamt of Constance and Ackland. A love story to compare to Wuthering Heights. A murder or an accident? Sane or insane? Unrequited love or love fulfilled? I could never guess what came next. A must for a good read. Recommended by a work friend who got this book for a quarter. It's worth much more. I'll have to tell her it's out of print. An excellent author. I want to read her other works. A historical perspective that lays as a backdrop for a masterpiece painted on a canvas that spans years. People full of color, height, and depth. Passionate dreams, idealist aspirations, fulfilled and unfulfilled the reader yearns and quests for more. Beauman draws the reader into this world of Winterscombe and makes it real and in its realism, terrifying yet enticing for the secrets it holds. Questions remain with the reader: What if I had lived through and experienced what this character did? Would I be the same? How would I have coped?

Beauman manages to make you feel sorry for a woman who seems to be evil to core. This is the book that hooked me on her writing. You can probably find it in your local trading store. You won't be sorry.

I've been sewing for twenty some years. In that time I read lots of books on fitting and gone to various classes. This is the ONLY place I have gotten information on how to adjust a dolman and a raglan sleeve for a larger then standard bust.

This book assumes you have no fitting skills. It tells you all the tools you will need. They tell about fitting shells and why shells from different pattern companies might serve you better. The authors tell you how to adjust the pattern for your figure. This book will give you the information you need to get a better fit.

This book helped me (finally!) to understand how patterns worked and why things I had made were not turning out as I had hoped. There is quite a bit of explaination about why you're doing things. Clear easy to follow pitcures and instructions. I made a great pair of pants and will turn to it every time I have a new project.

Real women, with normal figures of all types, are the key feature in this fitting book. Unlike fashion magazines and dress pattern catalogs which use slim, young models to make the CLOTHES look great, this book shows how to fit clothes to make the average WOMAN look great! Sewing skills are needed but once you have followed the directions and made the suggested pattern adjustments as a master pattern, you can adjust any commercial pattern to fit you perfectly with very little fuss. This is especially helpful for older woman whose figures have changed over time. But any woman can have "tailor-made" fit with this book. Try it!