Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Embroidered and Embellished

Something amazing just happened to me. 

     When you're a writer, and write about traditional materials and methods (like my Hanky Panky book), it's easy to copy -- or be copied. After all, others were writing about handkerchiefs and embroidery and quilting -- and certainly stitching them into quilts and embroidered projects -- decades before you were born.



     I've even seen the exact Hanky Panky method copied by another writer -- who then marketed it as hers. (Who knows - she may have come up with it separately. I know there are methods in my upcoming sequel, Hanky Panky with A Flourish, that I thought I'd invented -- until I saw them mentioned in someone else's work.)  

Why am I yammering on about this?

Because Christen Brown, another writer and quilting teacher, published a wonderful book on the needlearts called Embroidered and Embellished.


   It's full of detailed stitch diagrams, plus helpful ways to combine these with vintage materials (including handkerchiefs!) in interesting ways.
    A beautiful book -- beautifully handled.

Christen will be teaching for the Road to California conference soon...and her class is called Hanky Panky.

     Here's where I come in.

Not only did she buy my book (to make sure she wasn't plagiarizing me), but she apologized for using 'my' name. Which isn't -- 'hanky panky' has been used for decades way before I came along, including a 1912  musical. (And a later movie.) Lots of songs, including this sheet music on Ebay:



What a classy, classy thing to do.

Take a look at Christen's book through the link -- and if you're headed to Road to California, think about taking her class. It looks wonderful.





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