The Quilter® offers quilters a wide variety of
projects ranging from small and easy quilts to full-size
traditional and contemporary designs. With regular
features and informative articles, each issue actively
inspires readers to try new techniques.

September 2009 — in stores now!

There's an upbeat expression I love to quote: "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!" No matter how dismal the outlook—bills, the economy, job prospects—some people can turn uncertainty into opportunity. I think quilters, as a whole, fall into that category. Take Laurie Malm for example. When her son, Sgt. W. Eric Rodman, was sent to Iraq during the first U.S. invasion, Laurie and her quilt guild jumped into action, making quilts for all the soldiers in Sgt. Rodman's unit to keep them from freezing at night. That experience was the catalyst for a bright idea and a successful business.

Sick children tug at everyone's heartstrings, so Linda Arye found a way to channel mountains of unused fabric, en route to landfills, to volunteers who could make quilts for comfort. Nine years and millions of pounds of fabric later, Linda's organization, Quilts for Kids, is international and currently partnered with Proctor and Gamble and the Children's Miracle Network.

As a people, few were more disadvantaged than the gentle Hmong of Laos. Forced to flee from their homes after the Vietnam War, many immigrated to the United States, where they built new lives. The huge body of needlework they produced, stemming from their adversity, has become a rich legacy for future generations.

There's so much more to discover in our latest issue—quilting entrepreneur Virginia Walton and the curved rulers she developed to make life easier for quilters everywhere, double-sided antique quilts on display at the New England Quilt Museum, inspirational ideas from award-winning machine quilter Renae Haddadin—as well as 15 cool summer projects.

Yes, it's true that life is filled with lemons; so just gather your own—and enjoy that lemonade!

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