Over a span of years, Judy Rossbacher experienced one broken dream after another leaving her in the pit of burnout. Broken Dreams, Beautiful Quilts is the story of how God enabled her to take the broken pieces and make something beautiful. Walk with Judy and her family through their journey as she and her son Nathan tell the account, each from their perspective. Read Judy’s personal journal entries and hear the cries of her heart. Experience the moments of joy, feel the anguish of loss, celebrate the dawning of new dreams, and discover their source of hope and healing.

Kristen Marsh dreams. By merely clutching something as she falls asleep at night her imagination conjures up a dream pertaining to this object. An amazing gift? to this ten-year-old it's more a curse, even though it may predict an event in the future or explain one from the past. When Kristen visits her grandparents' farm at Christmas, she snuggles at night beneath a patchwork quilt made of family remnants from years ago. Imagine the dreams produced from these scraps of cloth where she learns of a dark family secret, and how - Today - She can right a wrong of the past.

This book contains stories about a poor man named Lane Snipe, who has lost everything, but settling for nothing is not an option. Lane Snipe feels he only has one option, and that is to become a criminal. And what better place to start than robbing banks? Lane Snipe is a smart man, but how smart can a criminal be once outnumbered by the law? Thirteen men, twenty-six guns, and nowhere to runanybody else would surrender, but Lane takes his chances with his back against the wall .

Improvisational piecing lets you be the boss Embrace the joy of improvisation as you create quilts and quilted projects, including duffel and crossbody bags, that are truly one-of-a-kind! This book is an introduction, guide, and step-by-step manual for giving you the skills to create modern improvisational quilts and projects that range in difficulty from easy-peasy to fiddly-and-still-fun. You'll learn three improvisational techniques that take you from start to finish as you complete your first modern improv project. Choose which technique is right for you based on scale, color, and shape. Then, put those techniques to work and create a quilt, a bag, or a set of holiday stockings! Learn three powerful beginner-friendly techniques for improvisational piecing to create various projects that play with shape, scale, and color that will make every project unique Includes nine unique quilt projects, from classic bed and baby quilts to holiday stockings and functional crossbody and duffel bags Includes guidance on building perfect and unique color palettes that complement the modern improv process

Faith, family, hard work, and second chances are at the core of every great American story, and Jenny Doan’s story is just that. In her new memoir, How to Stitch an American Dream, readers will discover the behind-the-scenes success story of the Missouri Star Quilt Company and Jenny’s remarkable journey to overcome hardship, claim the abundance of family, and ignite the power of giving—all while revitalizing a small town along the way. Over the last decade, the Doan family business, the Missouri Star Quilt Company in tiny Hamilton, Missouri, has grown from Jenny’s corner shop--with one quilting machine and two bolts of fabric for sale in the back--to become the largest supplier of pre-cut quilting fabric in the headquarters of Jenny’s world-famous YouTube tutorial videos. Jenny is now giving her fans, the business world, and moms of all ages (and grandmas too!) what they’ve been asking for: the full story of her journey, from her humble beginnings as a homeschooling mom, to founding MSQC in her fifties, through the remarkable success and inspiration she’s so well-known for today. In this book, you’ll learn: How she and her beloved husband, Ron, raised seven children on a shoestring budget— and had fun doing it; How, after a string of bad luck, the family made a prayer-based decision to leave California behind and start over again in rural Missouri, even though they had no place to live, no jobs lined up, and no idea how they were going to make it; How Jenny, Ron and their children worked side-by-side to patch together a family home out of a crumbling shell of a farmhouse; And how their faith, hard work, and generosity not only carried them through the hard times, but led directly to the success of the Missouri Star Quilt Company. How to Stitch an American Dream will make you laugh, cry, say “bless your heart.”

Quilt-making has been a hobby, only receiving the droplets of time tossed off by the waves of a heavily committed lifestyle. Perhaps that explains why each quilt has been motivated by some aspect of the circumstances or people that shaped my reality. Quilts are silent storytellers. They hold together the substantive pieces of life—events, feelings, people, and beliefs. Each piece is a significant part of the whole. The quilts of my past help recall the circumstances that surrounded them, bringing definition and understanding to the present and equipping me to live wisely. The nuggets exposed while stitching quilts have taught me so much about myself, others, and the greater community. They have prompted me to question my perspectives, to enjoy learning, and to free my world to expand. This book offers an opportunity to listen in on the whispers spoken by the stitches that hold us together and continue to ask questions.

A must-have for every quilter: the ultimate pattern resource, with an astounding 5,500 blocks With 5,500 blocks to copy, adapt, and combine in countless ways, no quilter will ever have to run out of patterns anymore. Some designs are classics and taken from museum collections, handed from friend to friend, or kept in a family for many years. Each pattern is drawn on a grid showing the number of squares to the block which makes it easy to mix-and-match, because they all draft to the same size. The dazzling choices include a Premium Star, Double Pyramid, Strips and Squares, Farmer's Puzzle, Sunburst, Beggar's Blocks, and countless more. They're arranged by type--including 4-, 5-, and 9-patch patterns; circles and curves; octagons; diamonds; and 8-point stars--and all indexed alphabetically by name. There's even information on each block's source. As a special bonus Maggie Malone has included a section of Alphabet Patch Patterns to use for personalizing every block. No quilter can do without this book.

"When women share the truth about life and loss . . . hope is restored" in this enlightening and comforting memoir about purpose, personal growth, and nature's ability to heal (Sarah Ban Breathnach). "There is so much life in the garden. That is why I come. Life that is gentle, self-supporting, and beautiful. Continuous in its cycles, grounded, pure." When her husband asked for a divorce after twenty-five years of marriage, Rebecca Winn felt untethered physically, spiritually, and emotionally. The security she'd had in her marriage was suddenly replaced by an overwhelming sense of fear, hopelessness, and dread. She felt invisible and alone and was horrified to consider that her deepest longing -- to know and be known by another person -- might never be realized. But from this fear emerged a powerful desire to answer one of life's most profound questions: How can we ever know another person if we do not truly know ourselves? Facilitated in measures by a love affair with a younger man, dedicated study of Jungian psychology, and a deep dive into global spiritual practices, Winn transformed heartbreak into wholeness through communion with the divine in nature. By turning to her garden for guidance, sanctuary, and inspiration, and dialing closely into the flora and fauna around her, she ultimately discovered what is possible when we are willing look at our unvarnished selves with an open mind -- and see others with an open heart.

Sources in Chinese History, now in its second edition, has been updated to include re-translations of over a third of the documents. It also incorporates nearly 40 new sources that work to familiarize readers with the key events, personages, and themes of modern China. Organized thematically, the volume examines China’s complex history from the rise of the Qing dynasty in the mid-seventeenth century through the formation of the People’s Republic of China up to the present. Each chapter begins with an annotated visual source followed by a chapter introduction and analysis of textual sources, allowing students to explore different types of sources and topics. Sources in Chinese History contextualizes the issues, trends, and challenges of each particular period. Special attention has been made to incorporate a variety of viewpoints which challenge standard accounts. Non-traditional documents, such as movie dialogues, are also included which aim to encourage students to reconsider historical events and trends in Chinese history. This volume includes a variety of sources, such as maps, posters, film scripts, memorials, and political cartoons and advertisements, that make this book the perfect introductory aid for students of Chinese history, politics, and culture, as well as Chinese studies after 1600.