Quilting Isn't funny is a collection of articles, insights, and random musings by Megan Dougherty. I can't even begin to describe the hilarity of the contents, so I will just copy and paste from Amazon:
Book Description
Publication Date: November 10, 2013
Quick! There’s a horde of brain-eating zombies headed your way: you only have an acrylic ruler, some safety pins, and a bias tape machine. What do you do?
And, hey, zombies aren’t the only scary things quilters have to deal with. What happens when your teenager discovers your stash? What are your rights when you get arrested by the Quilt Police? Do you know how to tell which urban legends of quilting are based in fact? What should a quilter’s insurance policy actually cover? And what did the Buddha have to say about all this?
Quilting Isn’t Funny is a collection of hysterical essays by the inimitable creator of the Bitchy Stitcher blog, Megan Dougherty. This is quilting humor with a sharp edge, pieced together from wit, snark, and a little bit of satire. Turns out, quilting is funny. No, make that freakin’ hilarious.
I was first "exposed" to Megan on vacation a couple years ago. I had spent way too much money on magazines for pool reading, and had a good mix of sewing and trashy celebrity gossip. Megan's article in Quilter's Home had me laughing hysterically, disrupting other sunbathers. Granted, it was very hot, and I had downed a margarita...but this was funny, funny stuff. After reading about Megan in the Contributors section, I decided to stalk her blog and follow her on Facebook. Even though calls herself the Bitchy Stitcher, she is actually very nice (I got to hang out with her at Quilt Market, and she didn't scowl or hiss like one would expect).
In addition to quilting and writing humor articles, she is a mom and creator of the annual Shirtless Man and Spicy Burrito Calendar. Her book is a round-up of her very best articles, plus some great new, never-seen-before content. You can read more about it here:
As someone who is on the fringe of the quilting world, this book gave me great insight into the minds and lives of die-hard, traditional quilters. I know I've met them at shows and quilt shops, but I can't say I've gotten to know any of them all that well. Sure we use the same tools and hoard the same fabrics, but they are a different bunch for sure, and they don't take to outsiders quickly. It takes many years to be truly become one of them. Then there are the young, hip modern quilters...Megan knows all about them too. In fact, she gives the best definition of Modern Quilting EVER in her glossary.
This book would make the perfect gift for anyone who loves to sew and laugh! Buy it for yourself, even. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed tuning out my family and indulging in this read. You can buy the book directly from Megan in paper or PDF format (see the link above), or from Amazon in paperback or Kindle format. OR - you can WIN a copy by leaving a comment about quilting...is it funny, or not? Or just say something silly about sewing in general. I'll choose a winner (randomly, because that is how I roll) on Wednesday, December 11th.
You can also win the book from one of the other fabulous bloggers on Megan's book tour:
Dec. 2 – Maddie Kertay - Bad Ass Quilter’s Society
Dec. 3 – Sam Hunter – Hunter’s Design Studio
Dec. 4 – Carla Crim – Scientific Seamstress
Dec. 5 – Scarlett Burroughs – Craft Gossip
Dec. 6 – Jill Dorsey – Made With Moxie
Dec. 9 – Victoria Findlay Wolfe – Bumble Beans Inc
Dec. 10 – Lynn Harris - Little Red Hen
Dec. 11 – Teresa Coates – Crinkle Dreams
Dec. 12 – Joshua Helms - Molli Sparkles
Dec 13 – Liz Kettle – Stitch Journeys
Dec. 14 – Leah Day – The Free Motion Quilting Project
Dec 16 – Lisa Sipes – That Crazy Quilty Girl
Dec. 17 – Charlotte Newland – Displacement Activity
Dec. 18 – Teri Lucas - TerifiCreations
Dec. 19 – Cheryl Sleboda – Muppin.com
Dec. 20 – Kelly Biscopink – Stitchy Quilt Stuff
Jan. 6 – Generation Q
Jan. 8 – Rose Hughes – Rose Hughes – Quilt Artist
Jan. 9 – Janice Ryan – Better Off Thread
Jan. 10 – Flaun Cline – I Plead Quilty
Jan. 13 – Heather Jones – Olive and Ollie
Jan. 14 – Meg – Without A Stitch On
Jan. 15 – Laura Lochore – Quokka Quilts
Jan. 16 – Elaine Wong Haselhuhn – Dashasel Sews
Jan. 17 – Kim Lapacek - Persimon Dreams
50 comments:
No, not funny! It's written by Megan so it's freakin hilarious!!!
My quilting sure is funny, funny seam lines, funny binding stitches.
I think quilting can be very funny when you deal with all the quilters personalities! Cant wait to read the book. Hope I win it!
Quilting is a laugh or cry type thing and if your lucky....you get to do both at the same time. It's when my circles look likes squares and my squares look more like circles (hmmm. perhaps I need to rethink those when I do them) and when you drop needles (I do hand applique) they hide from me so I can't find them in the carpet but they are so friendly they jump out and greet my visitors. It's a wonderful world isn't it?
If you mix up the right side and the wrong side when marking stitching lines, it's not so funny. :-0
Funny? Really? Quilting isn't funny at all. It's a most-serious thing. There is to be no fun, no joviality, no reason to want to go to your sewing space.
LOL...of course, sewing is many things. It's FUN, it's REWARDING, it's FRUSTRATING, it's PLEASURABLE! And, reading Megan's quips and silliness about quilting makes it SO MUCH more.
I just want one of her ironing board covers...would like to have that hunk looking up at me while I'm pressing my fabrics!!!
Now I'm intrigued and want to read it. I haven't attempted quilting yet but it's on my to do list with both of my girls getting new beds that are crying out for pretty quilts.
It must be funny or we would all be nuts with everything that can go wrong. Just need the right people to put it into words!
Had a good laugh looking thru the Shirtless Man calendar. Bet her book is great!
Quilting is funny- but sometimes only after the fact. :)
Ok, I don't think it's funny, I think it's terrifying, I have 2 sets of blocks done for quilts for my girls that I'm so terrified to actually put together. Did you know that sewing garments is nothing like quilting!?!
I have read Megan's writings before. She can come up with some wild ideas.
paweis at yahoo dot com
I've been following Megan for some time now and she is SOOO funny. I always head over to her site when I need a good laugh.
It makes it a lot easier to deal with your errors if you can have a good laugh before you pull out the seam ripper!
Anyone who says quilting isn't funny has never been around after midnight at my retreat.... ;-D
Quilting isn't a laughing matter, especially when you cut off part of your finger with a rotary cutter. Okay, maybe that is funny now...
Quilting can be real funny....I laugh at myself all the time because I sit in my sewing room and I talk to myself.... I figure if anyone saw me they would think I was CRAZIE!!!
I am a modern quilter at heart and yet my quilts turn out to be more traditional or possibly contemporary. I am in a modern quilting guild and have yet to share anything that truly matches the theme. Am I an imposter, a poseur, a want-a-be modern quilter? ;-) I gotta say I think that too is kinda funny. Can't wait to read the book.
I figure I need to have a sense of humor about cutting up fabric, just to sew it back together. It somehow just seems right, otherwise I might go crazy!!
Quilting can drive you crazy or keep you sane or both.
24Tangent@gmail.com
My quilting is very funny. As in wonky and off kilter. But that's okay, because Megan says it is.
measure once, cut twice. Oops, I still managed to cut this piece wrong, I guess I'll "improvise". That's hip right? Ok so I'll add this little piece in....right now how in the world is this too small still? Whoops, seam allowance. Duh. Ok ...how can I make this bigger? OK I'll add another piece but then I'll have to trim down. That's ok! I'll just use that little piece to wrap a gift or something.
Sometimes this is how beautiful accidents happen in my sewing room! And pretty packaging haha
Quilting - I don't know if I would say funny, but definitely entertaining :) I've just recently gotten into it (am making my first ever quilt at the moment) and thus far, the ups and downs of learning have been fun, frustrating, amusing, and surprising... I love it!
If Megan says it isn't funny, it must not be. But quilting IS fun, rewarding and truly enjoyable, and Megan's book will just add to the joy.
I have forayed into the world of quilting, quilt shops and quilt classes and found many helpful women as well as several that were just 'too good' to help me with my dumb questions. So I have an unfinished quilt, many quilt fabric and patterns stashed, yet I found myself creeping back to the world of clothing where I can actually finish something in one day.......I don't know if that's funny or sad.......or if she covers it in the book!
I think quilting isn't funny, just great fun, although some of my friends can't understand why you would take perfectly good fabric, cut it up and then reassemble it! Their loss
I think quilting could be funny at times then again other times we pull our hair out, thanks for the giveaway.
smjohns63 at yahoo dot com
Quilting is funny--especially when my mini-group goes on retreat! Yes, there is wine & chocolate involved!
I decided to quilt as you go but I was SUPER lazy with it and decided to not even do a bunch of little squares, and just do one giant thing. i totally regret that. Thanks for the chance!
Lately I have found myself sewing pieces together backwards, or upside down. I laugh when I see it, but am relieved after I pick out those thousands of stitchs!
People find it funny that i do all this sewing. They keep asking me where do i get the patience for it??? (um..i have a little bit of a temper, lol)
I can't wait to read this. It should be fun. I always have lots of seam rippers closeby.
Quilting is not funny, but I'm sure the book is. I love Megan's sense of humor. Would love to have a copy of the book for my own. Thanks!
I think quilting is funny haha, lol. Just keep it between the straight stitches and nothing gets ripped out.
I would say not funny. My mom has made many and they look very difficult. I would love to win this for her.
While not in the funny league that Megan is, I crack myself up when I sew a sleeve on a quilt only to find that my applique eagle is sideways since the sleeve is on the wrong side!
Quilting is best when done with a friend (even better if she'll do most of the work for you!)
Quilting is fun,,and funny,,,until the damned quilt police find you laughing!
Quilting can indeed be funny, even hilarious - though mostly through mistakes & silly, midnight-to-early hours of the morning, what-the-hell-am-I-doing -in charge of a sewing machine moments. Though it was at about that time of very-late-to-ridiculously-early last minute Christmas sewing that I did actually sew right through my finger & surprisingly it wasn't nearly as funny as you'd have thought. Thanks for the chance to win a copy of this fab book.
Would love to win a copy. Megan is so funny.
Quilting is the only activity I know of where we feel compelled to point out our mistakes to our friends.
I can hardly wait to get a copy of the book. My husband always asks who is that quilt for. He doesn't understand that I like making them even if I don't have an immediate reason to make one.
I'm new to quilting and can just start seeing the funny side of it.
only funny when you've had to tear out and restitch so many times that you laugh deliriously! lol
Sewing is barely enjoyable lately. I've got a hate relationship with my seam ripper. *sigh* But I guess that's partly due to my inexperience.
Sometimes it is funny- especially if you are tying to Sip and Sew and sometimes not- can anyone say rotary cutter stitches?
Quilting can be 'funny' I think especially when it gets seriously bad that you need to rip some seams and can't locate the seam ripper. I misplaced mine, I thought. When hubs came home he knew something was wrong and he proceeded to help me locate the elusive seam ripper. He found it under my sewing machine inside the cabinet. Apparently, the darn thing rolled right into the opening where the cord attaches to the machine. Now I know where to look when I can't locate it.
Some days, though, I just need to read a novel to rejuvenate.
Quilting is funny because the guild meetings are just like being with your 8th grade girlfriends! You decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing. :-)
Of course it's funny - cutting up fabric to stitch back together.
Quilting is funny because originally it was intended to use up those tiny bits of fabric from making clothes and now some techniques actually encourage wasting fabric.
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