That Perfect Stitch: The Secrets of Fine Hand Quilting

This book and concept requires that you by a special thimble which is not readily available. I checked several quilt shops w/o any luck. The thimble isn't cheap and depends on a perfect fit. That is challenging to achieve when ordering one online. You can find a video online of this technique for free. Do yourself a favor and watch it before investing in this book.

this should be a hand quilters Bible. Heavily researched and tested; very clear directions and photographs. I am so glad I ordered it. I'm a beginning hand quilter and will use this extensvely. It covers the stitch itself and all kinds of tools; plus threads. Sometimes it's a little more detail than I am interested in -- I don't really care about the complexities of thread manufacturing, but it's easy to skim past those parrts.

There is much valuable information here and it is clear that the author has made serious, detailed, technical study of quilting arts. It is also clear that the author has products to sell and is not reticent about plugging them. (Including what looks like a "rigged" product comparison on page 67) I learned quite a bit, but not how to make the perfect stitch. Photos and descriptions of actual stitching are confined to 5 out of 178 pages. Given the sales pitches scattered within these pages, I can't help but suspect that information was withheld for inclusion in the author's rather expensive DVD. As a result, the book did not furnish enough "how to" actual stitching information for my needs.The book is exquisitely poduced and well written. It includes many photos of impressive quilts (although most not my style). The author pays homage to her late mother through sincere praise and exhibits of her work that speak for themselves. Both mother and daughter are exhibit a gift for the art and teaching it to others. For the next edition I would suggest reversing the elements of the title. "The Secrets of Fine Hand Quilting" would be more descriptive of its content.

Great book for learning to hand quilt.

This is a great book for anyone interested in hand quilting. McElroy goes into depth about many fine details you won't find in most quilting books. About fabric, needles, technique. It is by far the most worthwhile book I've found. I checked it out of my local library and had to have my own copy

Loved the information great help

If you are a hand quilter, this is a "must have." Dierdra McElroy is the daughter of the famous Roxanne McElroy of needle and hand quilting fame. She is also a physical therapist. This combination gives her the ability to explain how to hand quilt so the end result is lovely and your hands are still functioning without pain.

I really should read it.

When I received the book and flipped through the pages, my first thought was, oh my, this is a picture book. Yes, it includes lots of quality photographs of beautiful quilts, but it is also packed with information. The author does not cover history, only mentions design, there is no project, few pages of quilting designs. The leaf fillers are pretty enough, some of the other designs might be nice for a baby quilt, there is a cushion and a Hawaiian design.The author talks of fabric and thread count, types of batting, needles and how they are made, marking tools and how they wash out, hoops and frames, she recommends which is best and why, she explains her technique and comments on thimbles and hand anatomy. Yes, she mentions many of the tools designed by her and her mother, but you can just do a quick research to find out that the Roxanne thimble is one of the most popular among quilters and Roxanne needles are widely used. You can see that she has used the tools and reviews them with a scientific approach, she shares her views and lets you decide for yourself. I am glad to have bought this book, it has provided some new facts and will be very useful as reference book.