All-in-One Quilters Reference Tool 
Harriet Hargrave, Sharyn Craig, Alex Anderson, Liz Aneloski
C&T Publishing; $17.95

This handy guide to all measurements quilting has been updated with 40% more information. It’s filled with easy-to-follow charts, tables and illustrations to help you figure out yardage requirements or cutting instructions. Also includes cutting and piecing instructions. New is the addition of requirements for 20 popular traditional blocks. The book is also available as an ebook. This would make a great purchase to have on your ipad or phone for easy access at the quilt shop.

Your Best Year Yet!

Jenny Ditzler

Grand Central Publishing; $13.95

One of my favorite planning resources is Your Best Year Yet! by Jinny S. Ditzler. I have been using this little book for years and recommend it each year. It offers a framework to define your personal values, identify the various roles you play and create goals for those roles. Here are some of Jinny’s questions plus a couple of my own:

1. What did I accomplish?
2. What were my biggest disappointments?
3. What did I learn?
4. How do I limit myself and how can I stop?
5. What are my goals for next year?
6. Where do I need to find education or support to get there?
7. How can I make sure I achieve my top goals?

I find one of the most empowering aspects of Jinny’s system is the look at the successes of the year. It allows you focus on your successes and not get weighed down by what did not work. It also lets you get off the treadmill of working on your business to see if you really are on course.

Here is a quote from the book I particularly like: “We must prepare our soil before we’re ready to plant the seeds we want to grow in the new year.”

Look for the book at your favorite book retailer. Here’s a link to www.Amazon.com if you would like to learn more about the book.

My sister recently adopted a greyhound, and this majestic dog is a wonderful addition to her family. Do you know anything about the greyhound racing industry? The dogs chase a lure, which is traditionally an artificial rabbit, around the track until they cross the finish line. If they are successful, they only look forward, never to the side, and do not stop to enjoy the view.
They do not think about people in crowds, they do not think about what is for dinner, they do not obsess how their mother liked their brother better. They remain maniacally focused on that artificial rabbit and, yet, they never catch it. The lure of that rabbit is all those greyhounds care about.
Think about that rabbit as your vision for your business. A well- thought out, well-articulated vision will provide you with a focus for your attention and action. It needs to be specific enough to keep you from being distracted and ambitious enough to keep you challenged. Like the greyhound chasing the rabbit, you will never catch that vision because as you get close, your vision will become more expansive and aspirational.
Here is where the analogy falls apart. That dog chasing the rabbit does not need to reflect on success, measure how far he is come or could go. In your case, you need to periodically assess your progress to give you the confidence to keep moving forward.
As you look at your year, take time to look at your successes and celebrate them. Look at what worked, what could be improved and where you want to go. If you need some help, try the book recommended in this week’s ezine.
Please share your thoughts below.

Quotes Illustrated
Lesley Riley
Artist Success Press; $22.95

I love art, and I love quotes. Lesley Riley has celebrated both in this collection of 101 works of art inspired by quotes. The art – quilts, mixed-media, photography, watercolor, and more – is inspiring enough. I loved looking at the variety and detail in each work. Add to that the power of words, and you have a winning combination. It included many of my favorite quotes and some that were new to me. Just as soon as I had picked a favorite, I turned the page and found another. Treat yourself to this book; I picked it up as my Thanksgiving gift and use it as I planned to, opening it each morning randomly and letting it set the tone for my day.

How many hats do you wear in your business? I know most of us wear more than one, particularly if it is a relatively new business. We have not had time to put the necessary systems and teams in place, so we are everything from the creative head to the shipping department. While that is how most of us start out, at some point we need to look to shed some of those hats. If we want to create a successful business, it is important to take an honest look at our skills and look at where someone else could do the job, i.e., take some of the hats from you.

In the past couple of weeks I have had conversations with several clients about their plans for 2014, and some have centered around the CEO hat. When you wear the CEO hat, you need to take “yourself” out of your business. That can be hard for many of us. I think it is because what we create is so personal. We don’t want our feelings hurt if someone does not like our art, and it can stop us from getting the information we need to make decisions about our business. We have got to remember we are making business not personal decisions. Yet it is critical to put on that CEO hat if we expect to grow our business.

As you take time to look at where you are in your business in 2013 and make plans for 2014, try to take yourself personally out of the business, put on your CEO hat, and consider what the right decision is to grow your business. Look for those places where someone else can handle the tasks and allow you put your energy where it belongs: having the big vision for your business, selling your business ideas and energizing those on your team.
  

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in the United States. Since it’s a holiday, we are not sending out our regular e-zine this week.

This is one of my favorite holidays, and not just because it could be termed our National Day of Eating! I will be celebrating the holiday with my husband and two of my sisters here at our home in Maryland and then heading out for a long weekend on the Eastern Shore for some relaxation.

Since Thanksgiving is often a time for reflection, I did want to take this opportunity to let you know how sincerely grateful I am for everyone who reads this e-zine, takes time to comment on our blog, has joined the International Association of Creative Arts Professionals, follows me and comments on Facebook and other forms of social media, has taken our classes, attended or is planning to attend our annual Creative Arts Business Summit or works with me on a private basis. I am truly honored that you have allowed me to contribute in some small way to your business growth. It is so rewarding for me that I can make a difference. Thank you!

Simple Circles and Quick Curves
Nancy Mahoney
Martingale; $24.99

Do you want to make a quilt filed with curved pieces only you feel intimated at the thought of the piecing. Nancy Mahoney offers you a different solution. Using her starch appliqué method with heat-resistant plastic templates and a small blanket stitch on your sewing machine, you can get the effect you desire. After teaching you the technique, Nancy lets you put your skills to the test in eight quilts.