I love, love, love hearing from all of you that have purchased my book, Sew Bags! Thank you! It makes me so very happy to hear how much you are enjoying it. This has been such a meaningful project for me to work on and I could not have done it without the help and dedication of so many talented individuals such as my publisher, Stash Books, an imprint of C&T, Kelly Burgoyne, an amazing photographer, April Mostek, book designer, editors Liz Aneloski, Debbie Rodgers and Beth Baumgartel, and Acquisitions Editor Roxane Cerda. And of course to all of you!! My readers and students who really make all that I do so meaningful.

As for the book itself, where do I start? When I set out to write the book over two years ago, I had a vision of what it might be like, both the experience of writing and what the final book would be like. While the book is so much better than I had envisioned, the actual writing process was really very difficult for me. It took me much longer to prepare each step and thoughtfully communicate clearly yet concisely what I wanted the reader to learn. (I have trouble with distraction on a good day- this project required a few overnight hotel stays and a level of concentration that I was no longer familiar with.) Teaching has kept me grounded in the beginner’s experience. The projects that they are interested in making, the questions that they ask and the troubles that they encounter along the way. I wanted to be certain that each project and step would build confidence instead of frustration. What a valuable experience this was for me! I know that since writing this book, I have become a better teacher.