Thing #1 that I loved straight out of the box?  The book is spiral bound and lays flat (and stays open) on your work space.

Thing #2 I loved?  The alphabetical table of contents.  In other sewing books I’ve used, things have been grouped in ways that didn’t make sense to me.  The fact that in this book I look under V if I want to know about sewing vinyl makes me really happy.  Guess where you’ll find the section on sewing with a double needle?  Under D.  Nice, right?

Thing #3 I loved?  The diagrams and illustrations.  Sometimes when you’re sewing, you just really need to see it, right?  I think it’s why we all read blogs and love tutorials so much…the visual aids turn previously scary techniques into something you know you can do!

Are you brand new to sewing?  This book would be a FABULOUS reference.  It has basics on everything from garment making to quilting.  It even talks about sharpening your shears and being organized in your sewing space.  (I should probably re-read that section another 4 or 5 times.)

Are you a not so beginning sewist?  I took my first sewing class in 9th grade.  We’re not going to get all mathematical here, but let’s just say I’ve been sewing for more than 20 years.    I’d still recommend this book as a reference when you need a little refresher (because if you’ve been sewing for 20 years, you’re old enough that you might be losing your mind just a little ).

If you’d like a sneak peek into the book, Sew Mama Sew is offering a free download of the ENTIRE Seam Finishes section.  You can click on over here to check that out.

AND, to celebrate the release of her new book, Nancy has put together a prize package worth over $450!  Nice!

You can enter to win that here on Nancy’s blog.

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Disclosure:  I was provided a copy of Sewing A to Z to review.  Opinions are my own.  And yes…that confession is 100% true.

If you’re so inclined, you can check out the rest of the book tour as follows:

15-Aug          Nancy Zieman’s blog
16-Aug          Whipstitch
17-Aug          Sew Mama Sew
18-Aug          Diary of a Quilter
20-Aug          Amy’s Creative Side
22-Aug          Quiltville
23-Aug          Crap I’ve Made
24-Aug          Eileen Roche’s blog
25-Aug          I’m Just a Guy Who Quilts
26-Aug          The Free Motion Quilting Project
27-Aug          Sew Serendipity
29-Aug          Lazy Girls Designs
30-Aug          Pat Sloan Blog
31-Aug          Tallgrass Prairie Studio
1-Sep          True Up
2-Sep          Sew News
6-Sep          Off the Cuff Sewing Style
7-Sep          V and Co.
8-Sep          The Cottage Home
9-Sep          Colette Patterns 

I’ve been asked to review the very first (hint: easiest) project in the book (probably because they know I’m not a quilter but I play one on the internet).

The quilt is called Stepping Stones.

All the quilts in the book use the Mix & Match die set.

The Stepping Stones quilt only has 2 different blocks…I think even I could handle that. The directions are clear and simple. The illustrations and pictures are plentiful. And, there’s even a graphic at the beginning of each quilt to show you exactly which dies you’ll use. Seriously…there’s pretty much no way you can screw this up!

To purchase the book (hard copy or PDF because you need it NOW), go here.

To follow along on the blog tour and see the next project, visit Sherri over at A Quilting Life.

I feel like I need to go make something…