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Elm Creek Quilts #9
Circle of Quilters
The ninth book in Jennifer Chiaverini's bestselling series—when two of Elm Creek Quilts’ founding members decide to leave the fold, who can possibly take their place in the circle of quilters?
When Elm Creek Quilts announces openings for two new teachers, quilters everywhere are vying to land the prestigious post. The impending departure of two founding members means untold changes for the Elm Creek Quilters. As they begin the interview process, a single question emerges: Who can possibly take the place of beloved colleagues and friends?
"We must evaluate all of the applicants' qualities," advises Master Quilter Sylvia Compson. "Our choice will say as much about us as it says about who we decide to hire." Who merits a place among the circle of quilters? Will it be Maggie, whose love of history shines through in all her projects; Anna, whose food-themed quilts are wonderfully innovative; Russ, the male quilter with a completely original style; Karen, a novice teacher whose gifts for language complement her deep understanding of the quilters' mission; or Gretchen, the soulful veteran whose craft is inspired by quilting tradition?
When Elm Creek Quilts announces openings for two new teachers, quilters everywhere are vying to land the prestigious post. The impending departure of two founding members means untold changes for the Elm Creek Quilters. As they begin the interview process, a single question emerges: Who can possibly take the place of beloved colleagues and friends?
"We must evaluate all of the applicants' qualities," advises Master Quilter Sylvia Compson. "Our choice will say as much about us as it says about who we decide to hire." Who merits a place among the circle of quilters? Will it be Maggie, whose love of history shines through in all her projects; Anna, whose food-themed quilts are wonderfully innovative; Russ, the male quilter with a completely original style; Karen, a novice teacher whose gifts for language complement her deep understanding of the quilters' mission; or Gretchen, the soulful veteran whose craft is inspired by quilting tradition?
309 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
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About the author
Jennifer Chiaverini
78 books5,240 followersJennifer Chiaverini is the New York Times bestselling author of thirty-three novels, including acclaimed historical fiction and the beloved Elm Creek Quilts series. She has also written seven quilt pattern books inspired by her novels. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame and the University of Chicago, she lives with her husband and two sons in Madison, Wisconsin. About her historical fiction, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes, "In addition to simply being fascinating stories, these novels go a long way in capturing the texture of life for women, rich and poor, black and white, in those perilous years."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 415 reviews
July 28, 2007
Pieced Together in a Lovely Pattern
This book, Circle of Quilters, is a collection of several stories, sewn together to create a satisfying tale. The book is divided into character portraits of five people, all job applicants for a teaching position at the prestigious Elm Creek Quilter's camp in rural Pennsylvania. Some of their paths cross on interview day, but there is lengthy back-story and development for each, which elicits sympathy from the reader. I found myself rooting for each to do well during the interview for this highly desirable position. Each back-story leads to the interview experience, and not one candidate believes the interview went well.
The characters are as diverse as the blocks of a sampler quilt. Maggie is humble, hardworking, smart and capable. Karen is an overwhelmed mother of two small children, whose lack of childcare (at the last minute) makes you ache with sympathy. Anna, an underappreciated chef, tolerates her boyfriend's mistreatment and has an annoying lack of self-confidence--but anyone would want to taste her homemade cookies (!) Russ, a rare male participant in the quilting world, takes up the hobby after his wife's death and perseveres to become a renowned author and teacher of the art. And finally, there's Gretchen, who spends her entire life dealing with an evil neighbor and so-called friend named Heidi. I kept hoping Gretchen would at last go off on her with a sharp seam-ripper! But Gretchen had far too much class for that.
All of the candidates face the Elm Creek Quilters staff for an extensive and, due to a blonde named Diane, grueling interview. Each is also tested by a white-haired lady acting has a baffled camper in need of help with her appliqué piece. The way Jennifer Chiaverini pieces together the characters is clever and enjoyable, particularly if you have an appreciation for quilts and quilting. It was fun trying to guess which characters would receive offers for the two positions available.
A very fast read.
This book, Circle of Quilters, is a collection of several stories, sewn together to create a satisfying tale. The book is divided into character portraits of five people, all job applicants for a teaching position at the prestigious Elm Creek Quilter's camp in rural Pennsylvania. Some of their paths cross on interview day, but there is lengthy back-story and development for each, which elicits sympathy from the reader. I found myself rooting for each to do well during the interview for this highly desirable position. Each back-story leads to the interview experience, and not one candidate believes the interview went well.
The characters are as diverse as the blocks of a sampler quilt. Maggie is humble, hardworking, smart and capable. Karen is an overwhelmed mother of two small children, whose lack of childcare (at the last minute) makes you ache with sympathy. Anna, an underappreciated chef, tolerates her boyfriend's mistreatment and has an annoying lack of self-confidence--but anyone would want to taste her homemade cookies (!) Russ, a rare male participant in the quilting world, takes up the hobby after his wife's death and perseveres to become a renowned author and teacher of the art. And finally, there's Gretchen, who spends her entire life dealing with an evil neighbor and so-called friend named Heidi. I kept hoping Gretchen would at last go off on her with a sharp seam-ripper! But Gretchen had far too much class for that.
All of the candidates face the Elm Creek Quilters staff for an extensive and, due to a blonde named Diane, grueling interview. Each is also tested by a white-haired lady acting has a baffled camper in need of help with her appliqué piece. The way Jennifer Chiaverini pieces together the characters is clever and enjoyable, particularly if you have an appreciation for quilts and quilting. It was fun trying to guess which characters would receive offers for the two positions available.
A very fast read.
March 10, 2022
Nice backstories of 5 applicants for a quilt retreat job, but I got so frustrated with the personalities of some of the women who wouldn’t stand up for themselves. I’d rather read about decisive women who don’t think their world starts and ends with a man or who take the abuse of so called friends without complaint. I did enjoy the quilting part since I know quilters, and admire their work and dedication. Overall an OK book.
December 31, 2020
Having gotten a taste of the really well done historical books, this current day continuation was ok.
September 21, 2020
I enjoyed this one enough that I finished it in a matter of hours.
In this installment, we get the back story of several potential new instructors for Elm Creek Quilt Camp - namely, how they got into quilting in the first place - and I really liked that.
There were a few annoyances: the author writes as if she truly believes everyone should be coupled and that "the one" exists for every individual; young children speak unrealistically; characters gripe about being twenty pounds overweight as if that's a huge amount; and there were several very obvious typos that changed the meaning of the text.
But I finished it in one day, so I still really liked it, obviously! I'll be curious to see where these new characters go in future books.
In this installment, we get the back story of several potential new instructors for Elm Creek Quilt Camp - namely, how they got into quilting in the first place - and I really liked that.
There were a few annoyances: the author writes as if she truly believes everyone should be coupled and that "the one" exists for every individual; young children speak unrealistically; characters gripe about being twenty pounds overweight as if that's a huge amount; and there were several very obvious typos that changed the meaning of the text.
But I finished it in one day, so I still really liked it, obviously! I'll be curious to see where these new characters go in future books.
January 2, 2021
My comfort reads of 2020 live on into 2021. And all of a sudden I am interested in quilting! Ha. This was not my favorite of Chiaverini's Elm Creek books due to the format. It has three or four stories that, to me, felt unartfully combined. I wish the editor had requested each tale to be mixed into the others rather than... wait for it... pieced together in this fashion. (Get it? Quilt jokes!)
January 5, 2021
The story of 5 different people applying for a job at Elk Creek Quilts. Chiaverini is an excellent writer with good character development...her stories flow...making you want to visit the Camp and take classes and met all the ladies.
March 10, 2020
Read 2010
February 25, 2020
Nice, easy quilters' story. I enjoyed it.
January 18, 2025
I freaking gobble these books up. Something about this series has me hooked. I love our regular cast of characters, and I think Jennifer does a great job getting us invested in the new characters as well. One of the best parts in my opinion is that she writes such infuriatingly hateable villains; maybe because they feel so ordinary and life-like and are like people we've met in our day to day lives, it taps on that hidden well of rage that we have to suppress in real life when we come across these jerks.
The structure of this book was like a cascade of dominoes, and an introduction to five different people who are all interviewing to fill two teaching positions at Elm Creek Quilts, as Judy and Summer leave to do other things. Each interviewee kind of meets the next person in line before their own interview and it sort of weaves the story together.
Can I say first of all that I loved that Agnes was used as a clever decoy/unofficial interview hurdle to test whether their teaching applicants actually take initiative to help others even when they don't think there will be a reward; a sort-of 'how do they act when they think no one is watching' test. She's never named as Agnes until the end, but anyone who's read the other 8 books knows it's Agnes, and that she's the one who specializes in applique -- and is pretending to suck at it.
I think Maggie's story was the right one to start with; her tale about the consolidating retirement homes and her journey with Harriet's quilt from garage sale to museum curated piece took me in right away and was a strong start for the book.
The second story is the one I have the most to say about, mostly because it enraged me so much. Karen has a useless asshole of a husband who deliberately makes her life harder by doing things wrong on purpose so that she'll (hopefully!) never ask him to do it himself again; He's made her the household manager, pretends to be oblivious to her frustration; that swim bag situation in particular made my blood boil, dude. The weaponized incompetence was out of this world, and I fully believe that men who do this are malicious. They also claim to be 'shocked' when their wife finally initiates divorce 'all because I wouldn't do the dishes!', but it's not shocking to me! Those little acts of contempt and disrespect build up day by day, showing her time and time again in a thousand little ways how little he gives a shit about her or about participating in their family.
Karen's husband Nate never initiates anything, waiting for her to specifically ask him to do anything around the house. She is carrying the entire home and family on her back while he plays dumb. What makes it worse is that this mother is so frazzled that she finds it easier to entertain her children's tantrums rather than discipline them, which... anyone who knows anything about parenting knows that giving into tantrums reinforces the behavior, making it more likely that they will tantrum again next time, because they've learned that it works on you. She constantly caves to her toddler's screaming, and is breast-feeding him at 18 months (even though she doesn't want to!) just because it's easier than dealing with his tantrums if she doesn't. She also doesn't enforce natural consequences with her four year old. 'Mom, I'm starving. Can I have a treat now?' The way that conversation should have gone is: "No, you chose not to eat your breakfast. Tomorrow you can try again. The conversation is over."
Then she feels bad because other mothers are judging her for all of the things I just said, but y'know something? They're right! And if Karen hadn't been so stressed and at her wits-end just barely hanging on in total survival mode, she would agree with them too. And you know what she does? She picks her toddler up and takes him out of the room, which is what she should have done in the first place when he was throwing a fit in front of the vending machine. She gets all upset that those mothers are 'being self-righteous and judgemental', as if they're somehow organic-almond-moms or pretentious for pointing out that what she's doing is counter-productive. The problem isn't with these other 'judgemental' moms. The person she should be angry at is her fucking useless ass husband who is making her do all of this alone. He is the reason she's burnt out, she is the reason she's borderline suicidal and depressed and feels like she's 'lost herself in motherhood.'
Karen's section is so honest about mother-hood and parental regret and what it looks like when you have kids with a man who refuses to participate in parenting. Karen is a single-mother for all intents and purposes, except without her own money and without time away from her kids at work. 'Domestic slave' is a more apt description. She isn't paid for anything she does, and she doesn't clock out. This book makes motherhood look fucking terrible and unappealing, but it also had this attitude of martyrdom in a way? It shit on career-women who chose not to have kids and 'don't understand what it's like', and portrays women who chose to be mothers as martyrs who are making sacrifices to raise the next generation. In my opinion, just because career-women thought ahead about whether or not they were willing or ready to be parents, doesn't make them demons. Being a mother doesn't make a person better or more virtuous than childless women, especially since so many of them are denying that they have regrets. (I think it says something that the only time Karen found herself relieved and happy in this book was when both her children were unconscious.) The saddest thing is that all the women in Karen's mom group used to be such talented career-women as well, who are now wasted in this domestic hell. Janice was a producer of a television's show; do you know how difficult it is to become a producer as a woman? The industry is incredibly competitive! And this women is now trapped at home with a husband who refuses to get a vasectomy and continuously impregnates her 'accidentally' to keep her trapped at home. That's in the text, by the way, that's not me reading too much into it. He sought out a career woman and he put her in the kitchen, and every time she tries to get back to who she used to be, he impregnates her again. That's what pushes Janice to get a nanny, and go back to work. It convinces Karen to try to get a job too. Well guess what.
Her husband deliberately sabotaged her interview in every way possible. This dirtbag threw coffee on her quilt block and threw it away, and then lied to her face about it. First it was, "I didn't see them. There was only junk mail on the counter," then when she finds them in the recycling bin with coffee all over them, it's "I thought they were your rough drafts." OH. So you DID know they were hers. You DID see them. You didn't think they were junk mail. You knew they were her work and you threw them away and tried to hide it and didn't tell her and then lied about it to cover your tracks. Then it's, "I really am sorry." You're sorry for ruining them? Then why did you lie, pretend you had no idea what she was talking about, and then make excuses when she caught you. If you were sorry, you would have told her you spilled the coffee, tried to fix them and redraw them, done everything you could to make it better. But you didn't. Because you hate her.
Nate is Karen's biggest hater who sabotages her at every turn, like he actually fucking hates her. There's no other explanation for his sabotage at the interview. The amount of contempt it takes for someone to do something like that is truly galling. Him jumping all over a 'last-minute' meeting on the day of her interview should've been the last straw. You're telling me he couldn't have called in a family emergency on a Saturday when he wasn't supposed to be working anyway? Bullshit. All that said to me was: you are my last priority, I don't respect you, I break promises to you without a second thought. That whole "I made my choice" thing??? That was a dominance game; he was showing her what he thinks her place is, and he should've come home to an empty house and divorce papers.
It is so fucking sad that Karen's story ends with her not getting the job, and her literally in the kitchen making sandwiches for her shitty kids, with her saboteur of a husband (seemingly sensing that he's pushed her too far and that divorce is on the horizon if he doesn't throw out a token effort) coming up to her with a spreadsheet all 'Honey! I've decided to participate in parenting and caring for the house that we all live in!' He offers two and a half hours daily after dinner that he'll take care of the kids, wow, how generous. You should have already been doing that for the last five years. The fact that he's calling it 'helping her', as if he's doing her some sort of benevolent favor and not 'taking on his share of the household labor that he has been deliberately neglecting until now' really shows his mindset. Karen literally thinks to herself: "Nate is lucky that I didn't cheat on him." A woman made to feel that unappreciated, unwanted, disrespected, will become desperate to feel special, seen, and attractive again.
Anna's story was sad to read too, but with a satisfying ending. Anna has a boyfriend who does nothing but shit on her career as a chef and call her fat. He's the most low-effort man I've ever read about, never takes her out, always manages to come over and eat up all the food at her house. This relationship is all about her serving him, even in her fantasy version of their life together she imagines herself cooking him gourmet dinners and giving him breakfast in bed; nothing about what he'll do to make her happy.
The irony is that he believes he's an 'enlightened' 'progressive' man who is against sexism; he's not a conservative traditionalist who wants women to be in the kitchen-- but in reality, there's nothing progressive about him, and he's just as sexist as 'get back in the kitchen' dudes are. He's a pig who thinks feminine interests are worth no respect, and he's perfectly happy making her put all the work into the relationship, because conveniently, for him to 'plan or pay for dates' would be 'chauvanistic.' "It's sexist if I make all the decisions" he says, then makes all the emotional labor and relationship-maintenance her job! Which is...? Sexism! Shitting on her ambition to become a professional chef? Sexist! Yes, even if he pretends that it's 'bad for women to be put into a traditional-gender role of working in the kitchen', the irony is that attitudes like this are what keep women both cooking in the home unpaid, and kept out of gourmet restaurant kitchens around the world. To this day, sous-chef and head chef positions are still male-dominated, because of attitudes like his! They see women's cooking as inherently 'domestic'. Women aren't supposed to make money for something they should be doing for their husband and kids for free! "You shouldn't become a chef, you should just cook at home" is sexist, disguised as 'egalitarian.'
I kind of resent that this book seems to try and create this narrative that the modern 'liberal' man is an asshole, when in reality, the losers in this book are the same old conservative misogynistic asshole. Progressive men aren't like this, lmao. This guy insists he isn't sexist and that's why he's treating Anna so bad, but everything that makes his behavior wrong is because of sexism. He's just obfuscating.
The fourth chapter is about Russell, who loses his wife to cancer, and learns to quilt in her honor. His story was really emotional and touching, but I do have to point out that Diane was kind of right about him -- and I do find it interesting that he didn't find any community or support for his grief among men, he found it when he started attending women's quilting groups. This is because... there isn't an equivalent for men. Women form community and groups that help and depend on each other, and men don't. It's part of why they commit suicide more often. They generally don't have meaningful social connections beyond 'dudes I watch the game with.'
Diane also points out something that really made me think about his story critically. Russell's wife had been quilting for years. This was the hobby for her, to the point that she had hundreds of online quilting friends and friends from local clubs, etc, who knew her. She had started a charity that touched so many lives. She was way more experienced and skilled than he was, and yet Russel makes ONE quilt in her honor, and he ends up with speaking tours, blue ribbon quilts, and makes a career out of this hobby. He publishes a book. He is doing paid appearances around the country. Because he's a man. Literally, textually for that, because male quilters are so uncommon, he gets a participation trophy and everyone's SO AMAZED at his honestly mediocre work. Diane points out that he jumped on the bandwagon at the last minute and gets the undeserved acclaim and accolades and credit for a craft and for the work and skill that generations of women have put into this art-form. I will also point out that it's no mistake that he's the only one who failed Agnes's test. He's the only one who didn't reach out to help Agnes without prompting; even when prompted, he was too selfish and focused on himself to assist an old woman in the way he has been assisted by the quilting community, because he doesn't see anything in it for him. I find it ironic that even though he has spent the last few years receiving all this help, support, shoulders to cry on, advice, and fellowship from these quilting groups, even monetary support in the form of a speaking career; he doesn't give back to that community. He mines it for resources. This is what I mean about men not forming community. Even after being the recipient of their support, he doesn't reciprocate. He uses the labor and the resources and the support that women gave him, and doesn't contribute to it himself. Even in that small test, he didn't have the sauce to be a teacher. He doesn't have the helpful spirit or cooperative nature that the women quilters do. In this respect, women are just better. They're community-minded. Kind of glad he didn't get hired on as a teacher.
Gretchen's story was also infuriating and was a great way to round off the story. I had a lot of sympathy for her. This poor woman is being diminished by Heidi, her frenemy/op. Heidi has spent her entire life copying everything Gretchen does and then pretending it was her idea.
From her outfits, to quilting itself, to opening a quilt shop to double-cross her. She's incapable of creating anything on her own, but outwardly displays a creative and imaginative front. Like all plagiarists/proponents of A-I art, on the inside, she's an empty, soulless person who thinks she deserves unearned success and fundamentally doesn't respect the creativity of others. She thinks she has the right to skip the years of time and practice cultivating a skill, and instead just harvest it from other people. She sees art as something to exploit and claim as her own for monetary gain. This is why Heidi's quilts are dollar-store trash and Gretchen's are actual quality pieces of artwork. Fuck Heidi, I hope she gets sued for copyright fraud.
I will say, I had a bunch of theories for why Diane was being so abrasive. It slipped my mind who was leaving the camp, even though Summer and Judy said so in one of the other books that they were retiring to go back to grad school/take another job opportunity, so for a moment I started thinking... is Diane one of the people who are leaving the camp? Is that why she's being so rigorous and unfair to the interviewees? Instead, it turns out she was trying to stop Judy and Summer from leaving by not hiring anyone, lmao.
The structure of this book was like a cascade of dominoes, and an introduction to five different people who are all interviewing to fill two teaching positions at Elm Creek Quilts, as Judy and Summer leave to do other things. Each interviewee kind of meets the next person in line before their own interview and it sort of weaves the story together.
Can I say first of all that I loved that Agnes was used as a clever decoy/unofficial interview hurdle to test whether their teaching applicants actually take initiative to help others even when they don't think there will be a reward; a sort-of 'how do they act when they think no one is watching' test. She's never named as Agnes until the end, but anyone who's read the other 8 books knows it's Agnes, and that she's the one who specializes in applique -- and is pretending to suck at it.
I think Maggie's story was the right one to start with; her tale about the consolidating retirement homes and her journey with Harriet's quilt from garage sale to museum curated piece took me in right away and was a strong start for the book.
The second story is the one I have the most to say about, mostly because it enraged me so much. Karen has a useless asshole of a husband who deliberately makes her life harder by doing things wrong on purpose so that she'll (hopefully!) never ask him to do it himself again; He's made her the household manager, pretends to be oblivious to her frustration; that swim bag situation in particular made my blood boil, dude. The weaponized incompetence was out of this world, and I fully believe that men who do this are malicious. They also claim to be 'shocked' when their wife finally initiates divorce 'all because I wouldn't do the dishes!', but it's not shocking to me! Those little acts of contempt and disrespect build up day by day, showing her time and time again in a thousand little ways how little he gives a shit about her or about participating in their family.
Karen's husband Nate never initiates anything, waiting for her to specifically ask him to do anything around the house. She is carrying the entire home and family on her back while he plays dumb. What makes it worse is that this mother is so frazzled that she finds it easier to entertain her children's tantrums rather than discipline them, which... anyone who knows anything about parenting knows that giving into tantrums reinforces the behavior, making it more likely that they will tantrum again next time, because they've learned that it works on you. She constantly caves to her toddler's screaming, and is breast-feeding him at 18 months (even though she doesn't want to!) just because it's easier than dealing with his tantrums if she doesn't. She also doesn't enforce natural consequences with her four year old. 'Mom, I'm starving. Can I have a treat now?' The way that conversation should have gone is: "No, you chose not to eat your breakfast. Tomorrow you can try again. The conversation is over."
Then she feels bad because other mothers are judging her for all of the things I just said, but y'know something? They're right! And if Karen hadn't been so stressed and at her wits-end just barely hanging on in total survival mode, she would agree with them too. And you know what she does? She picks her toddler up and takes him out of the room, which is what she should have done in the first place when he was throwing a fit in front of the vending machine. She gets all upset that those mothers are 'being self-righteous and judgemental', as if they're somehow organic-almond-moms or pretentious for pointing out that what she's doing is counter-productive. The problem isn't with these other 'judgemental' moms. The person she should be angry at is her fucking useless ass husband who is making her do all of this alone. He is the reason she's burnt out, she is the reason she's borderline suicidal and depressed and feels like she's 'lost herself in motherhood.'
Karen's section is so honest about mother-hood and parental regret and what it looks like when you have kids with a man who refuses to participate in parenting. Karen is a single-mother for all intents and purposes, except without her own money and without time away from her kids at work. 'Domestic slave' is a more apt description. She isn't paid for anything she does, and she doesn't clock out. This book makes motherhood look fucking terrible and unappealing, but it also had this attitude of martyrdom in a way? It shit on career-women who chose not to have kids and 'don't understand what it's like', and portrays women who chose to be mothers as martyrs who are making sacrifices to raise the next generation. In my opinion, just because career-women thought ahead about whether or not they were willing or ready to be parents, doesn't make them demons. Being a mother doesn't make a person better or more virtuous than childless women, especially since so many of them are denying that they have regrets. (I think it says something that the only time Karen found herself relieved and happy in this book was when both her children were unconscious.) The saddest thing is that all the women in Karen's mom group used to be such talented career-women as well, who are now wasted in this domestic hell. Janice was a producer of a television's show; do you know how difficult it is to become a producer as a woman? The industry is incredibly competitive! And this women is now trapped at home with a husband who refuses to get a vasectomy and continuously impregnates her 'accidentally' to keep her trapped at home. That's in the text, by the way, that's not me reading too much into it. He sought out a career woman and he put her in the kitchen, and every time she tries to get back to who she used to be, he impregnates her again. That's what pushes Janice to get a nanny, and go back to work. It convinces Karen to try to get a job too. Well guess what.
Her husband deliberately sabotaged her interview in every way possible. This dirtbag threw coffee on her quilt block and threw it away, and then lied to her face about it. First it was, "I didn't see them. There was only junk mail on the counter," then when she finds them in the recycling bin with coffee all over them, it's "I thought they were your rough drafts." OH. So you DID know they were hers. You DID see them. You didn't think they were junk mail. You knew they were her work and you threw them away and tried to hide it and didn't tell her and then lied about it to cover your tracks. Then it's, "I really am sorry." You're sorry for ruining them? Then why did you lie, pretend you had no idea what she was talking about, and then make excuses when she caught you. If you were sorry, you would have told her you spilled the coffee, tried to fix them and redraw them, done everything you could to make it better. But you didn't. Because you hate her.
Nate is Karen's biggest hater who sabotages her at every turn, like he actually fucking hates her. There's no other explanation for his sabotage at the interview. The amount of contempt it takes for someone to do something like that is truly galling. Him jumping all over a 'last-minute' meeting on the day of her interview should've been the last straw. You're telling me he couldn't have called in a family emergency on a Saturday when he wasn't supposed to be working anyway? Bullshit. All that said to me was: you are my last priority, I don't respect you, I break promises to you without a second thought. That whole "I made my choice" thing??? That was a dominance game; he was showing her what he thinks her place is, and he should've come home to an empty house and divorce papers.
It is so fucking sad that Karen's story ends with her not getting the job, and her literally in the kitchen making sandwiches for her shitty kids, with her saboteur of a husband (seemingly sensing that he's pushed her too far and that divorce is on the horizon if he doesn't throw out a token effort) coming up to her with a spreadsheet all 'Honey! I've decided to participate in parenting and caring for the house that we all live in!' He offers two and a half hours daily after dinner that he'll take care of the kids, wow, how generous. You should have already been doing that for the last five years. The fact that he's calling it 'helping her', as if he's doing her some sort of benevolent favor and not 'taking on his share of the household labor that he has been deliberately neglecting until now' really shows his mindset. Karen literally thinks to herself: "Nate is lucky that I didn't cheat on him." A woman made to feel that unappreciated, unwanted, disrespected, will become desperate to feel special, seen, and attractive again.
Anna's story was sad to read too, but with a satisfying ending. Anna has a boyfriend who does nothing but shit on her career as a chef and call her fat. He's the most low-effort man I've ever read about, never takes her out, always manages to come over and eat up all the food at her house. This relationship is all about her serving him, even in her fantasy version of their life together she imagines herself cooking him gourmet dinners and giving him breakfast in bed; nothing about what he'll do to make her happy.
The irony is that he believes he's an 'enlightened' 'progressive' man who is against sexism; he's not a conservative traditionalist who wants women to be in the kitchen-- but in reality, there's nothing progressive about him, and he's just as sexist as 'get back in the kitchen' dudes are. He's a pig who thinks feminine interests are worth no respect, and he's perfectly happy making her put all the work into the relationship, because conveniently, for him to 'plan or pay for dates' would be 'chauvanistic.' "It's sexist if I make all the decisions" he says, then makes all the emotional labor and relationship-maintenance her job! Which is...? Sexism! Shitting on her ambition to become a professional chef? Sexist! Yes, even if he pretends that it's 'bad for women to be put into a traditional-gender role of working in the kitchen', the irony is that attitudes like this are what keep women both cooking in the home unpaid, and kept out of gourmet restaurant kitchens around the world. To this day, sous-chef and head chef positions are still male-dominated, because of attitudes like his! They see women's cooking as inherently 'domestic'. Women aren't supposed to make money for something they should be doing for their husband and kids for free! "You shouldn't become a chef, you should just cook at home" is sexist, disguised as 'egalitarian.'
I kind of resent that this book seems to try and create this narrative that the modern 'liberal' man is an asshole, when in reality, the losers in this book are the same old conservative misogynistic asshole. Progressive men aren't like this, lmao. This guy insists he isn't sexist and that's why he's treating Anna so bad, but everything that makes his behavior wrong is because of sexism. He's just obfuscating.
The fourth chapter is about Russell, who loses his wife to cancer, and learns to quilt in her honor. His story was really emotional and touching, but I do have to point out that Diane was kind of right about him -- and I do find it interesting that he didn't find any community or support for his grief among men, he found it when he started attending women's quilting groups. This is because... there isn't an equivalent for men. Women form community and groups that help and depend on each other, and men don't. It's part of why they commit suicide more often. They generally don't have meaningful social connections beyond 'dudes I watch the game with.'
Diane also points out something that really made me think about his story critically. Russell's wife had been quilting for years. This was the hobby for her, to the point that she had hundreds of online quilting friends and friends from local clubs, etc, who knew her. She had started a charity that touched so many lives. She was way more experienced and skilled than he was, and yet Russel makes ONE quilt in her honor, and he ends up with speaking tours, blue ribbon quilts, and makes a career out of this hobby. He publishes a book. He is doing paid appearances around the country. Because he's a man. Literally, textually for that, because male quilters are so uncommon, he gets a participation trophy and everyone's SO AMAZED at his honestly mediocre work. Diane points out that he jumped on the bandwagon at the last minute and gets the undeserved acclaim and accolades and credit for a craft and for the work and skill that generations of women have put into this art-form. I will also point out that it's no mistake that he's the only one who failed Agnes's test. He's the only one who didn't reach out to help Agnes without prompting; even when prompted, he was too selfish and focused on himself to assist an old woman in the way he has been assisted by the quilting community, because he doesn't see anything in it for him. I find it ironic that even though he has spent the last few years receiving all this help, support, shoulders to cry on, advice, and fellowship from these quilting groups, even monetary support in the form of a speaking career; he doesn't give back to that community. He mines it for resources. This is what I mean about men not forming community. Even after being the recipient of their support, he doesn't reciprocate. He uses the labor and the resources and the support that women gave him, and doesn't contribute to it himself. Even in that small test, he didn't have the sauce to be a teacher. He doesn't have the helpful spirit or cooperative nature that the women quilters do. In this respect, women are just better. They're community-minded. Kind of glad he didn't get hired on as a teacher.
Gretchen's story was also infuriating and was a great way to round off the story. I had a lot of sympathy for her. This poor woman is being diminished by Heidi, her frenemy/op. Heidi has spent her entire life copying everything Gretchen does and then pretending it was her idea.
From her outfits, to quilting itself, to opening a quilt shop to double-cross her. She's incapable of creating anything on her own, but outwardly displays a creative and imaginative front. Like all plagiarists/proponents of A-I art, on the inside, she's an empty, soulless person who thinks she deserves unearned success and fundamentally doesn't respect the creativity of others. She thinks she has the right to skip the years of time and practice cultivating a skill, and instead just harvest it from other people. She sees art as something to exploit and claim as her own for monetary gain. This is why Heidi's quilts are dollar-store trash and Gretchen's are actual quality pieces of artwork. Fuck Heidi, I hope she gets sued for copyright fraud.
I will say, I had a bunch of theories for why Diane was being so abrasive. It slipped my mind who was leaving the camp, even though Summer and Judy said so in one of the other books that they were retiring to go back to grad school/take another job opportunity, so for a moment I started thinking... is Diane one of the people who are leaving the camp? Is that why she's being so rigorous and unfair to the interviewees? Instead, it turns out she was trying to stop Judy and Summer from leaving by not hiring anyone, lmao.
December 16, 2025
Great read.. a lovely story about love and friendship and quilts…
February 13, 2017
See my review and others here: http://onceuponatime-bookblog.blogspo...
An Elm Creek Quilt novel with 5 different parts - each one telling the story of a different character, their background in quilting and how they applied for an instructor position at Elm Creek Quilt Camp. The last part focused on the current Elm Creek Quilters.
An Elm Creek Quilt novel with 5 different parts - each one telling the story of a different character, their background in quilting and how they applied for an instructor position at Elm Creek Quilt Camp. The last part focused on the current Elm Creek Quilters.
April 30, 2021
All I can say is.... OMG! How fantastic is this entire series?!
I have quite literally bought all of their hard back books, twice. I gave my fist set away to my son’s school. I also bought every single item they have in kindle format.
I have read through this entire series at least four times, and am on my way through the fifth time right now.
I have my own fully equipped sewing studio with all the toys, even the professional grade longarm, all to support my hobby. I will still do quilts by hand with needle, thread, pencil, and scissors, just to enjoy the quilt making like I find in the Elm Creek Quilt series. What can I say. I am an over 60 male fabric crafting fan who has been obsessed with quilting, sewing, and knitting, for my entire life.
This book is fantastic, and so are all the others! I really recommend them all.
...and yes, I have made several of the quilts from this series.
I also enjoy and recommend the Mrs. Lincoln’s dressmaker series and all of her oth books too.
I have quite literally bought all of their hard back books, twice. I gave my fist set away to my son’s school. I also bought every single item they have in kindle format.
I have read through this entire series at least four times, and am on my way through the fifth time right now.
I have my own fully equipped sewing studio with all the toys, even the professional grade longarm, all to support my hobby. I will still do quilts by hand with needle, thread, pencil, and scissors, just to enjoy the quilt making like I find in the Elm Creek Quilt series. What can I say. I am an over 60 male fabric crafting fan who has been obsessed with quilting, sewing, and knitting, for my entire life.
This book is fantastic, and so are all the others! I really recommend them all.
...and yes, I have made several of the quilts from this series.
I also enjoy and recommend the Mrs. Lincoln’s dressmaker series and all of her oth books too.
November 30, 2023
This was a compelling read; and when I sometimes stay up very late enjoying a book, it usually becomes a five-star one for me. My mother is a quilter and I'm not - my talent went in a different direction - cross-stitching. But I love to keep up on what she's doing, so was captivated by the cover of the book. It was well-written and filled with well-developed characters in the storyline. Two of the founding members of Elm Creek Quilt Camp are leaving for new opportunities. They are also leaving open two teaching positions which need to be filled. This is the premise of the book. So, ads go out seeking qualified applicants to fill the positions. The book contains five background vignettes of people who are very interested in the positions, have sent in their applications and were chosen as candidates for an interview. An interesting feature is how each applicant meets the next one waiting for an interview as they are leaving, and both interact. During the interview, each person showcases their different styles, techniques, and the quilt block they were required to make. Each feels the interview didn't go as they anticipated. The applicants are as followed:
- Maggie Flynn - works at the Ocean View Hills Retirement Community and Convalescent Center. At lunch she likes to join the Courtyard Quilters for stories and gossip. She has a boyfriend but knows he's not the one for her. One day Maggie walks by a garage sale and spots an old quilt covering a table. It has been misused and is very dirty. All the owner knows is that it was quilted by Harriet Findley Birch. With the encouragement of the Courtyard Quilters, she begins researching the origin of the quilt and the quilter. Maggie becomes obsessed while researching and creates the same quilt pattern over and over by using different materials, color schemes, and backgrounds. She ends up writing a renowned book titled "My Journey with Harriet" of her research and her quilt reproductions. Years later she learns the corporation that owns the retirement home is closing it. Maggie needs to find a new job.
- Karen Wise - is an overwhelmed mom of two small boys. She loves being a mom but feels unfulfilled in other ways. Her husband also has a new job which takes time away from home and family. She never has much time for quilting nowadays and has never taught quilt classes to others but did teach marketing classes in her previous life. She talks her husband into letting her go to Elm Creek and interview for a part-time she has seen an ad for. She just wants to have some me time all to herself. On the day of the interview her husband never makes it home to watch the boys so she must take them along with her. You can imagine how this interview goes, and she feels defeated afterwards. Look for her surprise decision regarding her children.
- Anna Del Maso - is a caterer at Waterford College. Her boyfriend, Gordon, mistreats her mentally and Anna lacks the self-confidence to deal with him. She's still stary-eyed and ignores his many faults. She loves to quilt and makes food-themed patterned quilts, but her specialty is food. Someday Anna wants to be a chef who owns her own restaurant. Gordon has a female roommate who is a piece of work. An incident involving Anna making a gourmet dinner for Gordon which goes awry when he makes her abandon her meal and takes her back to his place and makes something from a box. Her eyes are finally opened, and she applies for the job at Elm Creek Quilt Camp.
- Russell McIntyre - is the only male quilter who applies for the job. Russell meets Elaine in a Torchlight Run at Seafair. They are attracted to each other and eventually get married. She is a quilter and Russ supports all she does. When she's 39-years-old, they decide to start a family but instead discover she has cancer. When she dies, Russ is devastated and packs up all her quilting supplies to give away. Then he changes his mind and is compelled to finish a quilt that Elaine started when she was sick. Through classes, he discovers the stigma and derision of being a male quilter and not being accepted as such. On-line classes are a different story, and he meets many male quilters. Eventually he writes several books and becomes a traveling teacher. Wanting to spend more time at home, he applies for a job at Elm Creek Quilt Camp.
- Gretchen Hartley - is an older traditional quilter. She has a history with a wealthy family and their daughter, Heidi Albrecht, who is six years younger than Gretchen. She was a housekeeper at a young age as well as a tutor for Heidi. Heidi tries to imitate everything Gretchen wants or plans to do and considers her a friend. Gretchen must swallow her anger when Heidi takes all her plans to open a quilt shop and opens one herself. She hires Gretchen as a co-partner but is she really? Things go really south in their relationship when Heidi won't accept her traditional patterns in the shop. Gretchen applies for the job at Elm Creek Quilt Camp and discovers that Heidi has, once again, sabotaged her plans.
Two subplots include:
- During the interviews, a blond woman named Diane who's on the selection committee is very rude and confrontational with the interviewees. What is she trying to accomplish by being so nasty?
- During each of the interviewees visit, a white-haired woman asks their help in showing her what is wrong with the quilt block she is working on. What kind of a filibuster is she planning?
Who did they pick for the two positions? There is also a small surprise ending with two of the candidates. I hope the next book contain the two new teachers and we get to know them better and how they interact with the old guard. I would recommend that you read this series in order for character development and story advancement. A highly recommended series.
- Maggie Flynn - works at the Ocean View Hills Retirement Community and Convalescent Center. At lunch she likes to join the Courtyard Quilters for stories and gossip. She has a boyfriend but knows he's not the one for her. One day Maggie walks by a garage sale and spots an old quilt covering a table. It has been misused and is very dirty. All the owner knows is that it was quilted by Harriet Findley Birch. With the encouragement of the Courtyard Quilters, she begins researching the origin of the quilt and the quilter. Maggie becomes obsessed while researching and creates the same quilt pattern over and over by using different materials, color schemes, and backgrounds. She ends up writing a renowned book titled "My Journey with Harriet" of her research and her quilt reproductions. Years later she learns the corporation that owns the retirement home is closing it. Maggie needs to find a new job.
- Karen Wise - is an overwhelmed mom of two small boys. She loves being a mom but feels unfulfilled in other ways. Her husband also has a new job which takes time away from home and family. She never has much time for quilting nowadays and has never taught quilt classes to others but did teach marketing classes in her previous life. She talks her husband into letting her go to Elm Creek and interview for a part-time she has seen an ad for. She just wants to have some me time all to herself. On the day of the interview her husband never makes it home to watch the boys so she must take them along with her. You can imagine how this interview goes, and she feels defeated afterwards. Look for her surprise decision regarding her children.
- Anna Del Maso - is a caterer at Waterford College. Her boyfriend, Gordon, mistreats her mentally and Anna lacks the self-confidence to deal with him. She's still stary-eyed and ignores his many faults. She loves to quilt and makes food-themed patterned quilts, but her specialty is food. Someday Anna wants to be a chef who owns her own restaurant. Gordon has a female roommate who is a piece of work. An incident involving Anna making a gourmet dinner for Gordon which goes awry when he makes her abandon her meal and takes her back to his place and makes something from a box. Her eyes are finally opened, and she applies for the job at Elm Creek Quilt Camp.
- Russell McIntyre - is the only male quilter who applies for the job. Russell meets Elaine in a Torchlight Run at Seafair. They are attracted to each other and eventually get married. She is a quilter and Russ supports all she does. When she's 39-years-old, they decide to start a family but instead discover she has cancer. When she dies, Russ is devastated and packs up all her quilting supplies to give away. Then he changes his mind and is compelled to finish a quilt that Elaine started when she was sick. Through classes, he discovers the stigma and derision of being a male quilter and not being accepted as such. On-line classes are a different story, and he meets many male quilters. Eventually he writes several books and becomes a traveling teacher. Wanting to spend more time at home, he applies for a job at Elm Creek Quilt Camp.
- Gretchen Hartley - is an older traditional quilter. She has a history with a wealthy family and their daughter, Heidi Albrecht, who is six years younger than Gretchen. She was a housekeeper at a young age as well as a tutor for Heidi. Heidi tries to imitate everything Gretchen wants or plans to do and considers her a friend. Gretchen must swallow her anger when Heidi takes all her plans to open a quilt shop and opens one herself. She hires Gretchen as a co-partner but is she really? Things go really south in their relationship when Heidi won't accept her traditional patterns in the shop. Gretchen applies for the job at Elm Creek Quilt Camp and discovers that Heidi has, once again, sabotaged her plans.
Two subplots include:
- During the interviews, a blond woman named Diane who's on the selection committee is very rude and confrontational with the interviewees. What is she trying to accomplish by being so nasty?
- During each of the interviewees visit, a white-haired woman asks their help in showing her what is wrong with the quilt block she is working on. What kind of a filibuster is she planning?
Who did they pick for the two positions? There is also a small surprise ending with two of the candidates. I hope the next book contain the two new teachers and we get to know them better and how they interact with the old guard. I would recommend that you read this series in order for character development and story advancement. A highly recommended series.
August 2, 2007
I enjoyed reading this book. The characters were very well developed and the organization of the book was different than any other I have read. I did get a little frustraited the farther I got into the book, waiting for each character to somehow pull everything together, but it isn't until the very end when that happens, and it makes the read very compelling. I spent a whole afternoon finishing the second half of the book because I just couldn't resist!
November 24, 2020
This book is the first one I'd read in this series, so there were a few times I wondered about the events leading up to the hiring process central to the plot, but I enjoyed the way each chapter featured the story of one of the candidates. I could relate to all of them, and I wanted to see them all get the job!
December 17, 2021
After a rough week I needed to go back to some old friends, and this did not disappoint. Real people who aren’t perfect but are perfectly relatable. Now if i could just stop playing on my phone and quilt more maybe I’d be worthy of working at Elm Creek Quilts someday!
November 10, 2008
I enjoyed this - a nice warm story
July 10, 2025
I've read many of Jennifer Chiaverini's Elm Creek Quilts. I needed a refresher on how and when some of the staff joined. Circle of Quilters introduces new staff members via their application, interviews and selection process in addition to background history of each of the final applicants.
Circle of Quilters answered my questions as to when Gretchen and Anna joined as regulars. However, I was dismayed and disappointed at the lack of backbone of the talented women making the final cut. What happened to strong, confident women role models? Russell McIntyre, the lone male to be interviewed, had a bittersweet history as how he came to be an accomplished professional quilter. I found his history to be a most interesting story line.
My biggest issue was with the history assigned to Joe, Gretchen's husband, that being his on the job injury which left him disabled. Workmen's compensation has been mandatory since 1947, yet Chiaverini makes no mention of employer, union or government hospital or rehab compensation, nor employee or social security disability benefits when addressing how the workplace injury ruined them financially.
Then Diane? Really? Who would allow such unprofessional behavior?
Still, thanks for the lookback to fill in the gaps I needed answered.
Circle of Quilters answered my questions as to when Gretchen and Anna joined as regulars. However, I was dismayed and disappointed at the lack of backbone of the talented women making the final cut. What happened to strong, confident women role models? Russell McIntyre, the lone male to be interviewed, had a bittersweet history as how he came to be an accomplished professional quilter. I found his history to be a most interesting story line.
My biggest issue was with the history assigned to Joe, Gretchen's husband, that being his on the job injury which left him disabled. Workmen's compensation has been mandatory since 1947, yet Chiaverini makes no mention of employer, union or government hospital or rehab compensation, nor employee or social security disability benefits when addressing how the workplace injury ruined them financially.
Then Diane? Really? Who would allow such unprofessional behavior?
Still, thanks for the lookback to fill in the gaps I needed answered.
September 28, 2018
Under the title "An Elm Creek Quilts Collection" this is the middle novel of three bound together. This was my favorite of the three. It is contemporary and uses a plot I liked of a group of women who have a big house for quilt retreats. Two are leaving and we are privy to the interviews and how the applicants have come to be involved with their hobby. Maggie works in a retirement community where a group gathers weekly just as their foremothers did.
Karen's husband is a new faculty member and must deal with work duties meaning Karen takes their two sons to the interview which goes as well as you'd think. Anna is a caterer at the local college and has problems with the guy she is dating.
Russell's wife was a quilter and he misses her after her death. Gretchen's husband is disabled and money is tight. She works in a small town quilt store with a dominant boss who expects her to clean house and doesn't give Gretchen credit. The small town atmosphere of having few choices but needing to have a salary is well done, as are all the other characters.
This, too, is a very chaste book rated PG
Karen's husband is a new faculty member and must deal with work duties meaning Karen takes their two sons to the interview which goes as well as you'd think. Anna is a caterer at the local college and has problems with the guy she is dating.
Russell's wife was a quilter and he misses her after her death. Gretchen's husband is disabled and money is tight. She works in a small town quilt store with a dominant boss who expects her to clean house and doesn't give Gretchen credit. The small town atmosphere of having few choices but needing to have a salary is well done, as are all the other characters.
This, too, is a very chaste book rated PG
April 10, 2024
The Elm Creek Quilters, who run a quilting retreat of the same name in Pennsylvania, need to hire two accomplished quilt teachers to replace the founding members who are leaving to pursue other options, so they put out an ad in quilting magazines. Applicants must submit a resume, three letters of recommendation, a portfolio, sample lesson plans for two courses, photos of completed quilts, and an original quilt block that might double as a symbol for the group. After sifting through all the applications, they choose five people, four women and a man, to interview. The interviews will be done on one day. The book introduces the candidates in order of their interviews, giving backstory on their lives as well as their reasons for applying, and tells how they meet each other before or after their interviews. The final chapter finds the seven Elm Creek Quilters trying to come to a unanimous decision on the choices, and a little of how each candidate accepted their own choice.
I liked this book because of the quilting and because each candidate began quilting for a different reason.
I liked this book because of the quilting and because each candidate began quilting for a different reason.
February 27, 2025
I read this book again - not sure if I had before, silly me. I am participating in a quilt class utilizing Harriet's Journey blocks. As it is based on this book, I chose to re-read it to reacquaint myself with it. I truly enjoyed listening to this book and I did not remember all that much of it. It highlights characters who ultimately are all applying to Elm Creek Quilts for employment. it gives the background of each of these five people who come to apply for the job. The background created for each character made them come to life, I had the feeling that there were people the might live in my community. The depth of character is written so well, you can feel the struggle, pain and determination within and the healing and joy that their quilting brings them. I am so glad that I enjoyed this book again and once more I dream of driving down the gravel lane, through the woods to Elm Creek Manor to attend quilt camp myself.
October 22, 2018
I discovered this book by chance ....at a doctor's office no less ...where they were giving away free books in milk crates and the beautiful cover caught my eye. The storyline sounded interesting and I started to read it there in the waiting room.The characters are very well defined and I love how their lives are intertwined .I was happy i could take it home and finish getting to know everyone. Even though it is part of a series i had no trouble following the plot without ever having read the past eight novels.I love when I find an author that accomplishes that feat.It actually makes me want to go and find more of their books .So if you are looking for a read that makes you feel like your visiting a circle of friends .....this is a great choice ! So curl up under a cozy quilt ,grab a cup of tea and enjoy ☺
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 1, 2022
Ok, I know the Elm Creek Quilter books relies on repetition, but I love the characters so much (except for the rotten Diane) that I don't mind rereading some of their history. In #9, the "board" of Elm Creek are looking to replace 2 characters. One is going to school; the other has taken another job. So the search for replacements begins and it was fun meeting all the characters who threw their hats into the ring. Of course Diane was vicious towards all of them and as a person who has cleansed myself of toxic people, I kept mumbling, GET RID OF HER. Alas, she remains.
Anyway, love these books and am so sorry my mom, who was a master seamstress and quilter, never taught me and my sisters sewing crafts. So it's nice to read these books and feel close to Mom. She would have enjoyed these books, too.
Anyway, love these books and am so sorry my mom, who was a master seamstress and quilter, never taught me and my sisters sewing crafts. So it's nice to read these books and feel close to Mom. She would have enjoyed these books, too.
June 28, 2025
Love me some Elm Creek Quilts. Two of their founding members Summer whose leaving for college and Sarah took another job. They're not just co-workers they're family. And Diane is not happy with the change.
Only 2 teaching positions but they have 5 possible candidates. How and who do they choose...
-Maggie who got noticed when she found a historic quilt and she began her quilting journey
-Anna her food themed quilts and passion for food and cooking
-Russ, who found his love and and passion for quilting after his wife passed. His story as a male quilter was the best and had me in tears
-Karen, a novice teacher and a mother of two that she had to take to her interview
-Gretchen, the most experienced but she hasn't branched out using new methods and mediums. Her story was interesting too.
The decision of the Elm Creeks quilters made some happy new employees to be.
Only 2 teaching positions but they have 5 possible candidates. How and who do they choose...
-Maggie who got noticed when she found a historic quilt and she began her quilting journey
-Anna her food themed quilts and passion for food and cooking
-Russ, who found his love and and passion for quilting after his wife passed. His story as a male quilter was the best and had me in tears
-Karen, a novice teacher and a mother of two that she had to take to her interview
-Gretchen, the most experienced but she hasn't branched out using new methods and mediums. Her story was interesting too.
The decision of the Elm Creeks quilters made some happy new employees to be.
July 14, 2019
There's an opening for a quilting teacher at Elm Creek Quilts and this is the story of those who applied. Told in alternating chapters about the lives of 5 people who apply, their home lives and the actual interviews for the job. Who will get the job? And who is that mysterious grey haired lady who keeps asking the interviewees for help? One of the "comic relief" (& most frustrating!) piece is Diane's reaction to each of the interviewees. She's always been one of the more challening quilters in the group, but she's really outdoing herself this time.
I really enjoyed this book & couldn't wait to see how it all turned out. This might not be the best one to start reading the series, but if you're already invested in the Elm Creek Quilters, this is one you will really enjoy.
I really enjoyed this book & couldn't wait to see how it all turned out. This might not be the best one to start reading the series, but if you're already invested in the Elm Creek Quilters, this is one you will really enjoy.
May 31, 2022
Circle of Quilters is about the search for new teachers to come to Elm Creek Quilt Camp. Each applicant gets their own story on their way to the interview with the Elm Creek Quilters. They come from different parts of the country, and each of them has their own reason for wanting to become part of Elm Creek Quilters. A college chef, a partner in a quilt shop, a man healing from his wife's death, among others, are the characters you will meet, get to know, and learn to love. As always with this series (this is #9) the characters are complex and there are lots of interesting tidbits about quilting. Another plus: the books are always self contained enough you can read them in any order. Once you read one, though, you will want more. I highly recommend this one.
November 3, 2025
It's been awhile since I've read an Elm Creek Quilts book and I'm sure I read this one out of order but it was like falling right back in with comfortable friends. It was easy to remember the back stories of the quilters. At first I was confused with the long chapters but quickly realized that was to give the backstory of how these characters became quilters. I really liked the added touch of how each one had an interaction of some sort with another of the job candidates. The ending of Karen's story left me disappointed for her and I found myself getting upset with Gretchen for letting Heidi walk all over her for years. How she could not see that Heidi was taking advantage of her for years just made me see red, but then, that's what a good book is supposed to do.
September 8, 2021
A wonderful story which made me cry and laugh at different times. Two Elm Creek Quilters are moving away and have to leave the business they helped nurture. As new teachers are sought we read the stories that brought them to quilting and find out something about who each of them are. Along the way the author pans over various issues of modern day living: retrenchment, throwing away instead of valuing and restoring, abuse of "friendship", inequality of valuing male/ female roles and of practical versus academic careers. Very much a review of social history but a great read in discovering the characters who form the story.
October 16, 2021
I really enjoyed this new installment in the Elm Creek Quilters...
Two of the original members hosting and teaching classes at Elm Creek Quilt Camp will be moving on to another venture in their lives. Now the founding members will be evaluating many applicants from across the country who are hoping to be chosen. How can anyone fill the empty places of their beloved friends? As we get to meet and know the five candidates selected for interviews... I found myself rooting for all of them and wishing all five could be chosen for their individual abilities and talents.
Can't wait to read "The Winding Ways Quilt" next.
Two of the original members hosting and teaching classes at Elm Creek Quilt Camp will be moving on to another venture in their lives. Now the founding members will be evaluating many applicants from across the country who are hoping to be chosen. How can anyone fill the empty places of their beloved friends? As we get to meet and know the five candidates selected for interviews... I found myself rooting for all of them and wishing all five could be chosen for their individual abilities and talents.
Can't wait to read "The Winding Ways Quilt" next.
March 2, 2024
I've probably said it before but Jennifer Chiaverini is a master at coming up with new characters and back stories. This is another great example of that. There are openings for two new staff at Elm Creek Quilt Camp and five people are interviewed so you learn all about them and how they become quilters. The regular characters are all featured through the interview process. It's a fun way to move the story along and bring in some new blood to the series.
One note, a supporting character in one of the story lines is named Heidi. She is NOT a nice person and man was that hard to hear about! Nasty people annoy me to begin with but nasty people who share your name? Doubly difficult.
One note, a supporting character in one of the story lines is named Heidi. She is NOT a nice person and man was that hard to hear about! Nasty people annoy me to begin with but nasty people who share your name? Doubly difficult.
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