If there are any of you who have not read any of the Elm Creek Quilters books, I think the first one, the Apprentice Quilter would be especially good for anyone just learning about quilting, if for no reason other than the lanquage of quilting. I find I have to explain terms I am using because my neighbor has not heard the words in this context. I never thought about the "language barrier" until now. I guess if every vocation has its own terms, why not something important like quilting? For those of us who have been around forever, they are just good books.