Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Elm Creek Quilts novels?
The Elm Creek Quilts novels are a series of books written by Jennifer Chiaverini. The series currently includes eighteen titles:
- The Quilter's Apprentice (1999)
- Round Robin (2000)
- The Cross-Country Quilters (2001)
- The Runaway Quilt (2002)
- The Quilter's Legacy (2003)
- The Master Quilter (2004)
- The Sugar Camp Quilt (2005)
- The Christmas Quilt (2005)
- Circle of Quilters (2006)
- The Quilter's Homecoming (2007)
- The New Year's Quilt (2007)
- The Winding Ways Quilt (2008)
- The Quilter's Kitchen (2008)
- The Lost Quilter (2009)
- A Quilter's Holiday (2009)
- The Aloha Quilt (2010)
- The Union Quilters (Feb 2011)
- The Wedding Quilt (Nov 2011)
In most of the books, the main character is a master quilter named Sylvia Bergstrom Compson. She and her young friend Sarah McClure open a quilters' retreat at Sylvia's family estate, Elm Creek Manor. Sarah and Sylvia run the "quilt camp" with the help of their friends, the Elm Creek Quilters. Other books are historical, featuring Sylvia's ancestors and earlier residents of the Elm Creek Valley.
Are the Elm Creek Quilts novels mysteries? Are the Elm Creek Quilts novels romances?
The Elm Creek Quilts novels are neither mysteries nor romances. If a categorization is necessary, feel free to consider them mainstream, contemporary, or historical fiction, in certain cases.
Should I read the Elm Creek Quilts novels in the order you wrote them? If I read the Elm Creek Quilts novels out of order, will I still be able to understand them?
If you want to read the books in the order I wrote them, read them in the order listed above. However, since I wasn't planning to write a series, I have written each book so that it stands alone. On my book tour, I often hear longtime fans tell new readers that the books should be read in the order I wrote them, but other readers have told me that they have read the books out of order and were able to follow everything just fine. Ultimately it's up to the individual reader. Please note, however, that later books inevitably give away events that occurred in previous books. If you would like to read the books in something approximating chronological order, please note the following:
- The Christmas Quilt takes place in the interim between The Quilter's Apprentice and Round Robin.
- The Sugar Camp Quilt is set in 1849-1850, so it takes place before the events chronicled in Gerda's memoir in The Runaway Quilt.
- The Quilter's Homecoming is set mainly in 1925, but it branches off from a storyline introduced in The Christmas Quilt.
- The New Year's Quilt immediately follows The Quilter's Legacy.
- The Lost Quilter begins in 1859 immediately following the events chronicled in Gerda's memoir in The Runaway Quilt.
- A Quilter's Holiday takes place while Bonnie is in Hawaii in The Aloha Quilt.
- The Union Quilters begins in 1861 and runs mostly concurrently with The Lost Quilter.
- The Wedding Quilt takes place after A Quilter's Holiday and The Aloha Quilt, with flash forwards to the year 2028.
The Union Quilters, The Lost Quilter, The Sugar Camp Quilt, and The Quilter's Homecoming work particularly well as stand-alone novels and can be enjoyed as your first Elm Creek Quilts novel or at any point in the series.
I loved the first eighteen Elm Creek Quilts novels. What is the title of the next book in the series and when will it be available?
The nineteenth Elm Creek Quilts novel, Sonoma Rose, will be published in February 2012 by Dutton.
That's not going to be the end of the series, though, is it?!?
Sonoma Rose is the last book of my current contract, but I have a verbal agreement with Dutton for a new three-book deal. At the present time, it looks like a contemporary Elm Creek Quilts novel titled The Giving Quilt will be published in October 2012 as the first book of that contract. I will keep you posted!
How do you pronounce your name?
Shev er ee nee. (Yes, I know the correct Italian pronounciation is Kee ahv er EE nee, but that's how my in-laws say it and it was their name first.)
Do you quilt?
You mean it isn't obvious? Yes, I quilt.
Where can I find pictures of the quilts from the novels?
You can view pictures of these quilts and several more of my projects in the Quilts Gallery. Many more photos are included in my five pattern books.
Why don't you include photos of the quilts in the novels?
The decision to include illustrations or photographs in a novel is entirely up to the publisher. As the author I have no say in the matter. Beginning with THE RUNAWAY QUILT, my publisher has provided pictures of the quilts on illustrated endpapers. Photos of these and the other quilts are also featured on this web site in the Quilts Gallery.
Why don't you put your books on tape?
Oh, but I have! (Well, some are on tape and others are available in the format I personally prefer, CD.) Audiobook versions of my novels are currently available from bookstores, online booksellers, and Recorded Books.
Will the Elm Creek Quilts novels ever be made into movies?
The movie rights to all of my books are available, but since no production company has bought them, it is very unlikely there will ever be an Elm Creek Quilts movie.
Is Elm Creek Manor a real place?
Elm Creek Manor is fictional, but the red barn on the estate is based upon a real barn in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania that has been restored and turned into a theater-in-the-round for a local community theater group, the State College Community Theatre. The fictional town of Waterford, Pennsylvania is based upon State College, Pennsylvania -- but Waterford is much smaller, just as Waterford College is much smaller than Penn State.
I hate to break this to you, but there is a real town of Waterford, Pennsylvania.
Um... (ahem)... Yeah. I know that now. Unfortunately, I didn't find out until it was too late to change The Quilter's Apprentice. (Yes, I have purchased a new atlas since then.) If it helps, the origin of the town's name is explained in The Runaway Quilt.
Where can I find patterns for the quilts the characters make in the Elm Creek Quilts novels?
Patterns for the quilts featured in the first four Elm Creek Quilts novels, as well as other quilts inspired by favorite characters from the series, are available in my book ELM CREEK QUILTS, published by C&T. RETURN TO ELM CREEK, my second pattern book, includes patterns for quilts from THE QUILTER'S LEGACY, THE MASTER QUILTER, and several of the earlier novels. My third pattern book, MORE ELM CREEK QUILTS, was published by C&T in Spring 2008 and includes quilts from THE SUGAR CAMP QUILT, THE CHRISTMAS QUILT, CIRCLE OF QUILTERS, THE QUILTER'S HOMECOMING, and THE NEW YEAR'S QUILT. Patterns for the 140 blocks in Sylvia's Bridal Sampler are provided in my fourth pattern book, Sylvia's Bridal Sampler from Elm Creek Quilts. My most recent patter book, TRADITIONS FROM ELM CREEK QUILTS, was published in October 2011 and includes quilts from THE WINDING WAYS QUILT through THE WEDDING QUILT.
Didn't I hear that you're designing Elm Creek Quilts fabric for Red Rooster Fabrics?
It's true! Visit my fabric gallery for more information about my fabric lines, swatches, and a list of online shops. Check out the Red Rooster Fabrics website for free patterns and other fun stuff.
Since I can't attend Elm Creek Quilt Camp, are there any real quilt camps out there?
Yes, there are! Please consult your local quilt shop or quilt guild for suggestions, or check out the advertisements in quilt magazines.
How can I obtain an autographed copy of one of your books?
The best way is to attend one of my author appearances. Please see the list of events on my online schedule.
I checked your schedule page, but I don't live near any of those cities. When will you be coming to my town?
My publisher selects the cities I will visit on my book tours, which coincide with the release of a new book. If your local bookstore would like to be added to the schedule, they should contact my publisher's publicity department.
Where can I find the Bergstrom family's apple strudel recipe described in The Christmas Quilt?
It's included in my recipe collection published in October 2008, The Quilter's Kitchen.
Am I wrong to hear echoes of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy in the first chapter of The Sugar Camp Quilt?
You are absolutely correct, and it's a relief to know that someone other than my sister (a librarian and former English teacher) was able to recognize it. Jane Austen is my favorite author, and I was inspired to pay homage to her in The Sugar Camp Quilt after discovering that she, too, was a quilter. In a May 1811 letter to her sister, Cassandra, Jane Austen mentions collecting scraps of fabric for "the patchwork," and a quilt that Jane made with her sister and mother hangs in her former bedroom in the Jane Austen Museum in Chawton, Hampshire, England. This was the first time I included a literary homage in any of my books, and I realize that not everyone "gets it," but most readers, fortunately, recognize it as a time-honored literary technique. Please don't write to me in a tizzy if you disagree.
My copy of your book has pages missing and/or out of order! I'm so upset I think my head is going to explode! What should I do?
Unfortunately, sometimes things go wrong with the publication machinery and misprints occur. I understand how frustrating this can be when you're in the middle of a story, because it's happened to me as a reader too. If your book has pages missing and/or out of order, return it to the place of purchase for an exchange or refund.
In THE QUILTER'S LEGACY, Sylvia and Andrew are driving along in a minivan, and then on the next page they're suddenly in a motorhome. What the hey?
They decided they needed the motor home after all, so they turned around, drove back to Elm Creek Manor, switched vehicles, and ... oh, forget it. It's a mistake, okay? A mistake! Are you happy now?
Did you know that's not the only mistake in the Elm Creek Quilts series? Do you want me to tell you where all the mistakes are? Because I've been keeping a list.
If you've found a typo within the first few months after the hardcover publication, please let me know so it can be corrected in time for the paperback edition. If you've found a typo several years after the book was published, believe me, I've heard about it already.
Are you related to Darren Chiaverini, wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons?
Not as far as I know. If I am, it's only by marriage.
How about Ryan Chiaverini, former sports reporter for ABC7 in Chicago and current host of Windy City Live?
My husband might be, but only distantly. I might pretend to be his cousin if it would get me and my books on his show!