My rating:
add to my books
Loading...
The Cross-Country Quilters (Elm Creek Quilts #3)
Readers of The Quilter's Apprentice and Round Robin have been enchanted by Elm Creek Quilt Camp, where women gather each year for quilting, friendship, and fun. The third in the Elm Creek Quilts series introduces the Cross-Country Quilters, a group of far-flung friends who pledge to complete a "challenge quilt" -- symbolic of each woman's personal goals -- i...more
Paperback, 368 pages
Published
June 3rd 2001
by Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group
(first published 2001)
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is currently not featured on any Listopia lists.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
2,575)
ok, i was STILL on semi-rest yesterday, so got another novel knocked out. this one was even better than her other's that i've read. of course, it MAY be because i could relate to a few of the characters even better than any others! especially Grace!! no, i do NOT have MS, but ... i do have 2 "conditions" that i'll have for the rest of my life, 1 of which will most likely land me in a wheelchair eventually. i am as independent as her, if not more so, and can DEFINITELY understand w...more
Judy keeps buying them, I keep reading them. And every time I pick one of the Elm Creek Quilt books up, I think, "Damn this is kind of elementary" and then wind up thinking, "Damn, this one was better than the last."
This is the third in the series, and the third I've read, and my favorite one thus far. Five women meet at Elm Creek Quilt Camp and become quick friends. They decide to reunite in one year's time and in that time, they have to complete a block for a qu...more
This is the third in the series, and the third I've read, and my favorite one thus far. Five women meet at Elm Creek Quilt Camp and become quick friends. They decide to reunite in one year's time and in that time, they have to complete a block for a qu...more
The third installment in this series, Cross Country Quilters diverges from telling the tale of the ladies of Elm Creek Quilts, to telling the story of the quilt campers that come to visit. The original characters only make brief appearances but as a recap (and possible spoiler for the first two books) I'll tell a bit about them.
In the first book, Sarah, a young woman who moved with her husband is desperately looking for a job. When she meets a client of her husband's, the moody Sylvia,...more
In the first book, Sarah, a young woman who moved with her husband is desperately looking for a job. When she meets a client of her husband's, the moody Sylvia,...more
After reading the first four books in the Elm Creek Quilts series, I am actually thinking it would be fun to learn how to quilt. Blending quilting techniques with a heart-warming story of friendship, this is a perfect book to enjoy on a warm summer day.
This book focuses on a group of women who meet at Elm Creek's quilt camp. Two women, Megan and Donna, are Internet friends who look forward to meeting each other in real life. Megan, a divorced woman with a sweet but somewhat troubl...more
This book focuses on a group of women who meet at Elm Creek's quilt camp. Two women, Megan and Donna, are Internet friends who look forward to meeting each other in real life. Megan, a divorced woman with a sweet but somewhat troubl...more
view 1 comment
Another book in the quilting series? Yes, I read another one. Again, it has 5 main characters. Vinnie is 82 and has come to quilting camp for several years, even celebrates her birthdays there. Donna and Megan are women who met on a quilting web site and have been friends for years, but are just meeting in person for the first time at quilt camp. Julia is a film star who must learn to quilt for a movie role. Julia's agent thinks she needs to be isolated from the other women so they won't b...more
Umm... this book was nearly 400 pages and I read it in about 48 hours. Yes. Partially due to the fact that I had a very long train/bus ride one of those days, but still. I devoured this thing. And would like to read more of the series!
It's definitely chick lit. Not that it's sappy romantic or really girly or anything, just that it's all about a group of women and the sorts of life events and troubles that women think about. I would be highly impressed by a dude who read and liked it,...more
It's definitely chick lit. Not that it's sappy romantic or really girly or anything, just that it's all about a group of women and the sorts of life events and troubles that women think about. I would be highly impressed by a dude who read and liked it,...more
This is not my usual cup ‘o tea as far as the type of book I read, but it was given to me with praise. It is a quaint book and possibly what I needed after the mind blurring time-traveling of my last book. The characters are sweet and I found myself wanting to find out what the small band of quilters faced during the year between meeting at quilt camp and their reunion. There were some very good descriptive sections concerning quilting and the story moved at a good pace. This is actually the thi...more
Barbara
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
own,
borders-bargains,
chick-lit,
crafts,
friendship,
creativity,
womens-fiction,
fiction,
reviewed,
read-in-2011
I'm not a quilter. I've never made a quilt in my life, and there's an excellent chance that I never will. However, this book caught my attention for a few reasons:
A) It was on the $2.00 bargain table at Borders while I was out of work, so the only books I could buy at the time were books for $2 or less. (And by the way, at this particular Borders it does not mean that the book isn't good just because it's on the bargain table. There have been many best sellers and a lot of pretty awe...more
A) It was on the $2.00 bargain table at Borders while I was out of work, so the only books I could buy at the time were books for $2 or less. (And by the way, at this particular Borders it does not mean that the book isn't good just because it's on the bargain table. There have been many best sellers and a lot of pretty awe...more
This is the third novel in the "Elm Creek Quilts Sampler." These novels make up the first three books in this series. In this particular book, we don't hear much about the Elm Creek Quilters Staff after the new characters depart the camp. It's more about these newly-introduced folks here and their families and others in their lives. It's about match-making and divorced couples and how divorce affects not only the couple but others in their lives as well.
There's Julia,...more
There's Julia,...more
This book was on our book club list for February. I probably would not have read it otherwise. I liked the way the author built great friendships among the women who were the main characters. Their friendships greatly helped support each other as the emotional trials of each was revealed. Even though they lived far apart, their love of quilting and their experiences together at Elm Creek provided the basis of their bonds through e-mail and telephone throughout the rest of the year.
Th...more
Th...more
This book introduces the "Cross Country Quilters". This is a group of friends who live everywhere and were brought together at Elm Creek Manor. They pledged to make a "challenge quilt"; symbolic of each woman's personal goals. The quilt was to be done in one year's time when they would meet again at Elm Creek.
Julia, an aging starlet, needed to learn to quilt for a historic movie and was sent to Elm Creek by her manager as the director already thinks she can quilt...more
Julia, an aging starlet, needed to learn to quilt for a historic movie and was sent to Elm Creek by her manager as the director already thinks she can quilt...more
Wouldn't it be fun to go to go to 'quilt camp' for a week away with your good friends. That's just what five women from various parts of the country do. Author Jennifer Chiaverini tells their stories in this quilt-themed novel. This book happens to be number three in a series by Chiaverini, so if you like it, there are many more books to read. I've really enjoyed these. I'm not a quilter, but I can tie a quilt with the best of them. I've even gone out and bought a little fabric. Might actual...more
We didn't think these books about quilters would be so good, but my husband (who is not a quilter) and I really like them. He read the first one and said it was surprisingly good. Then he read the 2nd one, and said, I'm not sure I can get through the rest of these (meaning the series). When he picked up the 3rd one, he was just going to skim it, but he said, "The author is such a good writer. I just got sucked into the characters and their stories". He read it all the way through. I, o...more
I loved this book & read it much too quickly. I always feel bad when I put the book down finished. I feel like I'm losing my friends.
One reviewer said, "A book about nicer-than-real people ..." But are they nicer-than-real? I know people just like these people; they are all around me. Maybe that's why I like Chiaverini's books so much, how often do you get to read about nicer-than-real people? I like happy endings.
I had Donna's oldest daughter's fiance figured o...more
One reviewer said, "A book about nicer-than-real people ..." But are they nicer-than-real? I know people just like these people; they are all around me. Maybe that's why I like Chiaverini's books so much, how often do you get to read about nicer-than-real people? I like happy endings.
I had Donna's oldest daughter's fiance figured o...more
In this third in the series, most of the characters from the previous books got minimal screen time (page time, I guess that should be), which meant that the one I didn't much like in the last two wasn't around to annoy me, so that was good. What wasn't as nice was how none of the stories of the new cast got quite enough attention; it felt like trying to cover a year in the life of so many women we'd just met was too much for one volume. The story arcs in the previous book, which also was buil...more
This book doesn't showcase the main characters from the first couple of books, though some of them make some cameo appearances. This is about a group of people who become friends at quilt camp, and then go home to deal with things in their own life, with a promise to meet up again at quilt camp the next year.
It took a bit for me to get into the book because it wasn't about the original characters, but I became invested in the new characters, and I hope we hear more from them in later...more
It took a bit for me to get into the book because it wasn't about the original characters, but I became invested in the new characters, and I hope we hear more from them in later...more
This is the third in the series of the Elm Creek quilters. I read the first 'The Quilter's Apprentice. Very enjoyable. The group of friends meet again at Elm Creek quilt camp and begin work on a challenge quilt, each completing a block for the quilt with a piece of fabric that was divided into equal shares. They set themselves a special challenge. No one can start work on their block until they have taken steps to solve her problems and achieve a personal goal. Their close friendship keeps each ...more
I'm sure this seemed better because I just finished that mediocre crochet "mystery" novel, but this was an oh-so-sweet novel about 5 women who met at the Elm Creek Quilt Camp and became friends. When they leave at the end of their week away, they each have a challenge in their own life they plan on overcoming. After overcoming their challenge they each make a quilt square to symbolize their achievement. The Elm Creek quilters are not really featured in this novel.
I was a little bothered when I first picked this up, since it wasn't going to be the same set of characters. But I need not have worried. Chiaverini does a great job of bringing in a whole new set of characters to love as much as those from the first two books (and they do make some guest appearances).
I did have a hard time separating some of the characters at first, but other than that really enjoyed the book.
I did have a hard time separating some of the characters at first, but other than that really enjoyed the book.
Imagine getting to go to 'quilt camp' for a week away with you friends. That's just what five women from various parts of the country do. Author Jennifer Chiaverini tells their stories in this quilt-themed novel. This book happens to be number three in a series by Chiaverini, so if you like it, there are many more books to read.
Another surprisingly good one. A whole new set of characters AGAIN, but still with the staple characters in the background. And of course, quilting. It took me a little longer to get into the new characters this time, but eventually I did. I'm even reading the next book now and wondering/hoping if I will hear some more about them.
Now that I read the little encapsulation here about the story, I realize this was actually the first book I read of this series, and then went back and read the 1st and 2nd afterward. But the fact that I wanted to get the back-story of the characters in this book says something about how well-written and how interesting they are.
third in a series – this book is not at all about the Elm Creek Quilters, but about a group that comes together at one of the quilt camps – the personal stories and struggles are revealed with a challenge to each to overcome them before meeting the following year for another week of camp – my favorite of the series so far
I think this was my favorite one in the series so far. I had my doubts when I saw that it wasn't going to be about the characters from the other books, but I enjoyed all five stories of the new characters which were introduced.
In each book I find myself wishing I could go to the camp and participate in the activities. It has also made me want to learn to quilt.
In each book I find myself wishing I could go to the camp and participate in the activities. It has also made me want to learn to quilt.
Fun book about women whose lives intersect at quilt camp, including an aging actress, a quilt artist who's lost her muse, a mother worried about her daughter's upcoming marriage, a single mom trying to help her young son, and an old grandmother hoping to find a new love for her grandson.
These books about quilters are quickly becoming one of my "guilty pleasures". I don't quilt myself but my daughter does and I am learning the language of quilting through these books. The characters are sweet and well developed and it's nice to go somewhere where people are doing nice things for each other--even it's only fiction.
This is a sweet story about 5 women who meet at a quilt camp and vow to meet again the next year to create a challenge quilt. No one can start on her block until she has taken steps to solve her problems and achieve her personal goals. The quilt they create becomes a symbol of the threads that hold their lives together.
This plot floows the lives of several women: Donna, Megan, Grace, Julia, and Vinne. As a reader, you get to hear about their past and their current struggles. You see them grow closer as they help solve each other's problems while working on a challenge quilt. Beautiful Story.
This came from a 'cross country' friend of mine and I really liked it. Neat to see relationships and cross-generational storylines. I also read The Sugar Camp Quilt by this author and thought it was mediocre. This one may make me give her another chance.
I enjoyed this book very much! The characters introduced in the book became real as they continued with their lives away from the Elm Creek Quilt camp. Bringing them back together and keeping them connected with a quilt created a warm and interesting story.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Readers Also Enjoyed
Jennifer Chiaverini is the author of ten Elm Creek Quilts novels and An Elm Creek Quilts Sampler and An Elm Creek Quilts Album, as well as Elm Creek Quilts and Return to Elm Creek, two collections of quilt projects inspired by the series, and is the designer of the Elm Creek Quilts fabric lines from Red Rooster fabrics. She lives with her husband and two sons in Madison, Wisconsin.
...more
More about Jennifer Chiaverini...
...more
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
