August 2006 Newsletter

This issue includes:

1) A Tidbit of History – Description of “Check” Quilt Block

2) Tools, Tricks and Quilting Tips – Chain Piecing Shortcut

3) What's in a Name? – Learn about a traditional patchwork quilt block that has many different names.

4) Recipe for Quilters – Taco Pie

5) Newsletter News – Town and Country / New Labels and 2007 Quilt Calendars

6) DVD Coming Soon – Robin’s Nest

Do you enjoy this newsletter? If you do, please feel free to forward it to one or many friends and encourage them to join the group!

You are welcome to post this newsletter on a website or submit it to an e-zine. If you do, please credit the source to www.How-to-Quilt.com, and include the copyright and contact information. We would also love to hear about it, if it is posted.

1) A Tidbit of History – Description of “Check” Quilt Block

In 1882 The Dictionary of Needlework included a large section about patchwork. The book presented descriptions of various quilt blocks. Here is their description for CHECK:

This design is worked to imitate a chess or draught board, and is one of the easiest of the patterns, being formed of squares sewn together. To work: cut out a number of 2 inch squares in pale yellow, and a number of the same size in brown. Sew the brown square to the yellow square, and underneath and above the brown sew a yellow one, and underneath and above the yellow square sew a brown one. Continue to join the pieces together in this manner so that no squares of the same hue are next to each other. Any two colours can be used, or varieties of two colours, but it is advisable not to employ more.

My commentary – I’m glad that quiltmaking instructions are better now than they were then. I probably would have given up on these. And, wow! Only two colors!? Hmmm – we’ve gone a long way, ladies!

2) Tools, Tricks, and Quilt Tips – Chain Piecing Shortcut

You can make your chain piecing go faster by arranging your patches next to your sewing machine in stacks ready to sew. Place two stacks of pieces next to each other with right sides facing up. I place the stacks so that the edges to be sewn are next to each other, as they would be after they are sewn. Pick up one piece from the stack on the right, and flop it over onto a patch on the left so they are right sides together, making sure that you remember which is the side you will sew the seam. Sew your seam, then continue the process until you run out of patches.

You can follow the same process with sewn patches, as you add patches. And the same process works when you sew blocks together.

3) What's in a Name?

Early in the 1900s, as more women became interested in quilting and wanted to expand the variety of blocks they used in their quilts, they would write to magazines and newspapers for ideas. Publications would list the requests in one issue then publish the answers in the next issue. The blocks would be published with instructions and a picture. Often the blocks were renamed to sound more current or to give credit to a city or state, and one block would end up having several different names.

Mother's Choice Cotton Boll Formal Garden A Cross is Mother's Choice

Click on either the picture of the quilt block or the name of the block that is highlighted in blue and underlined, and a file will open that has a colored quilt block picture, templates for the pattern, and (in some cases) rotary cutting instructions. The pattern page has links for these block patterns as well.

Thanks to Maggie Malone's book 5,500 Quilt Block Designs for this information.

4) Recipes for Quilters – Taco Pie

It seems that I am not alone in suffering the wrath of leftovers as I was growing up. In our house, the first day it was “Yummy,” the second time around it was “Leftovers,” the third time was “Scraps,” and the fourth time was “Scrapovers.” Yes, we saw Scrapovers more often that I want to remember.

As I was scouring through my cookbooks this month to come up with something in keeping with our Block of the Month – Mother’s Choice – I happened across my copy of the “I Hate to Cook Book,” by Peg Bracken. And, although, it’s not really true for me, it’s a fun little book.

My mom gave me the book the Christmas after a summer when she had my sister and me each cook 3 meals a week – one breakfast, one lunch and one dinner. The inscription in the book reads:

“With happy memories of frog’s legs and burned pizza!”

I remember the frogs’ legs; thankfully, I don’t remember the burned pizza. There’s a story in the frogs’ legs; maybe there’s even a quilt in it.

In any case, I found a recipe that mom used to disguise old, leftover hamburger:

INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds ground meat
8 ounces tomato sauce
1 package taco seasoning
1 ½ cup water
1 pint sour cream
1 pound grated cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Brown meat, add tomato sauce, taco seasoning and water. Simmer for 10 minutes. Line the bottom of a pan with taco shells, and a layer of meat, then sour cream, then cheese. Repeat until all of the ingredients are used.
Bake 35 minutes at 350°

5) Newsletter Specials – Town and Country / New Labels

Kit’s Corner is full of activity. So much activity, that Anita’s little kitty is contemplating finding a new corner. Never mind that it’s been 113° in the shade (hot as an oven!), and maybe a corner upstairs isn’t the best place for a cat. Kit is just confused by all of the activity.

Best get yours before they are all gone and Kit goes back to sleep!
July goodies are here:

http://www.how-to-quilt.com/townandcountry.shtml

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6) DVD Coming Soon

The survey was in, and you said you wanted a Step-by-Step DVD. It’s taken a month, and now it’s at the video shop. They are putting the final edits on it, and making copies.

The video guys were amazed – it’s more than 8 hours of great quilting information, and it will fill 4 discs! The pattern is a new one, designed in honor of a red robin that sat on a nest outside my window. She and her brood flew away on the 4th of July in celebration of Independence Day.

It’s a simple 9 patch block, using squares, half square triangles, and a flying goose (or maybe flying geese) patch. You will get the 4 DVDs, plus a CD of the Beginner’s Guide to Quilting and all of those bonuses; plus a raft of other bonuses that I am putting together right now.

Watch for more details, coming soon.

Have a fabulous Month!

Happy Quilting!

Penny Halgren
www.How-to-Quilt.com
Inspiration and Education for Beginning Quilters

www.Rag-Quilt-Instructions.com
Fast, Fun and Funky Quilts

www.Fabric-Postcards.com
Quilt Mail Across the Miles

Do you enjoy this newsletter? If you do, why not forward it to one or many friends and encourage them to join the group!

You are welcome to post this newsletter on a website or submit it to an e-zine. If you do, please credit the source to How-to-Quilt.com, and include the copyright and contact information. We would also love to hear about it, if it is posted.

©How-to-Quilt.com 2006