How-to-Quilt.com

August 2007 Newsletter

This issue includes:

1)  A Tidbit of History – Wild Goose Chase

2)  Tools, Tricks and Quilting Tips – Quality of Thread
   
3) Eavesdrop on a Telephone Conversation – Monika Gassaway  
   
4)  Recipe for Quilters – Biscuit Ice Cream
   
5)  Newsletter News – Action in TheQuiltingCoach.com

6)  Quilter’s Trip – The National Quilt Championships 2007

7)  Fabric Postcards for the Troops – Halloween Roundup

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American Quilts, Quilting and Patchwork, The Complete Book of History, Technique and Design, published in 1974 is the source for my mystery this month.

There is a chapter devoted to The Origin and Variety of Quilt Block Names, something that kind of fascinates me.  In this chapter, Adelaide Hechtlinger refers to a block named Wild Goose Chase.  

She describes this as a three-cornered patch that was a recognized bird symbol, and goes on to state that “Variations included Hovering Hawks, Ducks and Ducklings, and Birds-in-the-Air.

As you gaze through the pattern pack this month, notice the variety of these blocks, all representing birds.

10 Free Patterns for August

2) Tools, Tricks, and Quilt Tips – Quality of Thread

In our Eavesdrop on a Telephone Conversation with Bob Purcell, President of Superior Threads, we asked:

Is there really a difference in the quality of thread and how can you tell the difference?  By just looking, you just look at the thread or do you read the label or check out a brand or is that like the weight of the thread?

Bob’s answer: Reading the label I say “no.”  The buzz word in the cotton industry is Egyptian cotton. Well we did a little survey and asked where certain manufacturers get their cotton thread, and one major German company told us first hand that they buy all their cotton out of Romania.

They get the to call it Egyptian cotton so we said well why do you label your thread Egyptian cotton if it’s grown in Romania? And their answer was because Egyptian cotton does not mean made in Egypt. It means it’s that type of fiber or a long staple cotton.
 
And that’s the unfortunate part in the world because now everybody’s saying Egyptian this and Egyptian that and it doesn’t come out of there. It comes out of China or India or any of many other countries.

In order to tell a good quality of thread, you have to use it and what you’re looking for is strength. How much lint does it throw off? Is there color consistency and if it’s a variegated thread, is the dye job consistent?

To get a copy of the whole interview on CD, go to:  http://www.how-to-quilt.com/eavesdrop.shtml

3) Eavesdrop on a Telephone Conversation – August – Monika Gassaway

Mark your calendar for August 28 when Monika Gassaway will join us in a telephone conversation about buying a sewing machine.

With the gaining popularity of quilting, groups are popping up all around the country, and many gals have sewing machines that need refurbishing or replacing. But, when you start looking at the variety of sewing machines on the market, it’s hard to know what to buy.  Not everyone wants all of the bells and whistles on a machine.  And not everyone can afford to get the top of the line machine. 

Monika, with her more than 22 years of experience in the sewing machine market, can take all of the mystery out of buying a sewing machine, and help you decide which is the best machine for your individual needs.

Her shop carries Juke, Janome and Bernina machines because she believes that these machines offer the best options for quilters.

In addition, she ships all across the country – both new machines and machines sent for repair.  Yes, customers continue to send their machines to Monika (and Tom, the repair expert) even when they move away.

Monika will answer whatever you want to know about sewing machines on August 28.

4) Recipes for Quilters – BISCUIT ICE CREAM

     6 wine biscuits
     1 quart of cream
   1/2 pound of sugar
     1 teaspoonful of vanilla

Grate and sift the biscuits. Scald half the cream and the sugar; when cold, add the remaining cream and the vanilla, and freeze. When frozen, remove the dasher, stir in the powdered biscuits, and repack to ripen.

This quantity will serve six persons.

TIME FOR FREEZING

The time for freezing varies according to the quality of cream or milk or water; water ices require a longer time than ice creams. It is not well to freeze the mixtures too rapidly; they are apt to be coarse, not smooth, and if they are churned before the mixture is icy cold they will be greasy or "buttery."

The average time for freezing two quarts of cream should be ten minutes; it takes but a minute or two longer for larger quantities.

DIRECTIONS FOR FREEZING

Pound the ice in a large bag with a mallet, or use an ordinary ice shaver. The finer the ice, the less time it takes to freeze the cream. A four quart freezer will require ten pounds of ice, and a quart and a pint of coarse rock salt. You may pack the freezer with a layer of ice three inches thick, then a layer of salt one inch thick, or mix the ice and salt in the tub and shovel it around the freezer. Before beginning to pack the freezer, turn the crank to see that all the machinery is in working order. Then open the can and turn in the mixture that is to be frozen. Turn the crank slowly and steadily until the mixture begins to freeze, then more rapidly until it is completely frozen. If the freezer is properly packed, it will take fifteen minutes to freeze the mixture. Philadelphia Ice Creams are not good if frozen too quickly.

TO REPACK

After the cream is frozen, wipe off the lid of the can and remove the
crank; take off the lid, being very careful not to allow any salt to fall into the can. Remove the dasher and scrape it off. Take a large knife or steel spatula, scrape the cream from the sides of the can, work and pack it down until it is perfectly smooth. Put the lid back on the can, and put a cork in the hole from which the dasher was taken. Draw off the water, repack, and cover the whole with a piece of brown paper; throw over a heavy bag or a bit of burlap, and stand aside for one or two hours to ripen.

This recipe is from: Ice Creams, Water Ices, Frozen Puddings Together with Refreshments for all Social Affairs

by Mrs. S. T. Rorer

from Penny:
I’ll readily admit that I had never heard of wine biscuits before I saw this recipe.  A quick search on the internet uncovered this very fun site:  http://americanvintage.com/ that sells wine biscuits.

Or, you can make your own: http://www.emerils.com/recipes/by_name/red_wine_biscuits_version2.html
http://www.italiansrus.com/recipes/winebiscuits.htm

5) Newsletter News – Action in TheQuiltingCoach.com

It’s hard to believe that Halloween could be right around the corner, but it kind of is.

With the Postcard Posse Halloween Project ramping up, I counted the weeks until Halloween and discovered that by making just one quilt block each week, we could easily complete a fun Halloween quilt in plenty of time to hang on the wall as decoration for Trick or Treating.

There’s plenty of time to catch up – we’re only on the third block, and all of the step-by-step instructions with color photos of each block are posted and ready for you in TheQuiltingCoach.com.

The best news of all is that there is still time to get in on the 1 free month deal.  By signing up now, you can get one free month of membership, with access to the entire site, including the Halloween pattern, The Machine Quilting Adventure, great quilting tips and articles, and audio clips from our Eavesdrop Conversations.  All in an easily searchable format.

You can download or copy any of the resources for your use or for your quilt guild.  And, everything on the site is free.

Resources are added daily, and a calendar keeps you posted on the outstanding quilting opportunities available.

Join today and be part of a fabulous quilting community Where Quilters Connect and have fun learning how to quilt.

www.TheQuiltingCoach.com

6)  Quilter’s Trip – The National Quilt Championships 2007

Quilter Jan Allston attended the National Quilt Championships in Snadown Park, Esher, Surrey, England, and send us a link to her fabulous summary of the event. Jan took oodles of pictures and has added descriptions of several quilts in each category.

7)  Postcard Quilts for the Troops

Ready or not – Here Comes Halloween and another Penny’s Postcard Posse Roundup.

With more than 2200 fabric postcards rounded up for the 4th of July, Elaine, Sherry and I figured out that it wouldn’t be that difficult to get more than 5000 fabric postcards for Halloween.

Several groups, including churches, quilt guilds and quilt shops will be joining in the fun making both postcards to send and fabric postcard “blanks” for children to decorate at schools.

The pattern for the pumpkin fabric postcard is posted on the fabric postcard site: www.Fabric-Postcards.com

We are getting some great local publicity for our postcards.  Faith Pelletier in Rantoul, Illinois got the ball rolling with an article in the Rantoul Press in December 2006.  And now the local San Diego press has picked up the story of our efforts to support our military men and women abroad. 

Check out the press releases, articles (including the article about Faith), and view the TV clip that aired on the 4th of July:
http://www.fabric-postcards.com/press.shtml

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

©How-to-Quilt.com 2006