How-to-Quilt.com

June 2006 Newsletter

1)  A Tidbit of History – Historic Kutztown Folk Festival

2)  Tools, Tricks and Quilting Tips – How to Piece Batting Together
   
3)  What's in a Name? – Learn about a traditional patchwork quilt block that has many different names. 
   
4)  Recipe for Quilters – Flank Steak Pinwheels
   
5)  Fabric Postcards for the Troops

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 – Kutztown Folk Festival

In 1949 the first annual Pennsylvania Dutch Folk Festival was held in Kutztown, Pennsylvania.  Since then, the Festival has taken place every year around the 4th of July weekend. 

Located between Allentown and Reading, not far from New Jersey, this event features bands and entertainment (including a cake walk), crafts, special food, folk culture and Quilts!

More than 2500 quilts for sale!  Now, that’s a quilt sale.

All of the quilts are locally made – this is, after all Pennsylvania Dutch country – and hand made at that.  They are on display and for sale.  On Saturday, July 8 at noon, the most amazing quilt auction will begin.  Quilters come from all over the world to bid on the “best of the best” 24 prize-winning quilts made by the local Mennonites.  During the festival, the Quilt Barn is buzzing with Quilting Bee activities and quilting demonstrations.  A visitors’ quilt is made by people attending the show during the week.

And, as if amazing quilting weren’t enough, the Festival features a traditional Pennsylvania Dutch Ox-Roast.  Each day a 1200 pound ox is put on a spit and roasted over a bed of hot coals.  Between the harvest of summer and fall planting, there was time for celebrating.  The celebration included business, socializing and massive quantities of food.  The Kutztown Festival gives you the opportunity to see this majestic beast as he slowly cooks over the red-hot coals, sample a taste of one of the PA Dutch's finest treats, and be part of the crowd that eats "’til they ouch!"

Isn’t it grand that a quilting tradition is bringing folks from all over the world together to get a look at the PA Dutch and share the rich culture, supported by the Kutztown University Pennsylvania German Heritage Center.

2) Tools, Tricks, and Quilt Tips – How to Piece Batting Together

A quilter in a discussion group asked what to do with leftover pieces of batting.  It would seem that quilters are, by nature, wanting to salvage every little scrap – fabric, batting, maybe even thread.

Batting comes in many sizes to accommodate different sizes of quilts and beds.  It seems, though, that there’s always some left over.  Maybe it’s a strip along one side, maybe you’ve cut a hunk out of the center of a twin size quilt to make a baby quilt, and there’s a bunch left over.

Not to worry, there is a way to piece the batting together so you can use it in a quilt.  Once I discovered how to piece batting, I do it all the time.  I always buy the largest batting (usually queen or king size), and just plan to cut and piece it.

Because these step-by-step instructions come with pictures, they are posted on the site at:
http://www.how-to-quilt.com/articles/joinbatting.shtml

If you lose this link, you can get to the article by going to the Batting section of the Articles Page:
http://www.how-to-quilt.com/articles/index.shtml

=================================================

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.

Double Pinwheel
Old Windmill
Windmill

Click on either the picture of the quilt block 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 – Flank Steak Pinwheels

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 1/2 pounds flank steak, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness

1 clove garlic, peeled
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large re-sealable bag, combine the olive oil, soy sauce, red wine, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, lemon juice, 1 clove of garlic, Italian seasoning and pepper. Squeeze the bag to blend well. Pierce the flank steak with a knife, making small slits about 1 inch apart. Place the steak into the bag, and seal. Refrigerate overnight to marinate.
2. Preheat the oven to 350° F (175° C).
3. Crush the remaining clove of garlic on a cutting board with a large chef's knife. Sprinkle the salt over the garlic, and scrape with the blunt side of the knife to make a paste.
4. Remove the steak from the bag, and discard marinade. Spread the garlic paste over the top side of the steak. Place layers of chopped onion, bread crumbs, spinach, and cheese over the garlic. Roll the steak up lengthwise, and secure with kitchen twine or toothpicks. Place the roll in a shallow glass baking dish.
5. Bake uncovered for 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until the internal temperature of the roll is at least 145° F (63° C) in the center. Let stand for 5 minutes to set, then slice into 1 inch slices to serve.

http://beef.allrecipes.com/az/74580.asp

==================================================

5)  Quilts for the Troops

We’re still collecting tiny fabric postcards for our troops abroad.  I spoke with my Rotarian Military contact this evening at Camp Pendleton.  His wife just returned from a 7 month stint in Iraq, and they are very excited about receiving the fabric postcards and will send them directly to two Rotarians who are stationed there. 
The tiny fabric postcards will be delivered to some of the more remote places in Iraq and given to the individuals ‘who need them most.’  He said that there was no problem with the flag or patriotic theme of the postcards.  They are not flying US flags there, since we are not there to conquer, but to help assure their freedom

So, make the patriotic cards to your hearts content.  Or make pinwheels.  Or make whatever you would like.  Just have a blast, and make as many as you want. 

Today in my mailbox there was a package with 15 flags!  Thanks Lesia Petrizio and her family.

There is a new pattern posted on the site – a double pinwheel.  Reminding us of those carefree summer days, playing in the park and watching the wind whirl and twirl colorful pinwheels.  You can download the pattern here:

http://www.how-to-quilt.com/download/pinwheelandflag.pdf

There are lots of goodies in this for you, too – in addition to your just knowing that you did something wonderful for a guy or gal far away from their family!

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

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