How-to-Quilt.com

March 2005 Newsletter

 Greetings and Happy St Patrick's Day!

A portion of the March 2005 Newsletter:

"Tips, Tools and Tricks" - Store your needles and keep them sharp
"What's in a Name?" - Learn about a traditional quilt block that has many different names
"Recipe for Quilters" - Split Pea Soup - It's Green for St. Patrick's Day

Tips, Tools and Tricks - Looking for a safe place to park your needles while you take a break? Poke them into the paper top or bottom of a spool of thread. Leaving a whisp of thread makes the needle easier to see. Be sure to check for needles that have fallen inside and remove them before you throw the spool away. Peeling off the paper will allow them to come out.

Needle cases made of wool fabric or quilted with wool batting keep needles from rusting forever! And, did you know that using a pin cushion stuffed with human hair will keep your needles sharp and prevent rusting?

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 given credit to a city or state.

This month we see another twist to the story. The featured block is also named Irish Chain, the same as the February featured block. Only this one is a different pattern; and it has other names as well. This month's block was also called Sheep Fold Quilt by the Kansas City Star, Nine Patch by Ladies Art Company, and A Plain Block by Ladies' Home Journal in 1896! Check this block out at:You can view this block and all of its names at:

http://www.how-to-quilt.com/patterns/blocks.shtml.

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

Recipe for Quilters -

While Corned Beef and Cabbage would be an obvious choice for this month's St. Patty's Day celebration, we are featuring Green Pea Soup - well, it's Green! Here goes:

Green Pea Soup

2 (10 oz.) packages of frozen peas
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons butter
about 1 cup light cream
salt and pepper

Cook the broth, peas, onion and sugar. When the vegetables are very soft, take them from the broth and press them through a sieve. You can use a blender, but it won't be quite the same. Place the puree in the top of a double boiler over hot water. Mix in the hot broth, butter and cream, diluting the soup to the thickness wanted. This should not be a heavy soup - thinner and more delicate than puree of split pea. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm over hot water until ready to serve.

This recipe comes from an old-time friend/cookbook - The Year Round Holiday Cookbook by Suzanne Huntley.

If you have a recipe to share, email us at: info@How-to-Quilt.com. We will be happy to publish the recipe in an upcoming newsletter.

©How-to-Quilt.com 2005