How-to-Quilt.com

March 2007 Newsletter

This issue includes:

1)  A Tidbit of History – Frogs in Your Tea, Anyone?

2)  Tools, Tricks and Quilting Tips – Displaying Quilts
   
3)  What's in a Name? – Fox and Geese
Learn about a traditional patchwork quilt block that has many different names. 
   
4)  Recipe for Quilters – Frogs’ Legs Sauteed
   
5)  Newsletter News – The How-To-Quilt Machine Quilting Adventure

6)  Quilter’s Trips – AQS Quilt Show & Contest; International Quilt Festival

7)  Fabric Postcards for the Troops – Valentine’s Day Roundup

8)  Newsletter Special – A Beginner's Guide to Quilting, Vol. I
Special Price for only 10 days

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1) A Tidbit of History – Frogs in Your Tea, Anyone?

Whether it’s just an old wives’ tale or a joke from a bar, it’s still funny….

During the Colonial Days in the US, men met at the taverns for several rounds of brew while the ladies met for evening tea.  Remembering that these were the days of the Stamp Act where tea was a luxury, women frequently found ways to sip tea in secret, in spite of the fact that men were mostly willing to deny themselves.

The coffee pot from the Bell Tavern in Danvers, Massachusetts was a perfect disguise for tea, and the pot would find its way to the house of the evening.  The ladies were known to pour the coffee out, saving it for later replacement, and brew a pot of the delicious, forbidden tea. 

One evening a large party of ladies gathered at the home of a quilter whose husband was known to stay at the tavern until the wee hours.  In his absence, the ladies enjoyed tea and quilting, secure in knowing that the master would be much delayed in arriving home.

The tea was carefully poured into the big coffee pot from the Bell Tavern, and left to simmer on the hearth during the evening of quilting and talking.

The evening drew to a close and the ladies prepared to pour the remaining tea out of the pot as they paid their compliments to the local “Tory who sold tea.”  The lid to the coffee pot was removed and the pot tipped up.

Along with the tea leaves, out poured the body of a big toad – speckled and bloated – and flopped on the hearth.  The shrieking ladies quickly forgot their earlier enjoyment of the tea, and it is said, that tea consumption in the town dropped off for a time.

2) Tools, Tricks, and Quilt Tips – Tips for Displaying Quilts

One popular device for hanging quilts on display is to sew a sleeve on the back of your quilt and insert a dowel or other rod.

The sleeve is made by folding a piece of fabric that is approximately the width of your quilt or wall hanging in half lengthwise.  Then sew the edges together, using a 1/4” seam allowance, and turn it inside out, so the seam allowance is on the inside.

Attach the sleeve to the quilt about 1/2” below the top of the quilt and secure the bottom of the sleeve to the quilt as well.  Leave the ends open, so you can insert a dowel or rod.

Some Suggestions for Dowels or Rods 

• 1/2” (in diameter) dowel available at a lumber yard or many quilt shops.  If your quilt is quite large, you may need a thicker dowel to support the weight of the quilt.
• Curtain rod – either a plain curtain rod attached to the wall, or a decorative rod with fancy ends
• Wooden Closet rod – these are great for very large and heavy quilts.  Attach screw eyes at each end of the rod, and then use nails or screws to hang the rod from the wall.

Note – you may want to finish the wood with a polyurethane coating to prevent the oils from bleeding onto your quilt.

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.

Fox and Geese
Goose and Goslings
Bow Tie Variation
Crosses and Losses
Double X

This month's Pattern Pack includes this Fox and Geese Pattern as well as 9 other patterns. Click on the block above to open the file.

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

4) Recipes for Quilters – Frogs’ Legs Sauteed

The most difficult part of this may be to find the Frogs’ Legs:

Dust 2 pounds frogs’ legs with flour and sauté them in a generous amount butter until they are golden brown.  Sprinkle liberally with parsley and serve on toast with lemon wedges.

This month's Pattern Pack includes this fun Frog Quilt Block

My story involving frogs’ legs isn’t quite as funny as the quilters' in history, but still something my family remembers. 

The summer between my 7th and 8th grade, my mom had my sister and me cook three meals a week – on a budget, but whatever we wanted to cook.  The deal was that the family had to eat it, whatever it was.

This wasn’t something available at our local grocery store, so I had my mom drive me to a fish market across town.  Since my meal was going to be a surprise, I had her stay in the car while I went inside for the purchase. 

Everyone stayed out of the kitchen during the preparation of this delightful meal.  When it was ready, they all sat down to a plate whose centerpiece was one or two pairs of frogs’ legs, positioned as if they were still on the frog!

Fortunately, my family has a great sense of humor!

5) Newsletter News – The How-To-Quilt Machine Quilting Adventure

What a response!  The books were shipped last weekend, and everybody in the States should have them by now, International orders will take a day or two extra.

There are some great projects in the book that will lend themselves to beginning quilters as well as beginning machine quilters.  Due to copyright issues, I have created three potential projects that I think will be very fun to work on while offering some good machine quilting opportunities. 

Although these patterns are not in the book, the quilts are similar and the course material will be in the same step-by-step format, making it easy to follow along.  All of the instructions and patterns will be available online for you to download.

The survey of choices will be out on March 2 – probably sometime in the middle of the day – so watch for that.  Everyone who purchased the book will receive an email with the link for the survey.

If you missed the initial offer, feel free to join us now.  The publisher tells me there are plenty of books for us.  I will order them next Wednesday, March 7 – my dad’s 88th birthday.

Here’s the link:
http://www.how-to-quilt.com/alex.shtml

The e-course will include video, email and a discussion forum.  I am getting that area set up now.  Although Alex has not responded to my email asking if she would agree to be interviewed, I will keep asking. 

Stay tuned – more to come. 

6)  Quilter’s Trips –

AQS Quilt Show & Contest – Paducah - April 25 - 28, 2007

Make Paducah, Kentucky, your destination from April 25 – 28, 2007 for the 23rd Annual AQS Quilt Show & Contest. More than 500 quilts will be exhibited, and the Merchant Malls will have 300 booths of the latest quiltmaking supplies, antique and new quilts, and quilt-related gifts. It’s a quilt shoppers’ paradise.

For more information, visit: http://www.americanquilter.com/shows_contests/

International Quilt Festival – Chicago - April 13-15, 2007

A juried exhibit featuring 29 quilts exploding with color and vibrating rhythm, optical illusion, intricate quilting and inventive use of materials and technique; created by members of the Studio Art Quilt Associates.  In addition, workshops, demos, quilts on display, and a shoppers’ mall round out this great quilting getaway.

7)  Postcard Quilts for the Troops - Valentine’s Day Roundup

The Valentine’s Day Postcard Posse Roundup netted about 250 postcards, which were sent to Canadian soldiers fighting in Afghanistan.  I am way behind in posting pictures, but will get to it next week.

Our next Postcard Posse Roundup is for the Spring, which would include Easter.  The deadline is March 21, and I believe I will be sending these to the wounded soldiers in Germany.  One of our community works there, and is excited about hand delivering the fabric postcards.

8)  Newsletter Special – A Beginner's Guide to Quilting, Vol. I

For those who haven't yet purcahsed A Beginner's Guide to Quitling, Vol. I, now could be the time. The price has just gone up to cover the increased cost of shipping and handling.

Since I didn't let you know ahead of time, here's a special coupon so you can still get it at the old price: enter 296946 in the Promo Code box for your discount. This discount will be good only for until March 10, after that, everybody pays full price. Get yours, or buy one for a quilting friend, or a soon-to-be-quilting friend.

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

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