How-to-Quilt.com

October 2007 Newsletter

This issue includes:

1)  A Tidbit of History – Album Quilt

2)  Tools, Tricks and Quilting Tips –Soapstone
   
3)  Featured Block of the Month – All Hallows Quilt Block  
   
4)  Recipe for Quilters – EGGS A LA PAYSANNE
   
5)  Newsletter News – Trick or Treat at the Haunted House

6)  Quilter’s Trip – International Quilt Festival

7)  Fabric Postcards for the Troops – Round ‘em up and send ‘em in for Thanksgiving

8) Eavesdrop on a Telephone Conversation - October 16 - Ricky Tims

How-To-Quilt.com Newsletter Archive online – Issues of the How-to-Quilt.com Newsletter from the beginning of 2005 are available online at:

http://www.how-to-quilt.com/newsletter/archive/index.shtml

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1) A Tidbit of History – Album Quilt

In 1893, Marie Owen became the first women Police Officer in the United States when she was appointed to the Detroit Bureau of Police.

And we thought that women police were a relatively new thing.

Just as maybe we thought that an Album Quilt, or Friendship Quilt was a relatively new invention.

It turns out that the traditional Album Quilt pattern is one of the oldest patterns known.  In years past this design was used extensively by church women, each one embroidering her name on the block she donated.  The quilt was then sold at the church fair.

2) Tools, Tricks, and Quilt Tips – Soapstone

Soapstone m akes markings that rub off easily and won't harm fabrics. This is a great tool for marking quilting lines on dark fabric.

It comes only in white, and is very easy to use.  You can draw around a template or draw freehand.  Because there is some “drag” on the fabric as you are drawing, it’s not like drawing on paper. 

I have found it easier to take short strokes that move in the same direction on the fabric.  While this does take some extra time, the design will be more accurate because it will not get stretched out of shape.

One of the great advantages of using soapstone as a marking tool is that you don’t really need to wash it out.  Over time, it will brush off or wear off.  The drawback to that, though, is that you don’t want to mark too far ahead of your quilting, because by the time you get to that section, you may need to re-mark the quilting design.

3)  Featured Block of the Month

Every year I learn more about Halloween and the origin of the holiday.

This year is no exception.  In my research to discover about All Hallows, I found that November 1 is All Hallow’s Day, the beginning of the Celtic New Year, or Samhain.

The Celtic year begins with An Geamhradh – the beginning of the dark winter – and ends with Am Foghar – the Celtic harvest.

According to Celtic mythology, the Celtic New Year was a gap in time when the dead could return to warm themselves in the places they lived “in our world.”
For the welcome visitors, people put food and drinks for the dead and left their doors open to allow them into their homes. 

And, to stop the evil spirits from entering, Celts carved images of spirit guardians onto turnips and placed them by their front doors.  Called ‘jack o’lanterns,’ eventually turnips turned into the hallowed out pumpkins with candles that are so familiar today.

The celebration of the Celtic New Year begins at sundown the day before All Hallow’s Day (hence, the celebration of Halloween on October 31).  Samhain marks a link between the worlds of the living and the dead, and for one night, the structure of society was allowed to dissolve.  For years, young people have been allowed to dress up like dead spirits and move around cities performing Halloween activities and playing pranks on their elders.

Click here to get the pattern for this block plus 9 more

4) Recipes for Quilters – EGGS A LA PAYSANNE

    6 eggs
  1/2 cupful of cream
    2 tablespoonfuls of grated onion
    1 clove of garlic
  1/2 teaspoonful of salt
    1 saltspoonful of pepper

Add the onion and the garlic, mashed, to the cream; pour it in the
bottom of a baking dish, break on top the eggs, dust with salt and
pepper, stand the baking dish in a pan of water and cook in the oven
until the eggs are "set." Serve in the dish in which they are cooked.

5) Newsletter News – Trick or Treat at the Haunted House

As the block-making is coming to a close, the next step will be to surround each block with an Attic Windows frame and make them all the same size.  That will make it easier to sew them together into the Haunted House.

Just one more benefit of membership in TheQuiltingCoach.com.

Enjoy your membership in TheQuiltingCoach.com, and visit often.  After each Eavesdrop on a Telephone Conversation, several audio clips are posted with the transcript of that individual question and answer.  These are searchable by subject, making your quilting resources readily available when you need them.

You may also want to consider upgrading your membership to the Star Member level – for only $20 per month additional, you will receive a free copy of a recording of the Eavesdrop on a Telephone Conversation call.  This call sells for $24.97 as a separate item.  Just think, you’ll be saving more than 20% each and every month.

6)  Quilter’s Trip – International Quilt Festival - Houston, Texas, November 1-4
Always the place to be for quilts. The show includes workshops, lectures, vendors and quilt displays.
http://quilts.com/home/shows/index.php

7)  Postcard Quilts for the Troops

Penny’s Postcard Posse Roundup for Halloween is wrapping up as I am writing this newsletter, so the final count is still not in.

By the time you get this newsletter, the hundreds of cards will be winging their way to Iraq and to many surprised soldiers as they remember fondly their days of Trick-or-Treating.

Thanks to all of you who sent in cards.  Visit the picture gallery at: www.Fabric-Postcards.com, and see cards from all of the various holidays.

Next up is Thanksgiving, and several folks already have sent in cards for that fantastic November holiday.  Round yours up and send it in to us.  All of the information is at:
www.Fabric-Postcards.com

8) Eavesdrop on a Telephone Conversation – October 16 – Ricky Tims
Ricky Tims successfully blends two diverse passions into one very unique and interesting career. Thousands who have heard his music affirm his skills as a pianist, composer, and producer. His success as a quilter is equally significant.

His quilts have been displayed worldwide, and are highly regarded as excellent examples of contemporary quilts with traditional appeal.

He is currently the co-host of The Quilt Show, an internet-based show for quilters that also features Alex Anderson, C&T Publishing author and former host of HGTV's Simply Quilts

Quilting daughter, Stephanie, has completed the top of her quilt in The Grand Convergence Experiment.  You can see the top and read how it all happened by visiting:
http://www.thequiltingcoach.com/public/department60.cfm

We look forward to hearing Ricky on October 16, when he will share his inspiration for creating interesting and fun contemporary quilts.  He will also be talking about his latest – Rhapsody Quilts.

Have a fabulous Month!

Happy Quilting!

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

 here i have been a most excellent guard cat, and they still take off. because you are so loyal and sticking around this weekend, you can get a printed version of the Heart Rag Quilt pattern you see pictured above.

we are in the final days of the pre-sale of the machine quilting adventure dvd mentor. you will want to check that out before the end of the month when the price goes up.

©How-to-Quilt.com 2007