How-to-Quilt.com

September 2005 Newsletter

A portion of the September 2005 Newsletter

"A Tidbit of Quilting History" – Quilts in Merry Old England
"Tips, Tools and Tricks" – A Quilting Tip from History
"What's in a Name?" – Learn about a traditional quilt block that has many different names.
"Recipe for Quilters" – John’s Cactus Salsa
"Friends of How-to-Quilt.com" – QuiltersTips.com

A Tidbit of Quilting History – Quilts in Merry Old England

Centuries ago, quilts in England were made of linen and used by both commoners and aristocrats. Aristocrats preferred the finer texture of the higher quality linen, even though it was not as sturdy as the linen used by “those of the cottage.”

In England, the wife was the keeper of the quilt frame and custodian of all quilting designs. Daughters were taught quilting by their mothers when their chores were done. The lessons were conducted with the mother instructing and supervising while the daughters did the work.

Since the girls knew that they would be responsible for making the coverlets for their beds after they got married, they worked to create a large enough store of bed covers to last until their daughters were old enough to begin quilting. The goal was for each girl to have a bakers’ dozen (13) quilts before marriage.

These quilts were all designed for the girls and included quilting designs that had been passed down through their family. Each quilt was unique, and the quilts made early on by the girls were fairly simple, increasing in complexity as the young ladies became more skilled.

When the young lady was pledged to marry, the family designed and made the 13th quilt – the Bride’s Quilt. It was by far the most elaborate quilt in the bride’s dowry.

Tips, Tools and Tricks – A Quilting Tip from History

I thought it would be fun to take a look back and hear some quilting tips from our ancestors. Here goes:

You can make a really cheap quilt by placing a number of thicknesses of newspaper or large sheets of tissue paper between two pieces of cheesecloth (with or without any batting). Paste all of that together and cover with a regular pieced quilt. (Basically you are stuffing a regular quilt with a layer of newspapers surrounded by cheesecloth. The purpose is to add warmth without adding the weight of another quilt.) The good (or bad) news is that as the quilt is used, the paper will crumple and stop “rattling.”

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.

As a follow up to Katie Pasquini Masopust and Brett Baker’s new book, Color and Composition for the Creative Quilter, I am sharing the block Cactus bud. This exact design has no other name that I could find, but you will recognize many that are similar.

Information about Color and Composition for the Creative Quilter can be found at:

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

Click here for a pattern of the Cactus Bud Block on the Patterns

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

Recipe for Quilters – John's Cactus Salsa

In keeping with the How-to-Quilt.com Newsletter tradition, John’s Cactus Salsa is mildly related to our Cactus Bud quilt block. I found this in a search on the web, and have provided John’s web address, so you can get plenty of information about eating, growing, and loving cactus!

Ingredients:

two pounds of cactus prepared and diced
a couple cans of diced tomatoes
three or four pickled jalapeno peppers (or to taste)
three cloves or more (to taste) of garlic
one-half medium onion
a can each of red kidney, black bean, and pinto beans
pinch of basil
a bunch of cilantro
quarter cup of olive oil
couple dashes of salt and some ground black pepper will add flavor
A handful of sunflower seeds, shelled pumpkin seeds, or pine nuts, or any mix of them

For a real crowd pleaser at a picnic or party make this cactus salsa ahead of time and allow to blend its flavors in the refrigerator for a few hours or more. Just mix all the ingredients above that you can obtain. Some hot peppers are always in favor here in the SouthWest, but other folks may need it tamed down on the hot peppers some. One can use this as a dip for tortilla chips, or a relish and garnish on burritos (see breakfast burritos to the right), meat dishes or a general spicy condiment.

This recipe and more are available at:
http://www.rivenrock.com/

Enjoy!

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.

Visit our Quilting Friends Around the World: QuiltersTips.com

QuiltersTips.com is a great source for quilting tips and tricks, and also has a Weekly Quilting Tips Contest. The site is loaded with quilting tips on every topic you can imagine, and provides a search engine to find exactly what you are looking for. Help for your specific problem is a mouse click away.

Just register and enter your tip, or browse the tips to rate them for the contest. They also have a "When life gives you scraps, make a quilt!" tote bag and quilting business books, to help you start a business as a quilt shop owner or begin a machine quilting business.

Stop by http://quilterstips.com/index.php for all the Hot Tips that a fit to print!