For an American history project at school, my granddaughter Kara decided upon a Civil War era quilt.  She researched the quilts made at that time and the quilters.  Browsing through her mom’s and my quilt books, she discovered fabrics those quilters used.
When a quilting friend heard about Kara’s project, she went through her stash and came up with reproduction fabrics and patterns used at that time.  The resulting quilt was large, but worth the effort Kara put into it.
She uses it for her bed and plans to take it to college with her.  Yes, she got an A+ on the …read more

Preserving your family heritage through art and crafts, along with writing, provides great enjoyment.  I’ve long been interested in learning my family stories and have developed workshops to teach others how to do this.
Along with writing them down you can:

Make quilts and wall hangings with photos, related scenes and activities, or fabrics from family clothing.
Develop scrapbooks about family events.
Preserve documents along with photos in collages, books, and on fabric.
Write books that relate family stories and add illustrations.  I’m working on a picture book about my Uncle William “Buffalo Bill” Mathewson.
Develop fiction stories inspired by those of your family.  The life …read more

QuiltingAndPatchwork.com
The premise that quilts contained symbols and secret messages for slaves escaping along the Underground Railroad of the pre-Civil War and Civil War era is met with differing opinions.  However, research continues with some saying there definitely were quilts that aided and others who maintain it’s all a folk tale.
Diane Grenier is a quilter who spent two years researching Underground Railroad quilts and has created a reproduction.  Learn about her own fascinating journey in Heidi Kratzke’s story, “Underground Railroad Quilt” threads way to freedom.
Other stories relating to this topic:
Hidden in Plain View – A Favorite Quilt Book
The Runaway Quilt (An Undergound …read more

QuiltingAndPatchwork.comThe big question mark loomed there instead of my photo on social media sites. So my granddaughter is helping me rectify that.
As she showed me the pictures she’d taken of her quilts, I thought, “That’s it! I’ll have a quilt photo instead of the question mark.”
We selected the one she made as a school project for American Studies, a quilt based upon Civil War designs and history.
This may be the picture we use for other sites as well.
(I’ll have to post the photo at another time.  Granddaughter and I can’t figure out how to get it on this post!)
(c)2008 Mary …read more

QuiltingAndPatchwork.com
 Time travel is on my mind this week since that’s the theme for One Book Two Book, where I co-blog with Karen  Weideman.  We’re tying our weekly themes in with Camp Weary Parent this summer to bring readers, young and older, books and activities to enjoy.
How about a time travel quilt?
This phrase, time travel quilt, brings to mind so many possibilities….activities for children, ideas for quilts, topics to write about?
*Pretend it’s a Magic Carpet Quilt.  As the children sit on the quilt they can pretend they’re going to many lands and eras.  Possibly some of them will be suggested by patterns …read more

QuiltingAndPatchwork.com
 My love of children’s and young adult books has flowed over to One Book Two Book, a blog for book lovers and readers at here at b5media.  As a children’s author as well, I find writing this blog with Karen Weideman very fulfilling. 
At One Book Two Book, I can share my love of reading and writing and hopefully inspire youngsters and adults to enjoy the same.  I also share my stories with youngsters in schools through substitute teaching and author visits, as well as writing workshops.
Here at Quilting and Patchwork, I’ve mentioned children’s books involving quilting as the story theme and …read more

QuiltingAndPatchwork.com 
As I’ve researched my children’s book, Papa Goes to War, concerning the Civil War era, I discovered that women then, as now, made quilts during times of disaster.  Quilters have responded to 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and the Iraq/Afghanistan War by providing quilts for bed coverings and comfort.
 During the Civil War, women made various items for the soldiers away from home.  Among these were quilts for the soldiers bed rolls.  Chief among the organizations collecting quilts and distributing them to soldiers on the battlefield and in hospitals was the Unites States Sanitary Commission, somewhat like today’s Red Cross.
The Commission coordinated many …read more