Some reorganizing is occurring at Blisstree, and the Arts and Crafts section will be discontinued, as far as new posts are concerned.  You should be able to find my previous posts if you’re interested in them.

It has been a great deal of fun sharing with you at b5, first in a Quilting and Patchwork blog, then through the Arts and Crafts section when Blisstree was formed.  I won’t be leaving Blisstree because I shall still be blogging at the Parenting section.  I also write the Home Biz Notes blog, My Organized Biz blog and Small Business Boomers.

Since I won’t be writing about quilting at Blisstree,  I’ll refer you to my personal quilting blogs, Qulters’ Potpourri and Tales of the Trails End Quilers for further information. 

Image: sxc.hu

I haven’t posted much there while I was writing about quilting for b5media and Blisstree.   So to keep my readers updated on my quilting interests, discoveries and heritage, I’ll begin again.

Also, you might want to check out my daughter, Beth Mastin’s quilting blog, Meandering Threads, for her input on quilting and a quilter’s life.

(Incidentally, you’ll still be able to find my previous quilting and arts posts at b5.  I simply won’t be writing new ones here.)

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Quilting at Mary Emma’s Quilting Blogs

Image: sxc.hu

This type of education runs deep in my family, since my sister, brothers and I attended a one-room school, as did my parents and grandparents.  My mom and her mother were teachers in one-room schools, along with many of Mother’s cousins.  My paternal great grandmother also was a one-room schoolhouse teacher.

These schools associated with my family were located in New York State.  However, I’ve also studied those that existed in New Hampshire, where I now live. 

They fascinate me as part of my heritage and that of our country.  So I’m compiling a blog, One -Room Schooldays, with stories, memories, facts and figures.  (Visit it and comment about your experiences and heritage.)

My mom wrote her memories about her first school and how she met my dad when she moved to that town.  Some of her students remembered her as their teacher when they were adults with children and grandchildren.  I learned from their stories that she, as their teacher, made a difference in many lives.

A one-room school heritage also made a difference in the lives of many Americans.

Do you have a one-room school heritage?

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One-Room Schools, An American Heritage

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Parenting Parents on Less Social Security

Mom’s Creativity Inspired by Youngsters

Are We Ready for Government Parenting?

Family Food Preparation at Picnic Time

Are Cell Phones Recording Your Parenting?

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Aug. Round-Up – Mary Emma’s Parenting Posts

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In your home, there must be excited youngsters who are embarking upon new adventures in a new year at school.  Or you may be planning learning activities at home.

This was an exciting time when I was a youngster, too.  New clothing, new shoes, a new bookbag and possibly a new lunch box.  Mother didn’t have a great deal of money to spend, but she saved up so we’d have something special for starting school.  She was a former teacher and urged her four children to get  a good education.  She tried to make school exciting and interesting for us.

I try to impart this enthusiasm for learning during my work as a substitute teacher and a visiting author in schools.  I also teach writing/reading workshops for youngsters in public, private and homeschools.  Hopefully  I encourage the youngsters to take a greater interest in books and writing stories, too.

How do you encourage your youngsters in their schooling and impart enthusiasm?

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Back-to-School Theme Week

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Tying Great Grandmother’s Quilt

Saving Family History

Tear Bottle – Fascinating Collectible or Gift

Creating Postage Stamp Collages & Journals

Scrapbooking Back-to-School Memories

Did you have any favorite Arts and Crafts posts?  Did you enjoy any of the above?

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August Round-Up of Mary Emma Allen’s Posts

Kara Mastin quilt; image by Kara

Now Kara is going to college and wants to take GG’s quilt with her.  Many of the ties had come out so it needed re-tying.  As she tied, and then her mom joined her, I thought, “The legacy of quilting goes on in our family.”

Beth, when she was Kara’s age, had helped me tie the original quilt for GG.  Now it had come full circle.  A grown-up Beth was working on the quilt with her daughter.

It’s also something I must write about for my Trails End Quilters blog, where I relate my quilting heritage.

(The quilt above was made by Kara for a project in American Studies.  It’s based on Civil War era patterns with Civil War reproduction fabrics.  Kara also is taking this to college.)

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Tying Great Grandmother’s Quilt

Image: sxc.hu

It caught my attention.  I like the term “Handmade Happenings” a bit better because I’ve discovered that people often regard something “handmade” as more professional than “homemade.” But that’s a matter of opinion.

However, the term in the promotion captured my attention more readily than “arts and crafts fair, arts display, crafters fair.” I went on to read more of the announcement, then realized this could be a discussion on my blog.

The terms you select for promotional purposes, the name for your arts and crafts business, your blog, and events you arrange stop people in their tracks or leave them untouched.  Perhaps “homemade happenings” wouldn’t have stood out for you, but it did me.  Some of it was the alliteration of words and then the picture of crafts people gathering with their creations.

How have you used catchy words and terms to call attention to your art or craft, whether it’s simply something you’re displaying or items you’d like to sell?

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Handmade Happenings…Effective Promo Terms

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Combining colors in a striking palette becomes an art in itself.  Although these articles are about dyeing fabrics for quilting, you can utilize the theories for other art work.

My daughter delights in dyeing her own fabric, although I’m not sure I’d have the patience.  She finds it relaxing and discovers combinations she wouldn’t find otherwise.  Amazingly, she does this on the kitchen counter or dining table because she doesn’t have space for a studio in our multi-generational household.

What have you discovered about color in your quilting or other crafts?

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More About Color Coordinating & Art

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You may work in nature related themes in your fabric art.  Share with us something you’ve done in this area, whether it’s an original pattern or a traditional one.

1. Butterfly Quilt
2. Dresden Flowers
3. Blazing Star
4. English Flower Garden
5. Grandmother’s Flower Garden
6. Honey Bee
7. Maple Leaf
8. Ocean Wave
9. Palm Leaf
10. Spider Web
11. Strawberry
12. Sunbeam
13. Wild Goose Chase

What else can you think of?

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Thursday Thirteen -13 Nature Quilt Patterns

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• Take walks around your neighborhood and find natural objects you can learn about.
• Pick up trash as you take your walks…you’re helping keep your environment green and clean.
• Collect objects you can use for nature crafts…stones, shells, fallen leaves, acorns, unusual sticks, and more.
• Listen to the birds and try to identify them by sound and sight.  Keep a list and add to it.  Mother taught me to take time to listen to the birds living around us and looking for new ones.
• Identify trees and leaves.  My dad, who worked in the woods as a youth, was forever pointing out trees and leaves to me.
• Take longer hikes as a family…to areas around you and places you encounter on your travels. 
• Learn about the geology and geography of your local area and other places.
• Expand your horizons!

What do you do as a family that’s nature related and allows you to enjoy the out-of-doors?

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Nature Theme Week