Do you scurry around making school lunches, getting snacks ready, or checking the hot lunch menu if you have youngsters at home?  If you’re working outside the home at quilting or other employment, do you wonder what to take?
I’ve written about this topic at my Mary Emma’s Country Kitchen blog, under School Lunch Variations, covering school lunches from my mom’s day to the present when my grandchildren take lunch and snacks to school.  There certainly have been changes over the years. 
You’ll also find a recipe for Mayonnaise Cake, something we made often during my childhood for dessert at home and …read more

QuiltingAndPatchwork.com
How “green” was your grandmother’s quilting? 
(By “green” we mean using something in a way that doesn’t harm the environment and utilizing leftovers by recycling, reclaiming, and refinishing.)
Grandma never thought about “green” quilting when she recycled her fabrics.  She was simply being frugal or thrifty.  Also, fabrics weren’t so readily available for the early quilters.  The local general store may carry some bolts of fabric for making clothing but not very many and then mainly serviceable materials. Also, it was considered extravagant to buy fabric solely for making quilts. 
So what did Grandma do? 
She……
*Cut up worn-out clothing and used the fabric for her quilts.
*Incorporated …read more

QuiltingAndPatchwork.com
 Do you need cheer?  Do you need uplifting?  Do you need simply to read some lovely stories?  The giveaway this month is just the answer.
It consists Heartwarmers of Spirit, an anthology concerning Triumphs over Life’s Challenges, edited by Azriela Jaffe. 
I have a story published in this book, “My Ray of Cheer on Dancing Tiptoe.” It concerns the cheer my granddaughter provided when I was in a body case, recovering from a broken back.  She became my little lifeline.
Simply leave a comment below, letting me know how you or someone you know could use this book.  It has many uplifting stories of how various …read more

QuiltingAndPatchwork.com
While we’re on the topic of Harry Potter (see the post about Susan Gunelius and her book on the Harry Potter global phenomenon), why not take a look at a related book by J.R. Rowling?  If you and your quilting family are Harry Potter fans, you’re probably intrigued by any reference to a new book.
The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.R. Rowling, is a book of fairy tales written to supplement the Harry Potter series.  It will be published in two new editions, the Standard and Collector’s, on December 4, 2008.   (However, it’s available for pre-order now at the above links.)
Collector’s Edition
(Amazon …read more

QuiltingAndPatchwork.com
Don’t miss out on this GIVEAWAY!
Author Susan Gunelius visits Home Biz Notes for an interview and a giveaway of her book,  Harry Potter, The Story of a Global Business Phenomenon.  This is in celebration of the release of her book in the United States today, August 19.
To participate in the giveaway and read the interview, check out:
Giveaway of the Harry Potter Phenomenon Book by Susan Gunelius
Susan Gunelius: Exploring the Harry Potter Phenomenon
(Amazon image; click here for details)
(c)2008 Mary Emma Allen

QuiltingAndPatchwork.com

Even though the summer is drawing closer and children are going back to school, the Arts Bloggers still have many interesting ideas for you.  These might be fun to consider if your schedule slows down after the youngsters are in school.  Some of the ideas are “green,” made from recycled materials.
Cool Journal Tool
Try this fun tool to create art for your journal, or just to play
Cotton Monsters! The Work of Jennifer Strunge
See some of Strunge’s amazing and fun soft sculptures made from recycled clothing and linens.
Eco crafts- Credit card bobbins
How to recycle old credit cards into bobbins for embroidery …read more

HomeBizNotes.com

Are you and your children Harry Potter fans?  Do you ever wonder how Harry Potter became such a popular series and more?
Susan Gunelius, author of Harry Potter, The Story of a Global Business Phenomenon, will visit Home Biz Notes, on Tuesday, August 19, the day her book is launched in the United States.
You won’t want to miss this upcoming interview with Susan, also a b5 blogger at Brand Curve and Play Library.  We learn how and why she wrote the story concerning the phenomenal marketing strategy that made Harry Potter a brand name and fantastic success. 
We shall be featuring a giveaway of …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

QuiltingAndPatchwor.com

The names of quilting groups and guilds fascinate me…this bonding together of friends with a common interest. Some names are so imaginative; others have historic reference; still more reflect the area of the country where they’re located.
Here are 13 I’ve come across: 

Flying Needles Quilt Guild
Friendsville Memorial Guild
Patchwork Piecers
Heritage Quilt Guild
Walnut Valley Quilers Guild
Prairie Quilters
Emma Creek Quilt Guild
Friendship Quilters Guild
Teakettle Quilters Guild
Scraps & Threads Quilt Guild
Heirloom Quilters
Belknap Mill Quilters Guild
The Material Quilters

There are so many more quilting guilds, clubs and organizations and the names are fascinating.  Why don’t you tell me the name of yours…and a little about it?  It would be …read more

QuiltingAndPatchwork.com

As I browsed through my articles here at Quilting and Patchwork, I discovered one about quilting and China, The Early History of Quilting in Eqypt and China.  It refers to an item in Kaye Woods’ newsletter that mentions:
 “The earliest recorded
quilted garment was found on a carved, ivory figure of a pharaoh, dated to
be from around 3400 BC!”   
(Since the above post was written nearly two years ago, the link to Kaye’s newsletter for that week isn’t available.  Apparently they aren’t archived that far back.)
However, if you have any information about quilting in early China or even present day China, you’re welcome to share it here. 
 Is there quilting connecting China and the Olympics originating in China?
(Amazon image; click to learn more)
(c)2008 …read more