Books for Quilters!
More than 200 Titles, Most at a Discount, in the Planet Patchwork Quilters' Bookstore!

Number Thirty-Five * October 1, 1999

Classifieds | Table of Contents

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Aunt Amy and Aunt Della: A Book and Performance Review

By Lynn Holland

As we have approached the year 2000, there has been significant interest in the past. The latter part of the century has seen a return to the "home arts" and formerly set aside pastimes have experienced a renaissance. Part of the quilting revival has been expressed in studies of historical influences on and of quilts, such as the studies of Civil War quilts, Dear Jane, and Underground Railroad quilts. Individuals have looked to the importance of quilts and other needlework in their families, seeing them as clues to their own identities. Perhaps it was your mother or grandmother who taught you how to thread that first needle, but for many people it seems to have been an aunt.

Favorite aunts are popular this year in the stitching community. In just the last few weeks, I have had the pleasure of meeting two such relatives. In the case of Mary Tendall Etherington and Connie Tesne of "The Country Threads," it started with a sampler quilt that Mary's Aunt Amy Anderson made in the late 1900s. Years of being fascinated by this somewhat disjointed collection of blocks grew into a delightful book that is part history, part instructional. (Quilts from Aunt Amy, Martingale & Co., 1999, 96 pages, MSRP $24.95. You can buy this book at a discount at our Quilters' Bookstore through this link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1564772586/planetpatchworkA/

As an almost commemorative act (on the occasion of the quilt's 100th anniversary of completion), these two talented quilters have taken many of the blocks from this quilt and redesigned them into new scrap creations. Fortunately they have incorporated rotary cutting and quick piecing methods so those of us with crowded schedules have a prayer of doing them in OUR lifetimes. I am particularly in love with the cover quilt, the 21st Century Bulls-Eye. This is a great scrap user and isn't the least bit complicated. There are also wall hanging projects and table runners, all of them with "everything old is new again" appeal. All of these projects lend themselves well to the many reproduction fabric lines that seem to be popping up everywhere.

The only shortcoming of the book, in my opinion, is that there are only four pages of Aunt Amy's story. So much of what I like best about quilts is in the stories that accompany them. I am always disappointed when a quilt show doesn't have some story line to accompany the quilt and its makers name. So I felt a little shortchanged by the Aunt Amy book, but perhaps that's all that the family was able to preserve.

My interest in the stories of quilts was further nurtured when I recently had the pleasure of a return visit to Shannon Armstrong's Aunt Della. Although Della herself is no longer living, she comes to life periodically when Shannon shares Della's biography and needlework with small groups of interested quilters and quilters' friends at quilt shops, guilds and shows.

Shannon is an Atlanta area quilter and teacher who is also a gifted storyteller. Raised in Indiana, she has been sewing since she was old enough to hold a needle. She began early to enter and win 4-H competitions and was skilled enough to earn her way through college on the winnings from various sewing contests. Shannon identifies the talents of her Aunt Della as a key piece of her own story.

Della was Shannon's mother's aunt, brought up as the "princess" of a well-to-do family. Della never worked outside the home because her station in life did not require it. She collected many things, and many of these preserved tidbits give us tiny windows into the existence of this woman who lived in the late 1800s and early 1900s in Union, Indiana. Della had lots of time to quilt, sew, and make Battenburg lace. Many of her belongings passed to Shannon when she inherited several large garbage bags stuffed with the literal remnants of Aunt Della's textile history. Although Della was Shannon's great Aunt, they shared a strong bond in their interest in needlework. Shannon attributes the fact that she inherited a sizeable diamond ring from Della to her apprenticeship as a needle threader.

After Della's death, Shannon spent years of almost archaeological sorting and matching of these pieces and patterns, all of which have been saved for us to savor. In addition to quilts there are templates, curtain lace, and sketches, many of them kept in the original lingerie boxes used for their storage. Shannon has replicated some of Della's quilts. One extremely beautiful red and white quilt is offered as a class by Shannon. Despite the quilt's geometric complexity, this class is always popular at the Village Quilt Shop in Stone Mountain, Georgia, near where Shannon lives.

Although I have "visited" with Della several times, I never tire of hearing the family stories. They are, like the quilts and laces, treasures of their own, each a tribute to the family heritage. I always enjoy seeing the quilts, examining the fineness of the lace and marveling at how much can be discovered about someone through her handwork.

Shannon extends the family heritage by utilizing another part of Della's legacy. Found in a family safe was a candy recipe, which Shannon uses along with a few other fine choices to create her line of Aunt Della's Candies.

Shannon's afternoon with Aunt Della was an extremely pleasant oasis in a much too busy weekend. Sitting surrounded by her quilts, munching on some Secret Sister Fudge, I could have sworn I was a long-lost niece of Aunt Della myself. Can I thread some needles for you, Auntie?

[If you would like more information about Shannon Armstrong's Aunt Della presentation, you can contact her at 480 Beaumont Drive, Stone Mountain, GA, telephone 770-923-7083.]

Classifieds

SEAGULL QUILT PATTERNS

72 ELMWOOD AVENUE, EAST AURORA, NY 14052

http://users.aol.com/seagullq/seagullq.htm

NEW BUTTON QUILT KITS
Composed of small quilted wall hanging with 3 to 4 polymer clay buttons. Kits include fabric and buttons. $13.00 plus $1.00 shipping. Halloween Log Cabin -cat, candy corn, bats, pumpkin buttons Christmas Stars - mitten, candy cane, gingerbread man, Christmas present buttons

Winter Scene -3 snowmen, star, pine tree, candy cane buttons Spring Flowers -watering can with flowers and pansy buttons Busy Beehive with bees and sunflower button

ALL PATTERNS BELOW $6.75 PPD. HOLLY WREATH STARRY SNOWMAN WALL HANGING PAPER PIECED CHRISTMAS BLOCKS

HEARTLAND QUILTWORKS

Heartland Quiltworks asks:

Are you tired of basting your quilts?

Would you like a space friendly quilting frame?
Would you like to quilt and still be in the same room with your family?

Does quilting aggravate your neck and shoulders or bother your carpal tunnel syndrome?

Would your like to be able to put a quilt in the frame by yourself?

If your answer was yes to any of these questions--

The Heartland Quilting Frame Is the only frame you will ever need!

Call or write for more information Heartland Quiltworks 100 Cherry St. Cherokee, OK 73728 1-800-441-8112

http://planetpatchwork.com/tvqmain/<http://www.heartlandquiltworks.com%20<

MOTHER HEN'S QUILT EMBROIDERIES

Quick, easy, machine embroidered quilt blocks to embellish vests and jackets, towels, pillows, wallhangings or create a quilt. Come and visit Mother Hen's Quilt Embroideries and view the goodies! http://www.accn.org/~lildozer

Fabric Loft of New England

Home of the wide width fabrics. Specializing in one piece quilt backings. All fabrics are 90" to 120" wide.

Imagine no more seams on the back of your quilt! End the frustration of piecing your quilt back.

We strive to carry the largest variety of colors and prints (40+ in stock) at discount prices. Fabrics are name brand and top quality. All quilt backings are 100% cotton.

Come and visit our website. Many new ones just added! http://www.fabricloft.com/

Secure online ordering. Samples available

CHECK OUT AND COMPARE OUR LOW PRICES WHERE YOUR MONEY BUYS MORE FABRIC FOR LESS!

Old-Fashioned Quilt Frames

Thomas and Annie Kaczmarek offer easy-to-assemble old-fashioned quilt frames with a variety of features. Style #1 has 3 tilt positions. They're 93 inches long and 24 inches wide. Only $135.00 INCLUDING shipping and handling. A smaller version, 58 inches long, is $100.00 including s&h.

New! Style #2 is 108" x 31.5" with a working area of 102" x 24". It breaks down to a smaller frame when needed, 54" x 31.5", and for storage it breaks down to 5'. It has muslin on poles to baste the quilt on to roll in position for quilting, with 3 tilt positions. Made of good quality wood. $160.00 includes S&H.

Send check or money order along with your order (USA only) to:

Annie Kaczmarek
609 Hunting Ridge Rd.
Wilmington, N.C. 28412

For more information you can call Annie at (910) 791-5904 or e-mail her at tmankacz@wilmington.net

BREAKING TRADITIONS

Cathedral Windows Quick Method Quilt

This book will instruct even the novice sewer how to create an heirloom quality quilt, entirely by sewing machine, in a fraction of the time it would take to sew by hand. Full color cover, clear concise illustrations, yardage charts and many tips.

The possibilities are endless!

$8.95 per book plus $1.95 s&h
Please make check payable to 'Kimberly Nappier' and mail to: Kimberly Nappier
6827 Sparkman St. Dept. tvq
Tampa, FL 33616
E-mail inquiries to: Bountipres@aol.com

Greenhaven Enterprises

Greenhaven, a bed and breakfast retreat especially for Quilters, on the Olympic Peninsula.

Visit Washington State and stay with a quilter, and her cat Oliver.

The Herbolds live just outside of Sunny Sequim. Their home, set in the tall trees, is warm, pleasant, and affordable.

Norma can direct you to quilt shops in the area, plus the natural wonders located on the Olympic Peninsula. For those in the Northwest, Norma can also plan a personal retreat for you and your quilting friends.

You are invited to visit the website for Greenhaven, where you can check out Norma's quilts, learn more about Sequim, and of course, see Oliver. The address is: http://www.olypen.com/normah

You may email Norma at normah@olypen.com or call 360-681-0364 for more information.

MY FAVORITE THIMBLE

My Favorite Thimble is so glad that the Fall Quilting Season is upon us. It's time to start a new project or finish one that you began earlier in the year. Make your quilting much easier with My Favorite Thimble. Also, we will soon be introducing our new line of note cards called FABRICNOTES. These handmade cards feature swatches of beautiful fabrics. They're the perfect card to send to your quilting friends. Just $8.00 for a pack of 6 cards including matching envelopes.

Visit our web site at http://www.myfavoritethimble.com/ and receive a FREE FABRIC gift with your order. This season's fabric is six 6" squares of Swedish fabrics that we picked up during a recent trip to Europe. This offer is being made only to TVQ subscribers, so be sure to mention TVQ in the Special Instructions box on our Order Form.

Hello Canadian quilters! We still ship free to Canada as well as the USA. Canadian and other foreign quilters can now also get Currency Exchange information from our site. The Order Form has a handy link that you will want to bookmark.

Chris Hanner & Company 3687 Coldwater Lane Snellville, GA 30039

Email: mailto:hanner@mindspring.com

THE CRAFT CONNECTION

The Craft Connection ( http://www.craftconn.com/ ) is the most exciting place on the Internet if you want to make or sell handcrafts. We sell quality cotton fabric, Mettler and Sulky thread, and quilting notions, all at a discount. Fabrics are linked to coordinating fabrics, so you know your choices will look great together. We try to find fabrics you won't see anywhere else. And we'll package them into packets of fat eighths, fat quarters, or 5" squares, so you can get a good variety without a big cash outlay. Among our fabric categories are florals, pictorials, and guy stuff, and you should see the new Lost Fabrics of Atlantis collection.

Every month some items are for sale at 20 percent off our already discounted prices. You can use your credit card online on our secure server to safely purchase our fabrics and also our crafters' products. If you're a crafter, you can sell here and take credit cards without having your own credit card vendor account.

Check out our Free Stuff. Each month we offer a new pattern and a new lesson. We also have a Calendar of upcoming Quilt Shows. Come by our website at http://www.craftconn.com/.

THE QUILT BLOCK

We are a cottage industry located just outside of Yosemite National Park. We specialize in clothing and patterns for quilters and for people who love quilts.

We offer t-shirts and sweatshirts in sizes from medium to xxx-large. All of our quilts are machine pieced. Most of our patterns are easy enough for beginning quilters. Come see what we have to offer at our website. We have a great sale page, and we now offer secure online shopping!

http://www.sierratel.com/thequiltblock/salepage1.htm

Or e-mail for more information to
mailto:gastinc@sierratel.com

The Quilt Block
P.O. Box 127
Midpines, CA 95345

(209) 742-5418
Fax: (209) 742-7662

SILVER DOLLAR SHEEP STATION

What is small, soft, and furry and kind to your sewing machine and serger?

The MINI DUST-IT! Genuine sheepskin duster on a 6" stick that is perfect for picking up dust and lint from your sewing machine and serger. Soft, beautiful sheepskin won't scratch polished surfaces. Picks up the lint and tiny threads; doesn't spread them around. Prevents lint build-up. Fun and handy to use. Also works great on the computer.

ANNOUNCING: New colors -- white, black, navy, gold, cocoa, taupe,teal blue, gray, charcoal.
Price: $3.50 each INCLUDING mailing.

To order send check to:

Silver Dollar Sheep Station 5020 Winding Way Sacramento, CA 95841. Or call 800-887-8742. Or E-mail: :Sheep50@aol.com

SECONDS: Because we manufacture the Mini Dust-it to a very high standard, we currently have a good supply of imperfects. They may be thinner and not as pretty or have some other defect, but they still work great!

And best of all we offer these to you for just $1, INCLUDING postage. HOWEVER, minimum order is three (no maximum). You can order them at the address above and enjoy this wonderful product at a bargain price! These will make wonderful stocking stuffers and you can request red and green labels for the season.

PINETREE QUILTWORKS, Ltd.

http://www.quiltworks.com/

PineTree Quiltworks is settling comfortably into its new site and now frequently updates the "What's New" link (so you can check on *new stuff* there. The menu in the fabrics department also lists update dates for your convenience!. Shopping Cart enables you to add items to your basket with a click!

Recent, exciting arrivals include Shalimar II from Northcott, Victoria Falls from RJR, *more* Fossil Fern colors, *more* prints and batiks from Hoffman, new lines from Moda, and more, more, more! Coming soon ... Kaffe Fassett's yarn-dyed fabrics! Fassett's new book, Patchwork and Quilting, Book #1, is now in stock! Please stop by PineTree's new store at http://www.quiltworks.com/ , and don't forget to make a bookmark!

SCHOOLHOUSE ENTERPRISES

Amazing but true!

Gridded Geese(c) is a unique paper foundation method for mass-producing Flying Geese units up to 24 at once (no kidding!). Schoolhouse Enterprises, inventors and manufacturers of this revolutionary product, offers both a printed version of their catalog, and an on-line ( http://www.planetpatchwork.com/store/index.cfm?DID=21 ) shopping cart service in conjunction with Planet Patchwork. You can safely order online through Planet Patchwork's secure server with your credit card!

The folks at Schoolhouse Enterprises and Planet Patchwork search for items for quilters (and friends of quilters) which are unique and often overlooked by other catalogs you might connect with. Check out their on-line catalog, which offers such interesting items as Photos-to-Fabric(tm) photo transfer paper, Ott Lights, beautiful embossed note cards, kaleidoscope pendants, and much more! And while you're visiting, be sure to check out the current Monthly $pecial!!

Schoolhouse carries the complete line of Electric Quilt products, including EQ4 design software, and Sew Precise! and Sew Precise with Shirley Liby. We also carry the popular Quilt-Pro program. We offer some of the best prices on quilt design software you'll find anywhere. EQ4 is only $86.88 and Quilt-Pro is an unbelievable $76.88 We also offer some great package deals for even bigger savings.

If you're having trouble deciding which program is best for you, call our toll-free Quilt Software Hotline at 877-558-3660.

We also offer a large selection of Merry Mayhem's Mystery Quilts. If you missed any of the Cases which were previously online, you'll find them here!

If you're not able to access the web page, just e-mail Schoolhouse Enterprises (mailto:cluesew@jerseycape.com) with your "snail mail" (post office) address for your FREE CATALOG and Sample of Gridded Geese(c)! (Sorry, but Samples are only available in the printed catalogs.)

PERFECT SQUARE

PERFECT SQUARE and PERFECT TRIANGLE are tools that help quilters make quiltpieces more easily and accurately. Patterns have been written especially for PERFECT SQUARE and the necessary sheets to make the quilt are included in the pattern.

The PERFECT SQUARE website has been updated to include information on all products and patterns complete with pictures. Credit cards are accepted.

Also included are pictures of Monica's art quilts and links to really cool quilt sites.

http://www.webworldinc.com/perfectsquare for details.

PCQuilt for Windows

PCQuilt for Windows is easy to learn and easy to use quilting software. The block and the quilt are on the same screen so you can see your quilt emerge as you design and color your blocks. Combine blocks in a variety of ways to see endless new designs. The program includes all the features that have always made PCQuilt easy and fun to use. Now with the new Windows version, PCQuilt will help you estimate your yardage, print templates, quilts and blocks, and has a friendly Windows interface with easy to use toolbars. PCQuilt comes with a extensive library of blocks, border, quilts, palettes and fabric patterns. PCQuilt is also available for the Macintosh. Look for PCQuilt at your local Husqvarna VIKING Dealer or visit our website at http://www.pcquilt.com/ .

Nina Antze
7061 Lynch Road
Sebastopol, CA 95472
707- 823-8494
1-800-731-8886

ADVERTISING WITH TVQ.

Our advertisers, both here in the newsletter and at the Planet Patchwork website, have found TVQ to be an effective and economical way to reach thousands of online quilters. Ads in the newsletter are only $5 each (up to 100 words, inquire about longer ads) or 3 for $10, and there are also attractive packages available which combine newsletter and website ads. For more information e-mail rholland@planetpatchwork.com or visit http://www.planetpatchwork.com/adcard.htm. We specialize in helping small quilting-related businesses gain exposure on the internet.

In This Issue:

Following is a list of the rest of the stories in this issue of TVQ. In order to read them, you must be a subscriber. Subscribing online here and following up with the small subscription fee will entitle you to eight issues of TVQ, including this one. You will receive TVQ every six weeks by e-mail, and will be issued a password to access it here at Planet Patchwork.

Subscribers: Please report any password problems to Rob Holland. Be sure to include your name & e-mail address. We will try to resolve all password problems within 24 hours. Thank you!

And here's what's inside!

• Quilt Show Review: East Cobb County (Georgia) Quilters' Guild

"Georgia Celebrates Quilts" is the theme of this year's gigantic Cobb County Show. Lynn Holland visits the quilts and the vendors.

• Quilt Shop Review: New England and Kentucky

Patricia Littlefield visits two great shops in New England, including Keepsake, the "Mother Church" of quilt stores. Lynn Holland reviews a great store in Lexington, Kentucky.

• The Traveling Non-Quilter: The American Craft Museum

Christopher Holland hasn't ever laid hands on a quilting needle, but he knows great quilts when he sees them. Tour the American Craft Museum in New York City with him.

• Quilter Profile: Alex Anderson

Quilt book author, teacher, and Simply Quilts host Alex Anderson talks about what inspires her and how she finds time for quilting in her hectic schedule.

COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, NEWS, IDEAS, BRICKBATS?

Like any news publication, TVQ is always hungry for information about new developments in the area we are trying to cover. If you have an idea for a story, or want to tell the world about something you are doing which relates to computers and quilting, we'd like to hear about it.

We'd like news of new classes starting up to teach quilt design on computers, or new approaches to that teaching. New products, maillists, World Wide Web pages, etc., are all fair game, and we'd appreciate any tips you can provide. Send your tips by e-mail to rholland@planetpatchwork.com.

If you have a comment about an article, a complaint or a correction, we're glad to hear that, too, and may publish some comments as letters to the editor. Again, these may be sent to rholland@planetpatchwork.com.

SUBSCRIBE TO TVQ!

If you would like to see the rest of this newsletter here, and have it appear in your e-mail about every 6 weeks for the next year, all it requires is a small contribution of $5.00!

That buys you 8 issues (including this one) of news and in-depth features. We are now also offering a two-year subscription option, 16 issues for $9.00.

In upcoming issues you will find more in-depth reviews of quilt design software, more profiles of quilters, as well as profiles of online quilting communities. These features will be interspersed with news of developments in the quickly changing and expanding world of online quilting.

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