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Catherine Castle

~ Romance for the Ages

Catherine Castle

Tag Archives: Author Catherine Castle quilting blog

The Writer’s Block–Quilts and More with Author Deanna Klingel

16 Monday Nov 2015

Posted by Catherine Castle in Quilts, The Writer's Block--Quilts and More

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Author Catherine Castle quilting blog, Grandma's quilts, Sunbonnet Sue Quilt, The Writer's Block Quilts and More with Author Deanna Klingel

Just the Way Grandma Taught me

 

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I was very young when my grandma let me sew with her. I was always playing in her button box anyway, so it was probably inevitable. Grandma did all kinds of fancy work. She crocheted ruffled doilies and bedspreads, she embroidered sheets and pillowcases, she hooked rugs and she made quilts. Granddad cut her templates out of tin. She taught me to make tiny stitches in straight lines. She, and my mom, showed me how to embroider and make doll clothes. And naturally, my dolls needed quilts. I can’t sew anything without thinking of my mom and my grandma.

Over the years, many moves, many children, I have fond memories of women who have been part of my life, women I met with to sew and knit and quilt. I’ve worked on group quilts that were raffled for charities, and I’ve created very personal quilts. I’ve made some other fun things, wall hangings, doll quilts, jackets, pillow tops, all quilted just the way Grandma taught me.

I don’t have any of my grandma’s quilts. But I did find the raggedy ruin of my Sunbonnet Baby crib quilt that she made for me when I was a baby. It was my treasure for many years. I found it in my mom’s cedar chest; I brought it home. Don’t be horrified when I tell you that I cut it up. There were a few “good” sunbonnets that I cut out and had framed to hang in the bunk room where my grandchildren visit. I tell them, your great-great grandma made these for us.

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My next quilt, which I hope I can tackle this winter, is a valor quilt. I purchased everything last January with every intention. I haven’t started it yet. Starting is the hardest part for me. I don’t enjoy the math and the cutting. I love to quilt.

 

Deanna Klingel FR6About the Author:

Quilter/author Deanna Klingel has loved quilts since she was tucked into her crib under the Sunbonnet baby quilt her grandma made for her. Her first quilts she made for her dolls. The love, the skill and the complexity grew up with her. Even as a girl she took her work seriously, quilting, sewing, knitting and writing. Deanna writes primarily historical fiction for young audiences, but also has Pre K picture books and teen novels. You can find her website at booksbydeanna.com. She also has an author page on facebook.

 

 

 

 

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The Writer’s Block–Quilts and More with Author Cathe Swanson

09 Monday Nov 2015

Posted by Catherine Castle in Quilts, The Writer's Block--Quilts and More

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Author Catherine Castle quilting blog, Baby Quiilting Bee, Bride's Quilting Bee, quilt blog, Quilting Bee, Quilting Bee fresh substitute for the Bridal Shower, sewing, The Writer's Block Quilts and More with Author Cathe Swanson, wall quilts

The New-Fashioned Quilt Bee

by Cathe Swanson

 

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It’s a great time to be a quilter. There are new fabrics and tools every season. The online resources are innumerable. It’s trendy. Tens of thousands of women are sewing quilts and quilted items: bed quilts, baby quilts, table runners, wall quilts and accessories. Textile artists use cotton fabrics to create amazing wall hangings. Interest in sewing and quiltmaking has never been higher.

jb4I appreciate all of that, but I have to admit that I’m old-fashioned in my attitudes about quilting. My favorite quilts are made of scrap fabrics in traditional patterns. My favorite quilts have significance beyond than their aesthetic appeal. My favorite quilts have stories. Quilting is essentially relational. Often, it’s an act of service or a gift, especially when done as a group activity. It’s the perfect venue for social interaction; while the hands and eyes are occupied, the ears and hearts are open.

missy1I started teaching workshops, retreats and classes in 1992, and I loved teaching, but I gradually came to realize that I wanted to use quiltmaking as a ministry. My real joy is in directing events for women, especially in family or church groups. Separated by busy lives and distance, many of us seldom have the opportunity to really visit with our mothers, sisters, aunts, cousins, grandmothers, nieces, and old friends. We meet in passing at weddings and funerals, but we don’t know each other well. So I created a new kind of quilting bee.

The most popular quilting bee is for the bride. It is a fresh substitute for the traditional bridal shower. Instead of spatulas and pillowcases, the bride receives a queen-size heirloom quilt, created by the women of her family on one never-to-be-forgotten day of sharing.

bee7The quilting bee starts at 9:00, with everyone assigned to work stations according to their skills. Even young girls or people who don’t know how to sew are important participants, picking out seams, pressing, lining up pieces of fabric to be sewn and helping with other small but necessary tasks. Luncheon is served at noon, followed by a devotional message, and then the sewing starts again. It’s exciting to see the quilt start coming together. By 5:00, the quilt top is completed.

jillbee14 Some brides make scrapbooks of the event, with bits of fabric and precious multigenerational photographs. The best part of the quilt is the label on the back, declaring that it was made for the bride by the women of her family, signed by each of the women present. The quilting bee hostess usually has the top professionally machine quilted and displayed behind the gift table at the wedding reception.

At Baby Bees, we make two crib quilts, and one is donated to mother’s favorite charity. There are quilting bees for retiring pastors or teachers, for family members who are moving away or for people who have lost everything in fires or other disasters.

missy9Quilting bees aren’t just about making a quilt. They are about friends, family and love. Real quilts are about relationships.

 

About the Author:

Quilter/writer Cathe Swanson has loved quilts since 1986, but she didn’t develop a pCatherine Timmons of GloryQuiltsassion for quiltmaking until 1992, when she started teaching and leading workshops. She enjoys designing patterns, being creative and making fine quilts, but her real enthusiasm is in using quiltmaking for ministry and building relationships, especially within families. She writes romantic suspense and contemporary fiction from a Christian worldview, featuring interesting characters of all ages and backgrounds, often in eccentric communities and locations. You will find quilts and quilters in the pages. Check out her website – http://www.gloryquilts.com – to learn more about Cathe and what she does!

 

The Writer’s Block–Quilts and More With Author Cathy Elliott

28 Monday Sep 2015

Posted by Catherine Castle in Guest Authors, Quilts, The Writer's Block--Quilts and More

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

A Stitch in Crime, Author Catherine Castle quilting blog, Cathy Elliott, Hand-stitched with prayer, healing through Quilting, Quilt Therapy

 Quilt Therapy

by Cathy Elliott

 

Next to writing, quilting is my favorite pastime. I love plotting out the design, gathering the perfect fabric, and the actual seat-in-chair experience of sewing up a masterpiece. When it’s done, a quilt offers comfort, warmth, beauty, and even tells a story. Like writing, I find time spent quilting to be time that results in healing.

Recently, a friend of mine showed me a quilt she’d hand-quilted over many months. She called the project her “Quilt Therapy.” Before she started the quilt, she struggled with a family member over something on which they could not agree. She believed she was in the right, but knew her attitude was wrong. So, she decided to pray about it and actively seek healing for their relationship. Through quilting.

Therapy Quilt Close Up

My friend took time to pray about the fabrics and the pattern for the quilt she would make. After cutting it out, she pieced the blocks together on her sewing machine, praying as she went. And not just any type of prayer, but prayers for the one with whom she disagreed. Soon, she started hand-quilting the top to the quilt back, praying all the while. As she worked the needle back and forth through the soft batting, the prayers soothed her spirit.

By the time she finished her quilt, God had changed her heart and stitched the torn relationship back together into something beautiful. More lovely than the quilt!

So many times I have experienced healing through the craft of writing. I know it works. Now, after seeing my friend’s stunning quilt, hand-stitched with prayer, I know that works, too. I wonder how many problems could be solved with only a bit of quilting therapy?

 

Cathy Head Shot.5.24.14About the Author:

 Quilter/writer Cathy Elliott has loved quilts since she visited her grandmother and found herself covered by so many heavy coverlets she couldn’t turn over in bed. If one quilt was cozy, why not three?

According to Cathy, quilts are in a special class of their own: artistic endeavors, things of beauty, utilitarian, legacy-worthy, and so diverse one can never see all the patterns. They keep hands busy and as the blog post says, hearts healed. Quilters are the most wonderful people, too. They’ll share their last fat quarter if there is a need.

But when she’s not quilting, Cathy writes sweet, cozy mysteries. The newest release, A Stitch in Crime, features a special heirloom quilt known to carry the secret to great riches. Find out more about Cathy & her books at: www.cathyelliottbooks.com

 

 

The Writer’s Block—Quilts and More

31 Monday Aug 2015

Posted by Catherine Castle in Quilts, The Writer's Block--Quilts and More

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Author Catherine Castle quilting blog, new blog series, quilting blog, stories about quilts, The Writer's Block--Quilts and More introduction, writers who love quilts

The Writer’s Block—Quilts and More!

A New Blog Series beginning Sept 7

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I love quilts. Next to my garden, quilts are my favorite thing to make, see, and photograph.

Just like gardens have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, so have quilts. I have many memories of my mother hand-stitching patchwork quilts together and then quilting them on her sewing machine. She made me and my sisters quilts to take to church camp, quilts for our beds, and quilts as she gave away as gifts. I even have a stash of her partially sewn quilts that I hope to one day finish. However, if you know me, I also am a procrastinator, so only the good Lord knows when that will happen. Hence my overflowing stash of UFOs (unfinished objects)

Beginning next Monday, I will have a new blog series featuring writers who quilt, love quilts, or write about quilts in any fashion. We will have posts about the quilts the guest writers have made, quilts they’ve seen, their quilt stories, quilt inspirations, quilt bloopers (if they’re willing to share), and of course pictures of quilts.

If you love quilts, I hope you’ll come along with me and my guest authors as we explore all things quilting, in A Writer’s Block—Quilts and More.

 

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