Researching Halloween in the 1930s convinced me of one thing: I’m glad that I’m not celebrating Halloween in the 1930s. You’ll notice I don’t have any pictures here of 1930’s …
Diary of a Quilt in Progress: Dorothy’s Crown of Thorns
When did I start Dorothy’s Crown of Thorns quilt? Was it a hundred years ago? Two hundred years? Or was it sometime last summer? It started with this sample block …
1930s Food, or the Ever-Popular Gingersnap
When I started writing Friendship Album, 1933, I anticipated doing a lot of research on quilts made during that period, but what’s surprised me is how much time I’ve spent …
Double Windmill Quilt–Free Pattern!
Have I told you about the scrapbook I found on eBay a few years ago? It’s a collection of 1930s quilting columns by Nancy Page, Florence LaGanke, Alice Brooks and …
We Gather Together
July marks my book club’s sixteenth anniversary. Every month we gather in one of our homes, ostensibly to discuss a book, but also to chat, catch up, drink a glass …
Eula Baker’s Blue Ribbon Chocolate Cake
What was it like to live in the 1930s? To keep a home, make quilts, raise children, work, and worry? Friendship Album, 1933, the book I’m currently writing and reading …
Welcome to the Quiltfiction Podcast!
If you like quilting stories, then I’ve got some good news: The Quiltfiction Podcast is up and running! We’re going to begin with Friendship Album, 1933, a work of historical …
Quilting Hints – 1931 Edition
10 Important Hints for Making Perfect Quilts–1931 Edition One of the best things about writing a novel set in 1933 is that I get to do lots of research about …
The Keeping Quilt–For Reals!
My friend Chris emailed today to let me know she’d seen the real Keeping Quilt that inspired Patricia Palacco’s book of the same name (which I wrote about here). Even …
Quilts in Children’s Books, Part Two: The Underground Railroad Quilt Code
The Monkey Wrench turns the Wagon Wheel toward Canada on a Bear’s Paw trail to the Crossroads. Once they got to the Crossroads, they dug a Log Cabin on …