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Special Offer: A Perfect Holiday Pairing!

Great news for folks who love to read about quilts and quilting! Quiltfolk — my absolutely favorite magazine — is offering a special holiday deal featuring their beautiful magazine and my novels.

If you’re not familiar with Quiltfolk, it’s high time you were! For those of us who love quilts and quilt stories (not to mention beautiful photography), Quiltfolk is the magazine we’ve been waiting for–and it’s ad-free! Each issue takes you on a trip to a new state to meet amazing quilters and see their quilts. You’ll see some familiar faces in Quiltfolk‘s profiles, but you’ll also meet quilters who are a lot like the rest of us–not famous, maybe, but passionate, creative and in love with quiltmaking.

So you can imagine how thrilled I was when Quiltfolk got in touch and asked if I’d like to feature Birds in the Air and Margaret Goes Modern in their holiday promotion!

Here’s what Quiltfolk has to say about its Book Pairing of the Week, which runs every Friday through Dec. 14. “Every Friday during the holiday season, we offer a new and exciting special. We feature a different issue of Quiltfolk and pair it with a book that perfectly complements it. You can purchase either product at a discount ― or both together at a very special price. Stay tuned each week as pairings change!”

To visit Quiltfolk, follow this link or click on the image to the right: https://www.quiltfolk.com/perfect-pair/

Quiltfiction.com is the place for quilters who love to read, and especially love quilt stories. Whether you’re in the mood for a short story or making a list for your next library trip, you’ll find everything you need right here: original fiction, book lists and interviews with your favorite authors. Have your own story to tell? We’ll keep you posted on upcoming writing contests. Stay current by signing up for the QuiltFiction newsletter!

Notes: Friendship Album, 1933: Episode 19

For the record, I have a very nice mother. She’s a quilter and a reader and is always pleasant to be around. I love my mother very much.

My mom, back in the 1970s, when we all were young.

Why mention this? Because in Friendship Album, 1933, mothers are a mixed bag. Bess’s mother is a shallow and mildly irritating, and Florence implies in an early chapter that she and her mother didn’t always see eye-to-eye. Emmeline never really knew her mother, and in this week’s episode, she’s starting to realize how she’s never fully recovered from that loss.

Speaking of mothers, in this episode we very briefly meet Dorothy’s mother! It just occurred to me that all sorts of members of Dorothy’s extended family show up in our story–her sister, Ruth, her nieces Lucy and Lettie, and now her mother, Martina. Dorothy, like Eula, learned to quilt from her mother (another thing they have in common!). Did Emmeline’s mother quilt? I don’t know. Something to think about!

Who are some famous mother-daughter quilting duos? The first one that comes to mind is Marianne and Mary Fons. Then there’s Sue and Ashley Nickels, Sharon Schamber and Cristy Fincher, Bonnie Olaveson and Camille Roskelley, Pam and Nicky Lintott, Jean and Valori Wells…

… are there any others you can think of?

Some mother-daughter quilting links:

Sue and Ashley Nickels

Mary and Marianne Fons

Jean and Valori Wells

Pam and Nicky Lintott

Here’s a fun Alex Anderson video on mother-daughter quilters you might enjoy: https://www.hgtv.com/videos/mother-daughter-quilt-show-69782

 

Notes: Friendship Album, 1933: Episode 18

In Episode 18, Dorothy quarrels with Emmeline, only to regret her sharp words.

If I were to pair up characters from Friendship Album, 1933 in terms of personality, I would put Bess with Florence and Dorothy with Eula. Bess and Florence are both fresh and funny (I’ve noticed as I’ve read through the manuscript that Bess is often making flip remarks at meetings, and Florence often takes Emmeline to task in a saucy sort of way), and Dorothy and Eula are down to earth, almost always privileging kindness over self-satisfaction. While Dorothy and Bess are close, it’s a closeness born of working together, understanding each others rhythms, and having some insights into each others family lives. Dorothy and Eula have similar natures–they interpret things in similar ways, have similar responses to events, etc.

That of course leaves poor Emmeline–you heard me, poor Emmeline!–out in the cold, alone. Yes, she and Florence are both from the same social class, but let us not forget that Emmeline wasn’t born wealthy; she married her money (although I do believe she also married for love–we don’t see Emmeline and Thomas together very often, but when we do, there seems to be a good deal of affection between them). Emmeline is comfortable in high society, but I believe the shadow of her former shop girl self is always on hand. We’ll see this more in the next chapter, but it definitely surfaces in Chapter 29.

It’s safe to say that Emmeline and Dorothy are not close, even as they’ve grown more comfortable with each other over the last few months. I’m not sure Dorothy knows what to do with Emmeline, and maybe she doesn’t know enough about Emmeline’s past to know how to take Emmeline. But in Chapter 29, after an uncharacteristic fit of temper, I think Dorothy starts to see that Emmeline is more vulnerable that she lets on.

* * *

My Crown of Thorns quilt is almost done, and I can’t help but think Dorothy’s would be much nicer than mine–and that her church friends would have done a better job of quilting her quilt than I’ve done. I’m not sure how I ended up with a king-sized quilt, and I’m not sure what sort of lunatic would quilt such a quilt on her home machine, but apparently that’s the kind of lunatic I am! It’s been hard work (even though it’s the most basic straight-line quilting ever), but I’ve learned some good lessons in the process. Biggest lesson? Make smaller quilts! I promise that next one is going to be lap-sized, and I can’t wait!

I titled this photo file “The Happy Quilter.” I was being facetious.

In other news, I’m on a sourdough kick! My first loaves were failures, but I’m getting better. I leave you with a picture of my latest loaf, with which I am well pleased. If you want the recipe, you’ll find it here.

See you next week!

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A 1930s Halloween

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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 trick-or-treaters; that’s because all the photos I came across were way too creepy. We can complain about the Disneyfication of America all we want, but in some cases, maybe it’s for the best.

Of course, even Disney could be a little creepy back in the day (Hello, Mickey!):

Trick-or-treating wasn’t really a thing until the late 1920s and didn’t truly take off until after WWII. Up until the ’20s, Halloween was a night for parades, pranks, and mischief and, increasingly, vandalism and violence. In fact, some cultural historians theorize that the custom trick-or-treating was encouraged in hopes keeping kids in their neighborhoods would reduce rowdy downtown gatherings.

1930s Halloween decorations featured a plethora of witches and owls, and the orange-black-green color motif is very much in play. Again, there is a creepiness factor that has largely been erased from our friendlier, contemporary decor.

So what about quilts? Well, I looked around and only found one 1930s Halloween-themed quilt, a whole cloth quilt made from, yes, creepy fabric. Sorry for the poor quality of the photo:

The quilt below–one of my finishes from Summer 2018–isn’t a Halloween quilt, but it’s based on a pattern (Melon Patch) that was popular in the 1930s and it’s black and orange, and that will have to do. Happy Halloween, everyone!

 

 

 

 

Notes: Friendship Album, 1933: Episode 17

In Episode 17, Florence’s new business is booming, and Emmeline seems intent on playing matchmaker, much to her sister-in-law’s dismay.

At last the Milton Falls Quilting Catalog is being mailed. Florence is shocked by the huge response to her ads in various needlework magazines, but Arthur isn’t. For the price of a penny postcard, a woman can get a catalog to dream over as she drinks her morning coffee. Maybe one day she’ll even make an order!

One of my favorite parts about building Florence’s business in Friendship Album, 1933, is researching catalogs from this time period. The best resource is the Quilt Index. Not only do you see all the wonderful catalog covers, but you can also flip around inside!

To access the listing of catalogs from 1930 to 1940, pop over here and have yourself a look around. If you want to peek inside of the catalog, click on the link for the full record at the bottom of the listing.

The listing looks like this:

Inside, you’ll find such delights as this (I wish that black mark wasn’t there–it looks like it’s from where the cover of the catalog was torn):

And this:

Sort of makes you want to make a Lone Star, now doesn’t it?

Some more catalog covers, for your viewing pleasure.

 

Thanks so much for listening to the Quiltfiction Podcast! If you’re enjoying it, please consider leaving a review on iTunes, and please be sure to tell your friends about it!

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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 back at the beginning of August …

I love that vibrant red-orange, don’t you? But I wanted something softer for Dorothy’s quilt, something that felt a bit more appropriate to the times, so pink it was.

I tried different sized blocks, finally settling on a 10″ finished.

Slowly, the top began to grow …

And it grew and it grew. But without the borders, it didn’t seem like it would be that big. Sure, it took up a lot of space when I laid the blocks out on the carpet …

But it seemed a manageable size before the borders were added:

The addition of the borders gave me pause. When the top was completed, it measured 90″ by 100″. In other words, big!

It took me many hours to piece a back, and then more hours to baste. But at last, the quilt is ready to be quilted. Wish me luck!

Notes: Friendship Album, 1933: Episode 16

In Episode 16, Father Mayfield makes an offer Bess may not be able to refuse.

(LOC photo; it doesn’t really have anything to do with this episode, but I like it)

As I’ve said before, what you’re hearing on the podcast is a first draft of Friendship Album, 1933. I’m a few chapters ahead of you, but not many (this week’s episode covers Chapter 27; I’ve just finished writing Chapter 33). So what happens next in the story is almost as much of a surprise to me as it is to anyone else. I have no planned outcomes, no outline. I have an idea or two, don’t get me wrong, but just today I was writing about Dorothy when a thought popped into my head that totally took me by surprise. If I go through with it, it will definitely change things for Dorothy, for better and for worse.

When I finish up with this cycle of chapters, I will be at the end of Part 2. Although I suspect there will be at least fifteen chapters in Part 3 (the novel’s final part), which means a lot more chapters for me to write before I’m done, I’m already thinking about revisions. When I rewrite Friendship Album, 1933, I’d like to get even more in there about the quilting business during the Great Depression–so many interesting things were going on! Right now I’m winging it a bit when it comes to Milton Falls Quilting Company, and I’d like to be more authoritative when it comes to starting up businesses in the 1930s. I’d also like to know more about textile manufacturing.

Just today I started looking at two books to learn more about fabric manufacturing. Barbara Brackman’s Making History: Quilts and Fabric from 1890 to 1970 is a book I have in my collection and read several years ago, and I don’t know why it only occurred to me just this morning that it might have helpful information that would aid me in making Florence’s business seem legit. Sure enough, I was able to find the names of several fabric manufacturers that Florence might have bought fabric wholesale from. Thanks, Barbara!

Another book I’m enjoying is called America’s Fabrics by Bendure Pfeiffer, published in 1946. It has histories of fabrics, from cottons and wools and linens to silks and rayons, how these fabrics are made and in some cases how you can make them yourself. My favorite chapter heading: Minor Vegetable Fibers (these would include hemp, jute, ramie, kapok, sisal and coir, in case you were wondering). Very interesting stuff!

 

A final, quick note a little (but not entirely) unrelated to the podcast: I was recently interviewed for the Just Wanna Quilt podcast. If you’re interested in hearing my thoughts about writing, quilting and the creative process, give it a listen! https://www.justwannaquilt.com/podcast

 

Notes: Friendship Album, 1933: Episode 15

In Episode 15, Eula considers how she might earn enough money to get her family back on the farm, and the bee members give updates on their Sears Contest quilts.

Forgive this rushed blog post, but thanks to Hurricane Michael we’re late getting this episode up. Just so you know, this week we have a Eula chapter, and as always Eula is thinking of ways to bring her family back together. She’s hard at work on an article for the second Milton Falls Quilting Company catalog, this one on quilting tips for new quilters, which causes her to reminisce about the quilting circles of her childhood. It’s always odd for me to remember that if Eula is in her early 50s in 1933, she was a child in the 1880s. That seems so long ago!

Thanks as always for listening. I hope to do a mid-week post this coming week, and I’ll be sure to include some interesting quilt pictures and maybe even a recipe!

Have a great week!

Notes: Friendship Album, 1933: Episode 14

In Episode 14, Emmeline imagines her life as a famous quilt columnist and plays matchmaker for Florence.

I’m aware that people have mixed feelings about her, but I love writing the Emmeline chapters. She’s self-centered, sure, but she’s not cruel, and occasionally she can see beyond her own concerns to try to help others. I find her comical most of the time, and no more so than in this chapter, which begins with Emmeline at the breakfast table with her children. As a mother of teenagers myself, I totally sympathize with Emmeline’s desire to make her daughter see her more as just a boring old mom. Good luck with that, honey.

In Episode 14, Emmeline decides to drive herself over to the mill; she finds she likes the feeling of power that driving a car gives her. While writing this chapter I did research on women and driving during the 1930s. Women did drive, despite the concerns that they weren’t mechanically apt enough to control a vehicle, and once they got behind the wheel they had little interest in relinquishing it. In the early days, you had to hand-crank your engine to start it, but by the twenties most cars utilized an electrical starter, so being strong enough to turn the crank was no longer an issue.

For those of you who have mixed feelings about Arthur Purefoy re-entering Florence’s life, hold onto your hats because in this episode we meet a new potential love interest (not that Florence sees it that way, but Emmeline sure does). I have absolutely no idea what’s going to happen. It’s possible that Florence will reject all potential suitors to live the life of a businesswoman. Stay tuned to find out!

Notes: Friendship Album, 1933: Episode 13

In Episode 13, Dorothy gets some much-needed alone time on her walk to work and comes up with a plan to lure Hannah back to Milton Falls.

Now that my children are older (19 and almost 16), I have plenty of alone time to dream, plan or simply hear myself think. But I remember those days with little ones, where a solo trip to the bathroom felt like a treat. So Dorothy’s decision to walk to work on the one morning a week she doesn’t take the children with her makes total sense to me. That twenty minutes can be quite therapeutic when the rest of your day is spent meeting the needs of others.

First Time Here?

If you haven't listened to the earlier episodes of Friendship Album, 1933, you should start from the beginning of the story!

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In this episode, we learn that Dorothy has given up her Cornucopia quilt for the time being and turned her attention to making a Crown of Thorns quilt to enter into the Sears contest. Are you familiar with the Crown of Thorns block? It’s simple, but striking. Here’s a sample block I made earlier in the summer:

What I’ve discovered in my perusal of Crown of Thorns quilts is that there are many variations on the theme. For instance, I found this antique (circa 1890) Crown of Thorns quilt on an auction website:

Here’s another one, circa 1875:

It’s not unusual to find a Crown of Thorns quilts cross-referenced as a New York Beauty. Other names include Rocky Mountain Road, Rail through the Mountains, Rising Sun and The Great Divide (this according to quilt historian Barbara Brackman). There are variations in the designs you’ll find under each of these names, but you can see the genetic similarities.

(I’m working on a Crown of Thorns quilt as we speak, which I’ll be sharing with you soon.)

Dorothy has something to confess about her quilt when she gets to the bee: she’s been using a sewing machine — a Singer 128 — to piece it. Scandalous!

We learn in Episode 13 that Dorothy’s son-in-law Jasper is working in a Chicago meatpacking factory. I went looking for pictures to post here that would give you an idea of life as a meatpacker, but most of them would spoil your breakfast. This is a picture of the cattle pens at the Union Stockyard, circa 1920, taken by William T. Barnum. If you want to read more, go here.

 

Personal Notes

I just finished a big project (a creative writing book for kids), which will free me up to do more work on this blog, maybe even allow me to go back to posting twice a week. I’ve got lots of recipes to share!

As you may or may not know, I make my living as a children’s book author, and I recently started an Instragram account called francesdowellbooks. Feel free to follow me! And if you have a young reader in your life, I just published a chapter book called Sam the Man and the Secret Detective Club Plan, perfect for readers ages 7-10. Learn about all my books at francesdowell.com