Visiting the Cutting Room

Genevia recently retired from Texas Trust Bank, and when they asked what she would like as a retirement gift, she had a fabulous idea. Rather than receive a piece of jewelry or other commemorative item, she asked that they fly her here to New Hampshire so she could visit our store! She has traveled plenty over the years, but had never made it here—and thought this was the perfect opportunity to do so. Texas Trust Bank not only flew her here, but were generous enough to include lodging and more!

Wow, look at all that fabric!

Genevia, Lee Ann and Terry’s visit started at the Keepsake Quilting shop, where they were amazed at our fabric selection and how much we keep in stock. Their visit continued at our distribution center, which houses our call center, catalog and web design, cutting room and more. They were impressed that we do everything within the company, within walking distance of each other! Then they went to our cutting room, where they spoke with employees and were surprised to learn that it is all done by hand and not animated or precut. They wrapped up their visit with lunch with our shop manager Deb, and had great conversation about quilting and how they hope to return to visit in the future.

Thanks so much for visiting ladies, we hope your trip was full of wonderful memories!

The recipe is from the out-of-print Keepsake Quilting™ Cookbook published as a charitable fund-raiser in 2001.

Snap the tough ends from the asparagus. Place the asparagus in a steamer basket over boiling water. Steam, covered, for 6 to 8 minutes or just until tender-crisp. Drain well and place the warm asparagus, green pepper, green onions and celery in a large container with a lid.

Pour the Paprika Dressing over the vegetables. Chill, covered, for 4 hours or longer. Drain and place on a serving platter. Garnish with pimento strips, or roasted red peppers as we did in our photo.

Yield: 6 servings

Paprika Dressing

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
3/4 cup vegetable oil

Combine the sugar, paprika, salt, garlic and vinegar in a small bowl and mix until the sugar dissolves. Add the oil in a fine stream, whisking until the mixture is well blended.

Laying out fabrics

On a recent afternoon, beginners, longtime quilters, and those who haven’t sewn for years gathered together in the Keepsake Quilting break room for “quilt school.” The first order of business was making sure we all knew how to achieve exact ¼” seam allowances on our machines. We were told that this would make our lives (quilting lives, anyway) so much easier. Next up was rotary-cutter safety and technique. Of course the girls who have worked in the cutting room needed no instruction in this regard and eagerly helped those who were new to the rotary cutter.

Stepping Stones in soft blues and pinks

At the end of the first class, just about everyone had a finished Stepping Stones block, and many were ready to work on Bow Tie, Snowball and Flying Geese blocks at home. It was such fun to see the blocks done in so many different fabrics, from sweet pastels to baby prints to batiks to reproduction prints. We can’t wait to see the different samplers that will be taking shape over the next few months.

Here are more images from our class. Click an image to view larger, and enjoy scrolling through the photos.

The recipe is from the out-of-print Keepsake Quilting™ Cookbook published as a charitable fund-raiser in 2001.

Tools for Beginner Quilters

45mm Rotary Cutter such as this Olfa Rotary Cutter. This size is best for cutting many layers and general quilting; smaller sizes are best for applique, smaller pieces, or cutting curves.

Cutting Mat an 18″ x 24″ is a good size to start, although many quilters prefer a larger board like our 36″ x 59″ Cutting Mat.

Acrylic Rulers similar to those shown. Especially a 6″ x 24″ or 6″x 12″, or a smaller 6.5″ x 6.5″ for cutting smaller pieces of fabric. Non slip rulers like our Creative Grids Non-Slip Rulers are very helpful!

Dressmaker scissors (7.5″) and small embroidery (4″)  or snipping scissors like our Karen Kay Buckley scissors. The larger scissor is helpful when cutting many layers of fabric, and smaller scissors are great for small, tight areas, applique and snipping threads. It’s best to have scissors that you will use just for fabric and thread, as paper and other materials will dull them faster.

Sewing Machine and Hand-Sewing Needles Our Roxanne needles come in both betweens and sharps. Betweens are usually for hand quilting, while sharps are for piecing or general sewing, although quilters often use one type that they prefer. The larger the number, the smaller the needle. Beginners tend to be more comfortable with a larger needle (smaller number).

Seam Ripper like our lighted, magnifying Mighty Bright Seam Ripper. Remember, even the most experienced quilters have to use the seam ripper!

Sharp, Fine Pins Our Thin Quilting Pins are great for machine and hand piecing. Our Quilters Pins are thick and strong, and great for pinning the top, batting and backing, and pinning binding in place.

A Pincushion or Pin Catcher like the Clover Pin ‘n Stow (shown at left) to store unused or extra pins, and easily pick up strays!

Cotton thread (machine/hand-sewing thread) in neutral colors (tan or light grey) like in our Aurifil Thread Collection.

Sharp pencil or marking tool Our 6 in 1 Marking Pencil has six colors for marking on all different colored fabrics!

Iron and ironing board You’ll want an iron that produces a consistent steam. A slightly heavier one is helpful when pressing fabrics. A smaller pad like our Travel Ironing Pad is very helpful for quilt class.

Masking tape or sticky note pads to mark your machine’s .25″ seam allowance. Our Perfect Piecing Seam Guide is a helpful way to mark a consistent seam.

Last, but not least…Fabric, fabric, fabric! There are so many options for cotton quilting fabric!

We’d love to know if you think our list is missing anything. Which tools did you find the most helpful when you were learning to quilt?

Make a humble meatloaf company-worthy by rolling and slicing it, showing layers of green spinach, red bell peppers and white mozzarella cheese.

The recipe is from the out-of-print Keepsake Quilting™ Cookbook published as a charitable fund-raiser in 2001.

Combine the ground beef, bread crumbs, egg whites, onion, celery, parsley, salt, pepper, vegetable juice, Worcestershire sauce and mustard in a bowl and mix well. Pat the mixture into a 10″ x 14″ rectangle on foil or waxed paper. Drain the spinach and squeeze to remove excess moisture. Spread the spinach over the ground beef rectangle. Sprinkle with the herb seasoning.

Slice the mozzarella cheese thinly and arrange over the spinach. Seed the roasted peppers and cut into slices. Arrange a layer of peppers over the cheese. Sprinkle with the garlic-herb seasoning. Roll up as for a jelly roll from the short end. Place seam side down in a nonstick baking pan. Tent loosely with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes longer or until the juices run clear. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.

Yield: 8 servings

The recipe is from the out-of-print Keepsake Quilting™ Cookbook published as a charitable fund-raiser in 2001.

Beat the cream cheese in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar gradually, beating constantly. Beat for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in the flour. Add the eggs and egg yolks and beat until smooth. Beat in the cream and vanilla. Chop the cookies to yield about 1-1/2 cups pieces. Pour half the cream cheese mixture into the Oreo Crust, sprinkle with the chopped cookies and add the remaining cream cheese mixture.

Place the springform pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 50 minutes. The edges should be set, and the center should jiggle slightly. Spread the Sour Cream Topping evenly over the cream cheese layer. Bake for 7 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and let stand until cooled to room temperature.

Refrigerate, covered, for several hours to 3 days. Loosen the cheesecake from the side of the pan and remove the side of the pan. Place on a serving plate. Garnish with whole Oreo cookies.

Yield: 10 to 12 servings

Oreo Crust

25 Oreo cookies
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Process the cookies in a food processor until crushed to about 2-1/2 cups crumbs. Add the melted butter and process until well mixed. Press evenly over the bottom and 2/3 of the way up the side of a 9- or 10-inch springform pan. Refrigerate while preparing the filling.

Sour Cream Topping

2 cups sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine the sour cream, sugar and vanilla in a small bowl and blend well.

The recipe is from the out-of-print Keepsake Quilting™ Cookbook published as a charitable fund-raiser in 2001.

 Drain the black beans, rinse and drain well. Place in a large bowl. Drain the corn and add to the beans. Seed the tomatoes and chop into small pieces. Add to the bowl. Peel and seed the avocado and chop into small pieces. Place the avocado in a small bowl, add the lime juice and mix gently to coat with the lime juice and prevent browning. Add the avocado with the lime juice to the bean mixture. Add the onion, cilantro, olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce to the bean mixture and mix gently. Refrigerate, covered, until serving time. Place the mixture in a serving bowl. Garnish with avocado slices dipped in lime or lemon juice. Serve with tortilla chips.

Yield: 18 – 20 servings

The recipe is from the out-of-print Keepsake Quilting™ Cookbook published as a charitable fund-raiser in 2001.

1-1/3 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine
2-2/3 cups rolled oats
1-1/3 cups shredded coconut

Grease an 8″ x 11″ baking pan and line with parchment paper. Combine the brown sugar and butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Heat until the margarine melts and the mixture is well blended, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat. Add the oats and coconut and mix well.

Press the mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes; watch carefully as the brown sugar may caramelize and burn very quickly. Cut into 2″ x 3″ bars while hot.

Yield: 16 servings

Pattern for the Holiday Casserole Carrier shown in photo available here.

Ramsey Wayne Ewing Memorial Quilt

Ramsey was born on 08/02/12 to Melissa and Bobby Ewing. He weighed 1lb. 15oz. and was 13 in. long. He was a very strong, beautiful boy and did remarkably well for his first two weeks. On Friday 08/17/12 he started showing signs of NEC (Necrotizing Enterocolitis), which is a bacterial infection in the intestines. On Saturday 08/18/12, he was transported to another hospital as he was not doing very well. By Sunday, a little after 2:00 in the afternoon, he died in his mother’s arms.

His mom is one of my closest friends. The day after, she told me that it was killing her to see all his clothes hanging in the closet, but she could not bear to get rid of all of them, so she went through his clothes and handpicked her favorites and boxed them up and sent them to me to use them to make a quilt.

His services were on 08/23/12, and when I got home from work on that day, the box was sitting at my door. It broke my heart to open the box and see all his little clothes. I decided that, since I lived too far away to be able to attend the services that evening, I would start the process of preparing the clothes.

If you want to read and learn more about NEC, Missy has started a facebook page called “Ramsey’s Story NEC Awareness and Find a Cure”. In her experience, Missy realized there was not much known about this condition, and she wanted to help raise awareness.

Carrie’s Quilt Directions:

1. I took the clothes and very carefully removed the seams. I wanted to save as much of the fabric as I could.
2. The next step was to decide how I wanted to lay it out. I decided I would do 6″ squares. There were cute little animals on the backs of some of the outfits, and some animal faces on the feet, so I cut these out. I did not have enough whole squares at 6″, so I also cut strips of 3¼” by 6″ and some at 2¼” by 6″ and pieced these to make the rest of the squares I needed. I tried to include as many details from the clothes as I could.
   One of the little jackets had two pockets, so I cut them in 3¼” by 6″ strips. I took the feet that I had saved from the sleepers, and I attached them to some of the solid 6″ squares.
3.  The next step was to use some kind of stabilizer. I chose a lightweight one. Doing some research, I also read that some people will use a spray adhesive and apply the pieces to flannel. I think the stabilizer is the easiest, and it is sold by the yard. I laid out about 9 blocks at a time, wrong side facing up, and put the stabilizer on top. I ironed it and made sure all my blocks were attached well. I then cut them out.
   
   I decided that I would embroider some of the blocks with his name and dates. I asked his mom what she would like one of them to say. I am just learning to embroider, so they are not perfect, but she told me how she wanted it to read.
   
4. Next was to sew all the blocks together. I started by sewing 7 blocks together to make 9 strips, then I sewed the strips together.
   
   I also decided to add a border. I cut 2½” strips from black flannel, thinking it would almost make it look like a picture frame.
   
5. The next step was to pick backing fabric and batting, and layer it together. I decided to tie mine and to use the backing by bringing it over to the top to form the binding.

It turned out to be a really soft and cozy quilt, and I am hoping it will bring my friend some comfort. I did this in a little over a week’s time. I wanted it to get back to her as soon as I could get it done.

I still have all the pieces I did not use in the quilt. I saved everything, so I am making Ramsey’s 3 brothers and sister pillows with his name on them. I am also making both sets of grandparents pillows also.

I had never been asked to do anything like this before! I have never even made a T-shirt quilt. I did not find it difficult to do, although working with the tiny clothing did take a little patience.

I can say it was a very emotional process; it breaks my heart to see the pain the family is in. I finished the quilt on 09/03/12, and sent it overnight to her. I did not want to take any chances in anything happening to the quilt; it could never be replaced. My friend loves it and sleeps with it at night, and I think it brings her some comfort. I think if I am ever asked again to do something similar, I definitely would, because it really is a special way to remember and to keep a loved one close.

If you want to read and learn more about NEC, Missy has started a facebook page called “Ramsey’s Story NEC Awareness and Find a Cure”.