What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

 A young lady very dear to me is turning two! I marked the occasion with a big girl quilt.

Anne of Green Gables (72" x 72")

 I made this from a fat quarter bundle, a panel, and a few additions from stash. The panel had a double friendship star motif, so I replicated it in the quilt. (Kindred Spirits fabric line by Riley Blake)

Anne of Green Gables (detail)

I used some of the larger elements from the panel in a few of the centers. In others, I fussy cut quotes from the books from the fabrics and used those ...

 Quiltmakers put memories and dreams into their work. This story celebrates that creative element.

Warner, Sunny. The Moon Quilt. Houghton Mifflin, 2001.

Organized around the waxing and waning of the moon, this book tells the story of an old woman who puts her dreams and her everyday life into her quilts.

The Moon Quilt (illustration)

When she dreams of her old man, who was lost at sea, she adds the dream to a quilt she is making.

She gardens in the morning and stitches at night. When she plants pumpkins, they also go into the quilt . . .

The Moon Quilt (illustration ...

The Promise Quilt is a picture book set in Virginia during and just after the American Civil War. 

Ransom, Candice F. The Promise Quilt. Illustrated by Ellen Beier. Walker, 1999.

Addie's Papa promised: "When you are bigger, Addie, I'll take you to school on the other side of the ridge . . . You'll learn to read and write and make your mark in this life." But then the War came, and like so many others, Addie's father never returned home. A lady from Pennsylvania, where Papa had died in a hospital, sent the family his red flannel shirt ...

As I mentioned in a previous post, there is more than one children's book entitled The Dream Quilt. Today, I'm highlighting another.

Zerner, Amy and Jessie Spicer Zerner. The Dream Quilt. Tuttle, 1994.

This could be classified as a picture book for older readers. There is quite a lot of text, but the pictures form an integral part of the story rather than simply serving as illustrations. It would be a wonderful read-aloud at bedtime since it is divided into six sections each with its own story. The stories build upon one another, but they are satisfying on ...

 There is more than one book entitled, The Dream Quilt. After all, quilts and dreams do go together!

Ryan Celeste. The Dream Quilt. Illustrated by Mary Haverfield. Waterbrook, 1999. ISBN: 978-1578562237

This Christian picture book centers on the following Bible verse:

"You, O God, are strong.

And You, O Lord, are loving." (Psalm 62: 11-12)

Michael has nightmares. He wakes crying and his mother comforts him and tells him,"When I was little, I had scary dreams, too. Granny Rose would pray with me and cover me up with my special quilt. It made me feel so warn and safe ...

This is a book of historical fiction about a Mennonite family who left their Pennsylvania home during the US Civil War to emigrate to Canada.

Smucker, Barbara. Selina and the Bear Paw Quilt. Illustrated by Janet Wilson. Crown, 1995. ISBN: 978-0517709047

The book begins with an author's Introduction explaining the historical setting for the book. Pacifist Mennonites in the United States were believed disloyal by both the North and the South because they would not participate in the War. As a result, they were the victims of religious persecution and violence. Many Mennonite families left the US to settle ...

"Grandma had a million stories in that quilt." In this book featuring an autograph quilt, Sadie and her Grandma share the stories of their family.

Root, Phyllis. The Name Quilt. Illustrated by Margot Apple. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2003. ISBN: 9780374354848

Sadie loves visiting her Grandma for the summer. They go fishing, do chores, and drink lemonade. But one of the best things happens every night. As Grandma tucks Sadie into bed, she tells family stories about the people whose names are embroidered on the name quilt.

The Name Quilt

Sadie hears stories prompted by the names and fabrics. Sadie ...

"Patchwork lady talks in patchwork." This brief note, jotted down by the author, became the creative inspiration for her book. 

Whittington, Mary K. The Patchwork Lady. Illustrated by Jane Dyer. Harcourt, 1991.  ISBN: 978-0152595807

This book is full of patterns and colors. The Patchwork Lady goes through her day preparing for visitors, and all around her are items that, in the end, show up in a surprise quilt.

The Patchwork Lady's clothing is a bit eclectic (like mine!).

The softly colored watercolors by Jane Dyer are perfect with the text--they illustrate some words that children might not know, such ...

 Ruby is a children's picture book by Alison Lester, a writer and illustrator from Australia.

Lester, Alison. Ruby. Houghton, Mifflin, 1987. ISBN: 978-0395464779

Ruby's mother made her a patchwork quilt when Ruby was a baby. She loves it so much that she names it "Besty" because it is her best friend. In this book, Ruby's quilt helps her have the courage to face her fear--namely, the serpent she believes lives under her bed.

Ruby, Besty, and the serpent

Ruby and Besty fly away one night to an island where she saves the cubs of King Vidor ...

 This book's title, The Quilt-Block History of Pioneer Days: With Projects Kids Can Make, says it all!

Cobb, Mary. The Quilt-Block History of Pioneer Days: With Projects Kids Can Make. Illustrated by Jan Davey Ellis. Millbrook, 1995. ISBN: 9781562944858

This 64-page chapter book is recommended for Grades 2-4 reading level. It has simple reference aids: Table of Contents, "For Further Reading" list, and an Index.

Each chapter has a focus and a project for kids. For example, Chapter Two is about the pioneers saying goodbye to their friends and family before moving west. The reading and accompanying illustration cover ...

Two staples of children's picture books are alphabet and counting books. They can include illustrations from any subject--including quilting!

Cline-Ransome, Lesa. Quilt Alphabet. Illustrated by James E. Ransome. Holiday House, 2001.  ISBN: 978-0823417650

Cline-Ransome, Lesa. Quilt Counting. Illustrated by James E. Ransome. SeaStar, 2002. ISBN: 978-1587171772

Lesa Cline-Ransome and her husband, James E. Ransome created this pair of books that use quilts to teach basic alphabet and number concepts. Cline-Ransome has written many books including the Coretta Scott King Honor Award winner, Finding Langston. James E. Ransome is a prolific illustrator and winner of numerous awards including the ...

 Quilts can offer many things. In this book, the quilt offers an outlet for imagination.

Keys, Dalen. Just a Quilt? Illustrated by Kim Sponaugle. Fruitbearer, 2008. ISBN: 978-1886068-34-6

This very simple book tells the story of Chase (based on the author's son). As he gets ready for an overnight visit to his grandma, he and his mother have a conversation about the quilt he has packed to take with him.

Chase goes on to tell his mom what his quilt really is: a busy airport; a deep, dark cave; a safari tent; and more. Each illustration shows Chase using ...

The Seldom-Ever-Shady Glades by Sue Van Wassenhove is a book of poetry illustrated with quilts.

Wassenhove, Sue Van. The Seldom-Ever-Shady Glades. Wordsong, 2008. ISBN: 978-1-59078-352-8

This book of seventeen poems focuses on wildlife (especially birds) in the Florida everglades. The poems are short and a few spreads contain extra information about the subject of the poem. For instance, the poem "The Heron Blues":

The great blue is tall

and the little is small.

But the little is blue,

and the great ain't, that's true.

    Would you choose

    the same names?

Beneath  the poem is a short explanation: "The ...

 History and Heritage are important elements of quilting in Children's Literature.

McKissack, Patricia C. Stitchin' and Pullin'; A Gee's Bend Quilt. Illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera. Random, 2008.

This book follows Baby Girl as she makes her first quilt with Mama, Grandma, and Great-Gran. The story is in verse, and covers not only Baby Girl's quilt, but also the events her family has experienced in the struggle for Civil Rights, and the history of Gee's Bend, Alabama.

One poem begins, "Mama told me, 'Cloth has a memory.'" Baby Girl learns the story behind the pieces of ...

 Sometimes a quilt sparks a story, and sometimes a story sparks a quilt. The latter is the case with the book I feature today.

Von Olfers, Sibylle. Mother Earth and Her Children: A Quilted Fairy Tale. Illustrated by Sieglinde  Schoen Smith. Translated from the original German [Etwas von den Wurzelkindern, 1906] by Jack  Zipes. Breckling, 2007.    ISBN: 978-1-933308-18-0

Cover of the German edition

The illustrator of this book was born in Germany during the Second World War. Her older sister owned the book  Etwas von der Wurzelkindern (Something About the Root Children), and Smith loved the story of the children ...

 The books I'm highlighting today use quilts as illustration for stories and inspiration for page layouts.

Ringgold, Faith. Tar Beach. Dragonfly, 1991.

Ringgold, Faith. Cassie's Word Quilt. Dragonfly, 2002.

Tar Beach and Cassie's Word Quilt are but two of Faith Ringgold's contributions to children's literature. She won the Caldecott Honor Award and the Coretta Scott King award for her story quilt illustrations in Tar Beach. Her narrative quilts are painted, pieced, and quilted.

Ringgold, Faith. Tar Beach 2. 1990. Quilt.

Tar Beach tells the story of Cassie and her flight of imagination and wonder as ...

The two children's books I'd like to highlight today are both set in the Hawai'ian Islands: Luka's Quilt by Georgia Guback and The Tsunami Quilt: Grandfather's Story by Anthony D. Fredericks. 

Luka's Quilt is a story about a girl and her grandmother making a flower garden quilt together. Tutu (grandmother) makes a traditional Hawai'ian quilt with only two colors, and Luka is disappointed that the quilt doesn't have the many colors of her own flower garden. In the end, Luka and Tutu find a way to bring together tradition and innovation in ...

For many years, I studied and taught Children's Literature. The importance of this literature is many times undervalued--"They are just kid's books." The truth is that the stories we tell our children are some of the most important stories in the world. We try to prepare children for what is ahead--both in the world they will inhabit and in themselves. We share the most important life lessons with them as we help them grow and develop.

Children's Literature ranges from picture books for the youngest readers, to chapter books for middle readers, to full-length novels for ...