I know I say this all the time but my email is a little like a black hole. Things go in there and NEVER come out. I’d been better, not great, at keeping up with it but then last week with all the family stuff came up and my email got lost yet again. It’s an ongoing battle.
Today I’m pulling out lots of emails and sharing them here on the blog with you.
This one came from Lynn. She is busy putting together her Inspired by the Past quilt. Thanks for sharing Lynn.
You might remember that I came up with this quilt and it was published in American Patchwork and Quilting in the February 2022 issue. HERE is a link to the original story about the quilt. I later went on and did a tutorial on how I made the block. Find the tutorial HERE.
McGill wrote and said:
“I hope that you are feeling better. I saw this quilt along and I wondered if you had seen “Aunt Daisy’s Quilt Along” by Vanessa Van Trease? HERE is the link.
It is so beautiful and I immediately thought of how great it would look scrappy. The block has lots of flying geese units. What is your favorite method of flying geese? I think I am going to try using Bonnie Hunter’s Essential Triangle tool and see how it goes.”
I make flying geese in several different ways. If I’m doing a Lori Holt design, I do the “make four at once method” made with squares.
I sometimes use the method with rectangles and squares that create bonus triangles. I sometimes use the companion angle with the easy angle ruler method. I’m not picky. These last two are my favorite though.
Carol sent THIS RECIPE and suggested we give it a try…It’s from Joyfilled Eats
Sally sent this recipe and said these were great. I haven’t tried them yet as I didn’t have any coconut oil. It’s on my grocery list.
I was talking about crumb quilting and I have two blog readers send me pictures of projects they were working on that used crumbs.
Karen sent this…
and Rita sent this…
Those are both inspiring. I typically am not drawn to black and white quilts…this, I love.
Thanks for sharing!!
From Jonnie.
She writes:
“I knew the minute I saw your Rustic Charm quilt that I had to make it! It took me a while, mostly because I could not figure out an alternate way to do the quilting.
I loved the quilting on yours and would have liked to do that on mine, but alas, a king size quilt on a domestic sewing machine doesn’t work so well for curvy designs. So I played around with ruler quilting and managed to get it quilted in an alternative way. The quilting is not my best, but this one is for me, and I learned a lot, so I’m OK with it. I used one layer of flannel instead of batting so I call this a summer-weight quilt for our bed.”
This is our Rustic Charm quilt printed in American Patchwork and Quilting in the August 2019 issue.
I love Jonnie’s version.
From another reader:
“I’m from SE Iowa and don’t write to you often but read your blog daily. Wanted to let you know that when you posted your beautiful batik quilt a few weeks ago, you inspired me to try making my own.
I really don’t make fancy quilts like you and had never worked with batiks before. Since I had no scraps I started collecting 1/3 yard pieces of many batik prints. I’ll never tire of all those pretty colors and designs.”
WOW. I’m so glad my simple quilt was an inspiration. I truly loved making this quilt and would happily make another.
I had made this one…just a simple charm quilt with batiks. You can read about it HERE. I gave mine away at the fireman’s benefit this past month.
I think it’s important to try different fabrics or designs as a quilter to keep us interested in our craft.
Mary was the winning bidder on one of the auctions I help back in December and got a wonderful jelly roll. She’s already put it to good use. Check out her blocks.
Susan sent an email….She writes:
“I’ve so appreciated your blog over the years.
When you wrote about your Christmas Star pattern featured in American Patchwork and Quilting, I suggested the issue as a Christmas gift idea to my husband. He purchased it right away, but also gave it to me immediately, which meant I worked on a Christmas quilt during late November and December. I don’t usually sew “seasonally” but found it enjoyable to be working with Christmas fabrics during the season.
We visited our daughter for Thanksgiving and I noticed the quilt I made her for graduation was on her bed, as it seems to always be when we’re there. I decided then that Christmas Star would be hers.
Thanks for a great pattern. It was fun to make and will bring joy in the giving!
Sorry for the not-so-great picture. With the Christmas tree up, I don’t have any open space big enough for a full shot.”
Oh my word…BEAUTIFUL. This is another quilt I’d love to make again. I have a 2 1/2″ bucket of scraps that I could happily use up only not make it Christmasy this time.
GREAT and SPEEDY work Susan. I love seeing a different background with this. So inspiring.
Here is our version.
The pattern is available in American Patchwork and Quilting in the December 2021 issue.
I wrote about the quilt in THIS blog post.
It really is an honor to see you making our quilts!!
Thanks so much for the emails and sharing of recipes and projects. I’m so sorry I’m slow at responding. It doesn’t mean that your messages aren’t important to me!! THANKS…Jo
They are all so beautiful and inspiring. I managed to find your quilt magazine 2wks ago when we went to the Big city…lol I love Jonnie quilt- but they all tug at my heart and so does the food recipe.
Beautiful quilts, Jo! Isn’t it just so wonderful to inspire people with our crafts and designs?! I know it always makes me feel so good. We know how busy you are and you value us.
Jo, you can use regular Crisco shortening instead of coconut oil in that recipe.
Also, I love all the beautiful quilts everyone is making. Thx for sharing those pictures!
I got the recipe from Amy Hanson (of Eunamae’s). She was talking about the recipe on Instagram and said not to substitute shortening for the coconut oil. I bought the least expensive store brand coconut oil and it worked great. I didn’t try shortening because I didn’t want to chance it not turning out and wasting all the other ingredients in the process. It is delicious and I am trying real hard not to make it for the fourth time….
They both have the same chemical characteristics such as low melting point, and are interchangeable since they create the same results in this chocolate, which is mostly to create a shiny surface. Believe it or not, paraffin, such as Gulf Wax, is also often used for this result and you will find it as an ingredient in candy recipes like buckeyes. There was a recent period when coconut oil was promoted as a more healthy alternative than shortening, thus the substitution in recipes occurred. Of course, that has been debunked. For this application, either will work.
Interesting! The coconut oil I used was quite hard in the jar. The chocolate needs to be quite firm once it’s chilled otherwise it would be a mess to eat. I am thinking shortening wouldn’t get hard like that and that’s why she said it wouldn’t work. (I don’t have any illusions that this is a healthy recipe. ) I would love to hear if someone uses shortening, if the chocolate gets hard after it’s been refrigerated.
So many beautiful quilts! It is fun to see what some of the blog readers make with your patterns. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for sharing, Jo!! What wonderful projects!!
Jo, I was inspired by your batik squares quilt too. I immediately pulled out a storage container full of batiks and began cutting squares. Some I had forgotten I had. I made a quilt for my husband’s nephew. He has been such a help to our family and is quilt worthy. Thank for sharing it with all of us.
Oooh, I wish I could see a picture of your batik quilt, as well! I think batiks are so pretty and I love looking at all of the different prints.
Wonderful post and I truly enjoyed seeing all those lovely quilts.
Jo, you are such an inspiration to SOOO many of us, especially to me! Thanks for all you do! You are a true blessing.
Lovely quilts ,must make you proud to see others versions. So excited my American Patchwork and Quilting issue 175 has arrived with the gorgeously Tulip Bed Quilt. Looks marvellous Jo, enjoyed catching up with the back story on your Blog. Any tutorial???? Love it when I can feel your guidance with easy relatable tutorials.
https://joyfilledeats.com/chicken-cordon-bleu-casserole/
Here is the link for the chicken cordon bleu casserole. I might have to make it myself.
How can I get a copy of the American Patchwwork and Quilting February issue with the Inspired by the Past quilt? I really need that pattern!