Anne of Green Gables

 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.

Anne of Green Gables (detail)

The center square of the quilt was cut from the panel.

 

Anne of Green Gables (detail)

 

 

I backed it with a pink brushstrokes print and bound it in aqua.

Anne of Green Gables (detail)

 

I also made an Anne doll to go with the quilt, and I included three different editions of the book with the gift.

 

Anne of Green Gables Doll

 

 I think the gift was a hit!

Happy Birthday, sweet girl!

Happy Quilting! 😸

 

 

The Moon Quilt--Quilting in Children's Literature

 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)

 

. . . as do the children who trick-or-treat at her house and who are treated to pumpkin pie.

The Moon Quilt (illustration)

Finally, she puts herself and her cat into the quilt, and with the last stitch, the quilt is done.

The Moon Quilt (illustration)

The old woman and her cat have earned a rest--and with that rest, more dreams come.

The illustrations include quilt pieces and collage. This book highlights the beauty of little things and the power of imaginative creativity in a completely charming way.

Happy Quilting! 😸

 

 

A reminder--you can find my posts on Quilts in Children's Literature by clicking "Children's Literature" in the list of labels on the right-hand pane of this blog.

NOTE: I found my books used from BetterWorldBooks.com. I can highly recommend this site. Not only do they always have free shipping, but they also contribute a book to someone in need for every book you buy. I was not compensated for this recommendation--I just love doing business with them.

The Promise Quilt--Quilting in Children's Literature

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, and Mama gave it to Addie. 

 

The school had been burned during the War, so education seemed impossible. However, Mama was determined to find a way, for the children to learn. She arranged for a building to temporarily house the school, but there were no books or slates for the children to use. Could Papa's promise ever come true?

The Promise Quilt (illustration)

The Promise Quilt (illustration)

Ellen Beier's soft watercolors set just the right mood for this story. They are simple and clear, yet full of detail.

This book uses a quilt to represent hope and healing in the face of personal and national loss. The book also illustrates the importance of education in the face of hardship.

Happy Quilting! 😺

A reminder--you can find my posts on Quilts in Children's Literature by clicking "Children's Literature" in the list of labels on the right-hand pane of this blog.

NOTE: I found my books used from BetterWorldBooks.com. I can highly recommend this site. Not only do they always have free shipping, but they also contribute a book to someone in need for every book you buy. I was not compensated for this recommendation--I just love doing business with them.

The Dream Quilt (Again!)--Quilting in Children's Literature

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 their own as well.

The book is about the week that Alex spends with his Aunt Rachel in her home by the sea. He is a city child, and he learns about the differences between his urban life and the rural life at his Aunt's. On the first night, Alex is worried that he won't be able to sleep in a new place. His aunt opens a sea chest that had belonged to his great-greatgrandfather, and takes out a quilt which in her words "has been all around the world. Who knows what sights it has seen . . . You'll have a wonderful sleep tonight. It's a dream quilt, you know."

 

The Dream Quilt (back cover)

 

 And he does!

The Dream Quilt (illustration)

 

The Dream Quilt (illustration)

 

The lovely collage illustrations by Amy Zerner capture the detailed, imaginative dreams of the text, and they are fascinating to examine.

This book addresses a quilt as comfort, family heritage, and a springboard for imagination.

Happy Quilting! 😺

 

A reminder--you can find my posts on Quilts in Children's Literature by clicking "Children's Literature" in the list of labels on the right-hand pane of this blog.

NOTE: I found my books used from BetterWorldBooks.com. I can highly recommend this site. Not only do they always have free shipping, but they also contribute a book to someone in need for every book you buy. I was not compensated for this recommendation--I just love doing business with them.

The Dream Quilt--Quilting in Children's Literature

 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." When Michael asks if he could use her quilt, the two of them went into the attic and found it.

That night, after Michael said his prayers and settled in bed, they played the game that Mother and Granny Rose played when she was little. She asked him to choose his favorite square on the quilt. He chose a blue one. Mother told him to pretend that he was a letter and the quilt was his envelope.

The stamp on his envelope was a kiss. A rhyme repeated through the book is "A kiss for a stamp--and quick as you can, away you go to a bright blue land!"

That night, Michael had beautiful blue dreams.

The next night he chose a yellow square, and the result was a yellow dream night.

When Granny Rose came to visit, she took the quilt home for some needed repairs. Michael was worried that without the quilt his bad dreams would come back, but his mother told him about God's promise in the rainbow, and with a prayer and her kiss, sent him to a rainbow dreamland.

Rainbow dreams

Granny Rose returned the quilt, but Michael "almost never had bad dreams again."

In this book, the quilt is a comfort and a reminder of God's love.

The Dream Quilt

The illustrations in this book are mixed media--some include collage. They are interesting to examine in detail, yet bright and simple enough to clearly depict the story. 

The text is clear and easy-to-read. The vocabulary is limited, and some word meanings can be deduced by looking at the illustrations. The recurring rhyme adds to its appeal as a read aloud book.

Happy Quilting! 😸

A reminder--you can find my posts on Quilts in Children's Literature by clicking "Children's Literature" in the list of labels on the right-hand pane of this blog.

NOTE: I found my books used from BetterWorldBooks.com. I can highly recommend this site. Not only do they always have free shipping, but they also contribute a book to someone in need for every book you buy. I was not compensated for this recommendation--I just love doing business with them.

Selina And the Bear Paw Quilt--Quilting in Children's Literature

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 in Canada. This is the story of one of those families.

Selena watches her mother quilt by the light of the oil lamps.

Selina's grandmother makes a Bear Paw quilt from fabric which includes scraps of family clothing scraps. As she works, she tells Selina the stories represented by the fabrics.

 

Selina and her grandmother with the Bear Paw quilt

 

Selina's parents make plans to move to Canada away from the War. They are sad to leave their farm, and even more sad that Grandmother will not be going with them. Grandmother explains, "I am old now, too old to start my life again," and she will be staying behind to live with her brother and his family. 

Selena meets her Canadian Uncle's family

 

As a going-away gift, Grandmother gives Selina the Bear Paw quilt top. When the family reaches Canada, Selina shows it to the branch of her family already living there, and discovers that her quilt and theirs have pieces in common. Plans are made to finish the Bear Paw quilt, and it will be for Selina's bed in the family's new home.

 

Showing the quilt to her new family

 

Janet Wilson's illustrations in the book are warm and lovely, and they are bordered by many different quilt patterns. The endpapers show examples of Bear Paw blocks. The back of the book is a legend for the quilted borders of the pages.

Endpapers

Back cover of book

 

In this picture book, we have a quilt as representative of family connection and of the comfort of the familiar in a new place or situation.

Happy Quilting! 😸

A reminder--you can find my posts on Quilts in Children's Literature by clicking "Children's Literature" in the list of labels on the right-hand pane of this blog.

NOTE: I found my books used from BetterWorldBooks.com. I can highly recommend this site. Not only do they always have free shipping, but they also contribute a book to someone in need for every book you buy. I was not compensated for this recommendation--I just love doing business with them.

The Name Quilt--Quilting in Children's Literature

"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 finds out about her aunt Avonelle whose patch is made from a dress she ripped when she rode the hogs. Sadie learns about her mom from a piece of a skirt that she stained with blackberry juice when she was young. There is a patch of Grandma's plain wedding dress--"'We didn't have money for fancy dresses back then,' Grandma said." Sadie loves all the stories the quilt inspires.

One day, however, a storm blows through when the name quilt is on the clothesline.

Both Grandma and Sadie are fine and the house is intact, but the name quilt is gone. Sadie is sad that the stories are gone, but as Grandma says, "'You think I need a quilt to remember for me? I keep all those names and all of those stories right here inside of me.'"

 

 

Sadie and Grandma then recreate the name quilt adding some patches that represent the storm and one in the center that has Sadie's name on it.

Margot Apple's soft and colorful illustrations add to the appeal of this book. They mirror the action and add small touches to the story that enhance the words of the author.

This book highlights the quilt as a symbol of family heritage and the power of story-telling.

Happy quilting! 😸

A reminder--you can find my posts on Quilts in Children's Literature by clicking "Children's Literature" in the list of labels on the right-hand pane of this blog.

NOTE: I found my books used from BetterWorldBooks.com. I can highly recommend this site. Not only do they always have free shipping, but they also contribute a book to someone in need for every book you buy. I was not compensated for this recommendation--I just love doing business with them

The Patchwork Lady--Quilting in Children's Literature

"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 as "argyle," "festoons,"and "afghan."  Many of the illustrations are full pages, and the facing page has an accompanying smaller illustration with the text.

Full page

Facing page

In the story, we see the Patchwork Lady finding creative solutions to problems: scarves take the place of dusty tattered streamers, and she fashions a cake from crumbled cupcakes. Her words throughout the book are little bits of sentences that add up in the end to make sense--like the little bits of cloth that make up a quilt. Indeed as the note mentioned above says, "Patchwork lady talks in patchwork."

A quilt in this book represents the idea that the small, everyday things of our life add up to something
original and whole when we step back and look at the overall pattern.

A Quilt of Everyday Things

 

As I sit here writing in a crazy muumuu (pink, purple, and red patchwork print) and red shoes, I identify with the Patchwork Lady a bit! Everyday life may not go smoothly, but we have the ability to turn some of our problems around to create solutions . . .  and sometimes, those solutions are more beautiful than we expected.

Happy Quilting. 😸

A reminder--you can find my posts on Quilts in Children's Literature by clicking "Children's Literature" in the list of labels on the right-hand pane of this blog.

NOTE: I found my books used from BetterWorldBooks.com. I can highly recommend this site. Not only do they always have free shipping, but they also contribute a book to someone in need for every book you buy. I was not compensated for this recommendation--I just love doing business with them.

 

 

An Adventure with Ruby: Quilting in Children's Literature

 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 and Queen Zinnia from an evil serpent.

Ruby and Besty saving the cubs

In return for this act of courage, Ruby received the Blue Bird of Bravery which was sewn onto Besty by Sir Uncle Elmo.

Blue Bird of Bravery award

 

Ruby and Besty return home, and when Ruby wakes the next morning, the Blue Bird "seemed to wink at her in the morning sun."

Notice the patchwork "serpent" under the bed.

 

Ruby's and Besty's adventure in the night lends courage to the girl, and she is able to confront that scary "serpent."

Ruby dons the "serpent" and is ready to face the day. 🐍

 

In this book, the quilt represents friendship and courage--specifically the courage that results from having a true friend by your side. The illustrations are in soft, dreamy colors, and it would make a great book to read at bedtime.

 

You can find more information about Alison Lester on her website. 

 

If you would like to hear the author read the book, a video is available HERE.

A reminder--you can find my posts on Quilts in Children's Literature by clicking "Children's Literature" in the list of labels on the right-hand pane of this blog.

NOTE: I found my books used from BetterWorldBooks.com. I can highly recommend this site. Not only do they always have free shipping, but they also contribute a book to someone in need for every book you buy. I was not compensated for this recommendation--I just love doing business with them

 

Pioneer History: Quilting in Children's Literature

 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 album quilt blocks: autograph blocks signed by those who stayed behind as a remembrance for the relocating family. The chapter project is a signed Quilt Block bookmark for a friend.

All of the projects are papercraft though some of them could be done in fabric as well.

Other chapters include stories of different aspects of pioneer life and the quilt blocks that the lifestyle inspired.

Chapter 4: "Building the Cabin"

Chapter 8: "Special Occasions"

Chapter 9: "Weather"

In the final chapter, the author writes," When I look at a map of our country, I like to think it resembles a gigantic patchwork quilt sewn together by the brave pioneers" (58). The structure of the book reinforces that idea.

The illustrations are fairly simple and bright, and they fit well with the text. The illustrated page of quilt blocks that accompanies each chapter is clear, accurate, and well-labeled, as you can see in the images I have included above.

This book covers the history of the American pioneer, as well as the ideas/stories/events behind common quilt blocks. The projects use common everyday materials, so they are accessible for most readers, and they add fun to the learning experience.

Happy Quilting! 😸

 

A reminder--you can find my posts on Quilts in Children's Literature by clicking "Children's Literature" in the list of labels on the right-hand pane of this blog.

NOTE: I found my books used from BetterWorldBooks.com. I can highly recommend this site. Not only do they always have free shipping, but they also contribute a book to someone in need for every book you buy. I was not compensated for this recommendation--I just love doing business with them.