Images of Oregon

We're pleased to announce that we now have one of our most popular redwork series available for purchase on our site: Images of Oregon. These lovely redwork patterns, thirteen in all, feature some of the most famous and recognizable icons of Oregon: the Covered Wagon, a Chinook Salmon, and Crater Lake just to name a few. Make a lovely dishtowel using these patterns, then give it as a gift to a friend or relative to remind them of home, or to bring a touch of the American Northwest into your life.

Twelve of the patterns here were originally featured in an earlier version of our equally popular Five Dollar Quilt Club, but we've added a bonus pattern as a special gift to those who buy this great packet. We've already seen some lovely examples of how these particular images have been incorporated into quilt blocks, samplers, and the like. Click on the picture to visit our site and order this great redwork embroidery project!

Rare History!

Back in 1969, Bonnie Leman published the very first issue of Quilter's Newsletter from her own kitchen table and the quilting world has not been the same since! Still going strong today, Quilter's Newsletter is one of the flagship magazines of the Quilting world, a place where quilters can find the latest quilting news, get great new patterns, or learn the best tips and tricks on how to make your quilt and the love of quilting even more enjoyable.

Well, have I got NEWS for you! My friend is offering to our blog readers the very first opportunity to bid on a rare piece of quilting history: 34! years of Quilter's Newsletter magazine in one huge collection, nearly all of the consecutive issues from March 1972 through to December 2006. (The collection is missing only two issues from that date range: #42 Apr. 1973 and #148 Jan. 1983. However, a bonus issue, #15 Jan. 1971, will be included in the final winning bid.)

Wow! is about all I can say. This collection is a veritable treasure trove of quilting history and information that would be hard for any serious lover or scholar of quilting and Quilter's Newsletter Magazine to pass up. Certainly, this collection would be a presitigous and welcome addition to any quilt library.

To bid on this collection of approximately 300 issues, all you have to do is sign our guestbook AND, in the comment box, write in "BID ON Q.N. Magazine" with the amount (in US$) that you would like to offer!

(*The winning bidder also pays for shipping or can arrange to pick up at our location.)

We'll respond to the best offer as soon as we can and let everyone know when my friend closes the bidding. Don't miss your chance on this great bit of quilt history!

Fun with Dick and Jane

Do you remember Dick and Jane? These popular children's reading books featuring Dick and Jane were first introduced in the 1930s. They taught school children reading, values, and to be of good cheer for nearly 40 years. The simple sentences were repeated over and over again until children could catch on.

I first learned to read with the now famous Dick and Jane books. So, when I saw that Michael Miller was introducing a new collection based on these beloved books, I simply had to see it. And, you know what? The Dick and Jane Fabric Collection was so wonderful that we ordered it in both colorways! Our Retro bundle features 17 Fat Quarters of coordinating fabric in retro colors with a coordinating panel on cream backgrounds. To order the Retro bundle, click here! Our Primary bundle features 19 fun Fat Quarters of coordinating fabric in primary colors with a coordinating panel on white backgrounds. To order the Primary Bundle, click here!

The neat thing about having two colorways is that each colorway features totally different fabrics. If you want all 36 fabrics, plus the two panels, you will need to order both bundles. After you complete your own project using the fabric from this fun collection, you may be tempted to write your own Dick and Jane book: See Jane quilt. Quilt, Jane, quilt!

Mamie Eisenhower's Fudge Recipe

Can you imagine a quilt that costs you only $5.00 to make? If you follow all the rules and come to our in-store class faithfully, you'll have 12 quilt blocks for just that amount! Our five-dollar quilt club classes (already in full swing) are loads of fun, with door prize drawings, demonstrations and free patterns. The blocks are available in four different colorways, and classes meet the first Friday and Saturday of each month. You don't have to worry about classes having already started because you can join at any time. (Note: five dollars gets you started, and five dollars gets you re-started if, being a busy person like us, you happen to miss a class session.)

Our theme this year is the First Ladies of America. We've been learning about the lives of twelve of America’s First Ladies. Just this past weekend, we discussed the life of Mamie Eisenhower. There are a lot of great stories about Mamie, including the time early on in their marriage when she took Ike's old car to visit him where he happened to be stationed at the time. Although she did not know how to drive, she made the trip successfully, but once at the base, Ike had to jump into the car to get it to stop. The Eisenhowers were also known to occasionally eat dinner on snack trays in front of the TV set, usually watching one of their favorite shows like "I Love Lucy," or "You Bet Your Life."

But perhaps one of our favorite tidbits from Mamie Eisenhower's life happens to be her "Million Dollar Fudge" recipe, a recipe reproduced by housewives all over the United States in a variety of publications. Here it is:

Mamie's Million Dollar Fudge

• 4-1/2 cups of Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons of Butter
• 1 pinch of Salt
• 1 tall can of Evaporated Milk
• 12 ounces of Semi-sweet Chocolate Bits
• 12 ounces of German Sweet Chocolate
• 1 pint of Marshmallow Cream
• 2 cups of chopped Nutmeats

Heat the sugar, butter, salt and evaporated milk over low heat, stirring until the chocolate dissolves. Bring to a boil, and boil for six minutes. Put the chocolate bits, german chocolate, marshmallow cream and nutmeats into a heat resistant bowl. Pour the mixture you've been boiling over the ingredients you've just placed in the bowl. Beat until the chocolate has melted, and then pour it all into a pan. Let it stand for a few hours before cutting it into fudge sized pieces. Remember, it is even better the second day. Store in a tin box.

Patchwork Party

Patchwork Party 2007 – Spring Edition is a series of beautiful quilt blocks designed by Marti Michell using Moda’s Sanctuary line of fabric by 3 Sisters. The way it works is simple. You collect all 12 of these beautiful blocks by visiting the 12 online merchants participating in the program. Each of the 12 shops has an exclusive block that you can only get at that quilt shop. Our exclusive block is Spring Glenn. Marti said that she came up with the block in honor of her maiden name, "Glenn."

In addition to our exclusive quilt blocks, we've also created a way for you to turn your blocks into a beautiful quilt titled “A Rose by Any Other Name.” Our finishing kit includes the pattern and all the fabric you need to create a quilt top big enough to fit a queen sized bed! The 95" square quilt was designed by Rachel Greco and Marge McCanse using a traditional quilt block designed by Jane Davis. Quilting was done by Virginia Chandler. The appliqué part can be done using traditional, needleturn or fusible web methods.

We are really excited to be a part of Patchwork Party 2007 again this year. It has been really fun to hear from our customers in the shop and online, and to discover how they've chosen to create their quilts. Sewing with friends can be lots of fun! Many customers have held "parties" of their own, inviting their quilting buddies to work on their blocks together. We think that's a delightful way to make the blocks and be with friends. And if you just happened to bring a chocolate cake, well, what could be more fun than that???

Chinese New Year

February 18th marks Chinese New Year. And, according to the Chinese Zodiac, this particular year happens to be the "year of the pig." It is believed that people born during the year of the pig are generally more honest, straight-forward, and successful than those born during other years. We're not completely convinced that is the case. But we do know one thing: the pig is only about one of the cutest animals on the entire planet ever!

So, to mark the occasion, we're highlighting our latest fabric arrival featuring Olivia the Pig, a pig who loves to dance, paint, and even go on the occasional beach trip to build sand castles. Olivia, in her debut book by Ian Falconer, won the Caldecott Award for children's literature. But everyone, children or adults, enjoy the irresistible enthusiasm and creative spirit of Olivia and her many adventures, the latest adventure being perhaps in your next quilting project. Check our newest products pages often for Olivia's next spirited arrival!

UPDATE: Olivia has arrived! Check out all of the fabulous fabrics in this whimsical line by clicking the above link!

We're Back!

Welcome to our blog "In Grandma's Attic," the place where you can find out all the latest news about Grandma's Attic. Here you get all of the inside information about our fantastic sales, new products and reviews, favorite recipes, and all our upcoming secret projects.

Way back in the Spring of 2005, we had a vision of sharing our love of quilting and all of the related fiber arts with all our fabulous customers with a blog, "blog" being a fancy new word for an online journal. As one of the oldest and most respected online quilting retailers on the world wide web, it just made sense for us to connect with our customers in this way.

While many projects and developments have kept us busy for the last few years, we've decided to come back from our hiatus with an official relaunching. Whether you've discovered us for the first time, or are a regular customer, we'd like to welcome you to our new online adventure.

Our Recent Vacation

Stephen and I took a mini vacation earlier this month. It was nice to visit other sites in Oregon. We basically started driving from the Willamette Valley area and went all the way to Joseph, Oregon. We then went back to Enterprise, crossed up into Washington and went as far as Lewiston, Idaho.

One of our stops was at Bonneville Dam and Fish Hatchery. Bonneville Dam was built in 1938 and has a large public viewing facility. We got to see Herman the Sturgeon. As you can see, he is quite a large fellow!

We had a great time and saw many interesting historical sites including sections of the Oregon Trail, sites related to Lewis & Clark's Corps of Discovery, beautiful landscapes, and Native American interpretive centers. Stephen enjoyed the buffalo just outside of Enterprise. I'll share more about our trip in a future post.

Stories My Grandma Told Me

Stories My Grandma Told Me - Civil War Colorway

This is one of my favorite Block of the Month programs. The old-time patterns are entwined with fascinating stories that my Grandma told me about her life. As a Block of the Month program, we send out a different kit each month. Kits are composed of a story from Grandma plus instructions for making a 12" pieced quilt block. Kits come in three different colorways: 19th Century (the quilt shown here), 1930s colors and Blender Brights. All of our Block of the Month programs are set up so that you can start at any time of the year and still receive all of the blocks. This is really fun. If you'd like to order this program you can find it at our website.

April Feature Fabrics

APRIL FEATURE FABRICS: Every year a team from Hoffman Fabrics chooses an upcoming fabric design and then issues a challenge to quilt, clothing and doll makers to create an original item using the fabric. The challenge curator and a group of assistants jury the entries and a select team of judges chooses the award winners. The juried quilts, clothing and doll collections then travel to be exhibited by quilt and other fiber guilds, shops, museums and textile shows in nearly 200 locations.

Grandma's featured fabrics for April contain the Challenge piece plus nine other Hoffman fabrics to go with it. You'll love playing with these fabrics!

Carly and the Flowers

Carly and the Flowers

We live in the foothills of the Oregon Coastal Range. It's not a real high elevation, but high enough so that when everyone else's daffodils have come and gone, ours are just getting started. Here's a picture of Carly the cat with a daffodil in our front yard. She's welcoming Spring and looking for trouble.

Welcome!

Welcome to the first post of In Grandma's Attic, a blog devoted all things about Grandma's Attic Sewing Emporium. You'll find all of the great information about the quilt products, sewing supplies, and overall "crafty" goodness that you've come to enjoy from our store. We've got the know to sew, the itch to stitch, and the lilt to quilt. If you're like us, you should love our new blog.