Any successful crazy quilt requires a firm foundation. Erin McKay used this foundation method when creating her memory quilt (“Patchwork of Memories,” January-February 2010 Hobby Farm Home), allowing her to work on her quilt square by square.
 Download instructions here. |
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In November of 1990, when I was living on the Front Range of Colorado, I received a 24-page letter from my mother in Virginia. In it, she wrote:
“I’m still enjoying the goodies from your last box. When I saw the pictures of the dark quilts, I thought, ‘Hey, that’s something Erin and I could do together even though we’re geographically far apart!’ I’ve been thinking ‘someone’ should make a quilt like the one that hung on the railing at Dad’s for years and years. It was made of silks, satins, taffetas, et cetera, and had bright flowers embroidered on the dark pieces. Also, colorful stitching (different kinds) between pieces. … What do you think? Do you want to play? If you do, we could agree on 12- or 18-inch squares and then each of us make them and take turns embroidering after machine sewing the pieces together. … I guess this will have to be a winter project as the next two months will probably be pretty busy.”
Sounds sweet, doesn’t it? But I have a confession to make: I didn’t really want to play. For one thing, I was working full-time and dealing with a difficult commute. For another, I didn’t know diddly about quilting—had not sewn a thing since taking home economics in junior high. Granted, I’d done some counted cross stitch, needlepoint, hooked rugs, candle-wicking, and even a couple of knitted and crocheted afghans, yet the thought of embarking on a full-sized quilt was overwhelming. And Mom was 2,000 miles away—too distant to show me how. Moreover, what she had in mind was a crazy quilt, the kind that was wildly popular in the late 1800s, created in part to show off one’s embroidery skills—of which I had none! My response most likely lacked the enthusiasm she had hoped to generate.
| Books to Get You Sewing The Art and Craft of Appliqué, by Juliet Bawden (Grove Press, 1991) Beaded Crazy Quilting, by Cindy Gorder (Krause Publications, 2006) Crazy Quilts, by Penny McMorris (Plume, 1984) Crazy Quilts by Machine, by J. Marsha Michler (Krause Publications, 2000) Crazy Quilting—the Complete Guide, by J. Marsha Michler (Krause Publications, 2008) The Magic of Crazy Quilting: A Complete Resource for Embellished Quilting, by J. Marsha Michler (Krause Publications, 2003) The Crazy Quilt Handbook, by Judith Baker Montano (C&T Publishing, 2001) Elegant Stitches, by Judith Baker Montano (C&T Publishing, 2008) Crazy Quilting with Attitude, by Barbara Randle (Krause Publications, 2003) Ribbon Embroidery for Crazy Quilts, by Kooler Designs and Rita Weiss (American School of Needlework, 2002) |
As luck would have it, I happened to be in northern Virginia the following spring for a friend’s wedding, and I traveled to Richmond to spend the next day—Mother’s Day—with Mom. She and I sat at her dining-room table and chose fabrics, cut them into little pieces per the patterns she had made, and pinned enough together to form a square, more or less. It had been a late Saturday night, and I distinctly remember fighting the urge to take a nap face down on the table. We basted the pieces together but didn’t get any further.
Mom passed away eight months later. Her sewing machine went to her daughter-in-law; the scraps of material, drawings and diagrams Mom had collected for the quilt went to her sister. My father asked me to empty Mom’s closets, and because she and I could wear the same size, I kept the clothes I especially liked and gave the rest away. Although I adjusted to the loss of my very best friend, I missed her terribly.
It’s funny how ideas take root in the firmament of the mind, even when neglected. As time passed, I kept thinking about Mom’s crazy quilt. It felt like unfinished business that deserved my best effort, like the tree she had wanted us to plant near her grave some day. I didn’t really feel inspired, though, until it suddenly dawned on me that I could make the quilt all about Mom. Everything on it could depict her favorite things, places, people and experiences. I could use some of her clothes and Dad’s old ties. I retrieved Mom’s sewing machine from my brother’s attic, found a user manual for it, cleaned and oiled it, and replaced the broken light bulb. My aunt returned Mom’s bags of material and several photographs of the old crazy quilt that had “hung on the railing at Dad’s for years and years.” My excitement grew, and it no longer mattered that I didn’t know how to actually construct the quilt.
The Quilt’s Rebirth
I decided to visit a friend who had a machine-quilting business in Asheville, N.C. Rachel Reese had never made a crazy quilt but offered the use of her sewing room and gave me a crash course in quilting—demonstrating, for example, how to use a rotary cutter and the importance of ironing as you go. Unfortunately, as I added to the original square Mom and I had created, it became an unmanageable amoeba! For one thing, the curved pieces didn’t lay down right. For another, as it grew outward in every direction, I kept ending up with problematic “inside angles.” We concluded that crazy quilting is so named because one goes crazy doing it. Rachel tried to make sense of my amoeba but finally threw up her hands. She did, however, send me home with a list of books about crazy quilting and a bit of Stitch Witchery, an iron-on adhesive, in a little plastic baggie.
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 Courtesy Borlaug Institute/ Matt Stellbauer Yousif Khalid Khdir, along with 12 other Iraqi agriculture personnel, visited the Poultry Center at Texas A&M University as part of a six-week agricultural training program. |
As part of the USDA-funded Iraq Agricultural Extension Revitalization project, Texas A&M University brought Iraqi agriculture personnel to Texas to introduce them to new agriculture technologies and methods that they can apply in their country.
The 13 Iraqis—10 from Iraq’s Ministry of Agriculture, two from the University of Baghdad and one from the University of Babil—received six weeks of agricultural instruction in October and November at Texas AgriLife facilities throughout the Lone Star State.
The revitalization project, which began in 2007, is implemented through a consortium of U.S. land-grant universities spearheaded by Texas A&M in cooperation with Iraq’s Ministry of Agriculture and Iraqi agricultural institutions. It is administered through the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture, located on the Texas A&M campus in College Station.
“The project is in its second phase, and now we’re focusing on bringing small groups of Iraqis involved in agriculture to the U.S. to acquire new knowledge, skills and methods they can take back and share with others in their country,” said Kate Whitney from the Borlaug Institute, who coordinated the training. “As part of our agreement, they have committed to share what they learn with others when they return to Iraq, so it’s basically a train-the-trainer program.”
The first week of training focused on extension methods and the 4-H youth development program.
“We wanted them to know about this program because so many Iraqi youth are involved in agriculture and because it will help them build their future,” Whitney said. “4-H programs in the U.S. help us develop future leaders, and a program like this can do the same in Iraq.”
The following weeks involved training in dairy, beef cattle and small ruminants as well as aquaculture and poultry. The group toured dairy operations in Central Texas, small ruminant operations in the San Angelo area and fish farms in Houston. At Texas A&M, they participated in hands-on activities at the university’s poultry lab. The group worked with university faculty and staff to develop curriculum, course materials and training strategies they can employ on their return to Iraq.
“We’re spending more time on training and education about small ruminants, especially sheep and goats, as these are very important to the Iraqis,” Whitney said. She added that even though dairy and beef cattle operations are less prevalent in Iraq, she thought the training and tours relating to these agricultural sectors would be useful because they are working to develop those industries.
Sajeda Eidan, a researcher and lecturer at the College of Agriculture at the University of Baghdad, was primarily interested in sheep, goat and cattle reproduction.
“I want to improve my skills and learn more about how new technology can help me in my work,” said Eidan, who has her doctorate in reproductive physiology. “I’m especially interested in how to use ultrasound to determine pregnancy in sheep and goats and in learning more about embryo transfer.”
Eidan added that she was hoping to learn how to genetically improve sheep and enhance the quality of their wool.
This year, the project will bring a total of 61 Iraqis from the agriculture ministry and agriculture universities to the U.S. to receive training.
“This type of project is key to providing food security, improving rural livelihoods, providing sustainable resource management and increasing economic development in Iraq,” said Ed Price, director of the Borlaug Institute. “Efforts like these will help stabilize the country and provide greater overall security for the Iraqi people.”
According to Price, the USDA initiated the project to provide agricultural extension training and support as well as expand agriculture-university development and promote private-sector involvement in Iraqi agriculture.
“The goal is to help achieve sustainable economic improvement for farmers and others living in rural communities throughout Iraq,” he said.
 Photo by Sue Weaver |
Uzzi and I love it when Mom writes a book. She always writes about making yummy treats for the species she’s writing about and we get to taste test what she makes. Now she’s writing about cattle so we got to eat Bull Cookies today. Yum yum!
Here is the recipe for Bull Cookies and recipes for Imbir’s Horse Treats and my favorite goat cookie, Martok’s Tasty Tidbits.
Make some for your animals and throw in some peppermint chips; Uzzi and I think they are the BEST!
Bull Cookies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl. Stir until mixture is the consistency of thick cookie dough. Drop tablespoons of dough on a greased cookie sheet, spacing cookies 1 inch apart and flattening slightly to form portions about the size of a silver dollar. Bake approximately one hour, until crisp.
Imbir’s Horse Treats
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine molasses, brown sugar, carrots and applesauce in one bowl and dry ingredients in another one. Slowly combine molasses mixture with dry ingredients, adding only enough molasses mixture to form thick dough. Drop tablespoons of dough on a greased cookie sheet, spacing cookies one inch apart and flattening slightly to form portions about the size of a silver dollar. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour; turn and bake approximately 45 minutes until crisp.
Martok’s Tasty Tidbits
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine sugar, flour, and crushed or grated items, then add oil and molasses. Stir until well blended. Mix should be sticky; if runny, add a little flour; if it’s too thick, add a dab of molasses. Divide into small balls, place on greased cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes or until crisp.
Optional: replace up to ¼ cup of the additional tidbits with crushed peppermints
Vermont Plays Matchmaker for Local Food IndustryBuyers and sellers “speed date” at the 2009 Local Food Matchmaker.Buyers and sellers “speed date” at the 2009 Local Food Matchmaker.local food, vermont matchmaker, agricultureBuyers and sellers “speed date” at the 2009 Local Food Matchmaker.By Rachael Brugger, Associate Web EditorNovember 13, 2009news, ufnews, rbrugger
 Courtesy Vermont Cheese Council/ Calley Hastings Robert Krupp from Granny Blossom’s Specialty Foods shares his product with potential buyers. Following the “speed-dating” model, Vermont’s local food producers and buyers got to know each other in short, 10-minute sessions. |
Local food exchange is all about relationships. Famers offer their products to local businesses and local businesses hire farmers to grow their food. The challenge lies, however, in getting these two willing groups to intersect.
To facilitate the “hooking up” of producers and buyers, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets adopted the speed-dating model and hosted the second Local Foods Matchmaker.
Participants from Vermont and neighboring New Hampshire and Massachusetts converged for a series of 10-minute sessions in which buyers sat down with sellers to hear a product pitch. If a connection was made, the two made plans to follow up on the offer.
For the 2009 event, 40 buyers and 60 sellers tested their “dating prowess” at the Juniper Hill Inn in Windsor, Vt. According to the organizers, it was a fun way to engage buyers and sellers on the local level and encouraged growth in Vermont’s local-food movement.
“The bigger purpose [of the Matchmaker] is to explore the place local foods can have in retail and food-service settings and to see what we can do to ensure that communications between producers and these types of commercial businesses run smoothly,” said Diane Bothfeld, Vermont’s deputy secretary of agriculture.
The agency co-sponsored the event with Vermont Fresh Network, Vermont Grocers’ Association, Vermont Specialty Foods Association, Healthcare Without Harm and Vermont Hospitality Council.
Diane Imrie, director of nutrition services at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, Vt., represented the hospital at this year’s event as a buyer.
“Almost four years ago, we signed a ‘Healthy Food in Health Care’ pledge that includes working directly with local farmers,” she said. “We have quite a few relationships with local farmers, but there are lots of foods that we haven’t found locally yet.”
At the Matchmaker, Imrie discovered a new local yogurt product and networked with Vermont farmers who could provide her with locally grown tomatoes.
Doug Davis, the director of food services at Burlington Local Schools, also in Burlington, Vt., was able to add the Vermont hydroponic tomato to the school’s menu as a result of this year’s Matchmaker and discuss nontraditional methods of getting food into the schools. The school system uses about $50,000 of local produce every year, up from just $300 a few years ago, Davis said.
“We’re trying to provide better meals for our kids while including the local community and local vendors,” Davis continued. “It’s important that we take the money we have and put it back into our community.”
On the sellers’ side, Harrison Lebowitz from Snow Farm Vineyard attended the event to introduce his vineyard, which he claimed is the oldest commercial vineyard and winery in Vermont.
“Locals want to support local businesses and visitors want to try everything local,” he said. “Why come to Vermont to drink a California wine?”
Each participant said they would attend future Matchmakers.
This was the Agency of Agriculture’s second matchmaking event.
“We used the lessons learned from last year to provide extra information through handouts and workshops to help buyers and sellers communicate with each other,” said Helen Labun Jordan, food policy administrator for the Vermont Agency of Agriculture. “Some people are picking up conversations they started a year ago, so it’s not unfamiliar territory any more.”
Play Local Foods Matchmaker
Organizations in other parts of the country can set up similar events in their area. In 2008, the first year of the Vermont Local Foods Matchmaker, organizers took a basic approach that required a simple venue and a minimal advertising budget.
For the venue, they set up small tables, to fit about four people each, where buyers and sellers could meet. They also allowed extra rooms where participants could meet and mingle while not in sessions.
The Vermont organizers also did not charge for the event, so they had to keep their marketing costs low. They sent out information about the event through e-mails, newsletters and calendars, as well as met with state agriculture organizations.
To make the Vermont event a success, the organizers focused on the buyer-seller relationship. They secured buyers who were interested in participating with enough time to woo interested sellers.
“The real success of the Matchmaker is in the energy generated between buyers and sellers – it’s a chance for participants to get out and meet new people, explore new products, and get excited about the diversity of the local food system,” Jordan said.
 Courtesy Vermont Cheese Council/ Calley Hastings Robert Krupp from Granny Blossom’s Specialty Foods shares his product with potential buyers. Following the “speed-dating” model, Vermont’s local food producers and buyers got to know each other in short, 10-minute sessions. |
Local food exchange is all about relationships. Famers offer their products to local businesses and local businesses hire farmers to grow their food. The challenge lies, however, in getting these two willing groups to intersect.
To facilitate the “hooking up” of producers and buyers, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets adopted the speed-dating model and hosted the second Local Foods Matchmaker.
Participants from Vermont and neighboring New Hampshire and Massachusetts converged for a series of 10-minute sessions in which buyers sat down with sellers to hear a product pitch. If a connection was made, the two made plans to follow up on the offer.
For the 2009 event, 40 buyers and 60 sellers tested their “dating prowess” at the Juniper Hill Inn in Windsor, Vt. According to the organizers, it was a fun way to engage buyers and sellers on the local level and encouraged growth in Vermont’s local-food movement.
“The bigger purpose [of the Matchmaker] is to explore the place local foods can have in retail and food-service settings and to see what we can do to ensure that communications between producers and these types of commercial businesses run smoothly,” said Diane Bothfeld, Vermont’s deputy secretary of agriculture.
The agency co-sponsored the event with Vermont Fresh Network, Vermont Grocers’ Association, Vermont Specialty Foods Association, Healthcare Without Harm and Vermont Hospitality Council.
Diane Imrie, director of nutrition services at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, Vt., represented the hospital at this year’s event as a buyer.
“Almost four years ago, we signed a ‘Healthy Food in Health Care’ pledge that includes working directly with local farmers,” she said. “We have quite a few relationships with local farmers, but there are lots of foods that we haven’t found locally yet.”
At the Matchmaker, Imrie discovered a new local yogurt product and networked with Vermont farmers who could provide her with locally grown tomatoes.
Doug Davis, the director of food services at Burlington Local Schools, also in Burlington, Vt., was able to add the Vermont hydroponic tomato to the school’s menu as a result of this year’s Matchmaker and discuss nontraditional methods of getting food into the schools. The school system uses about $50,000 of local produce every year, up from just $300 a few years ago, Davis said.
“We’re trying to provide better meals for our kids while including the local community and local vendors,” Davis continued. “It’s important that we take the money we have and put it back into our community.”
On the sellers’ side, Harrison Lebowitz from Snow Farm Vineyard attended the event to introduce his vineyard, which he claimed is the oldest commercial vineyard and winery in Vermont.
“Locals want to support local businesses and visitors want to try everything local,” he said. “Why come to Vermont to drink a California wine?”
Each participant said they would attend future Matchmakers.
This was the Agency of Agriculture’s second matchmaking event.
“We used the lessons learned from last year to provide extra information through handouts and workshops to help buyers and sellers communicate with each other,” said Helen Labun Jordan, food policy administrator for the Vermont Agency of Agriculture. “Some people are picking up conversations they started a year ago, so it’s not unfamiliar territory any more.”
Play Local Foods Matchmaker
Organizations in other parts of the country can set up similar events in their area. In 2008, the first year of the Vermont Local Foods Matchmaker, organizers took a basic approach that required a simple venue and a minimal advertising budget.
For the venue, they set up small tables, to fit about four people each, where buyers and sellers could meet. They also allowed extra rooms where participants could meet and mingle while not in sessions.
The Vermont organizers also did not charge for the event, so they had to keep their marketing costs low. They sent out information about the event through e-mails, newsletters and calendars, as well as met with state agriculture organizations.
To make the Vermont event a success, the organizers focused on the buyer-seller relationship. They secured buyers who were interested in participating with enough time to woo interested sellers.
“The real success of the Matchmaker is in the energy generated between buyers and sellers – it’s a chance for participants to get out and meet new people, explore new products, and get excited about the diversity of the local food system,” Jordan said.
 Calf scours and other complications in newborn calves lead to dehydration. |
Small farmers who have calves with scours can find the condition tricky to manage, as it not only leads to dehydration and possibly death of their animals, but also leaves few clues as to the cause.
Calf scours can be caused by a range of bacterial, viral and protozoal agents and is most likely to occur in the first weeks after birth, according to John Gay, DVM, of Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Typically, symptoms of scours are treated with high-energy electrolyte solutions that contain glycine, he said.
However, steps can be taken before birth to prevent and better manage calf scours within the herd, said Jerry Olson, DVM, of Pfizer Animal Clinic.
“Infected animals very quickly have problems with nutrient malabsorption, excess secretion of fluids and intestinal inflammation,” Olson said. “Once these factors start to snowball, their combined effect is difficult to overcome.”
Pfizer Animal Health offers the ScourGuard 4KC vaccination that protects against two pathogens that lead to scours—the rotavirus serotypes G6 and G10—and helps prevent diarrhea caused by coronavirus, E. coli K99 and Clostridium perfringens type C.
Vaccinations should be administered to the cow starting about six to eight weeks before birth. A booster should then be given three weeks before calving, when high levels of antibodies are present in the cow’s blood. Heifers should receive two doses of the vaccination, given about two weeks apart.
“Timing of the vaccination is important,” said Benjamin Church, a Pfizer spokesperson. “From the time you administer the vaccine until the immune system peaks in producing antibody to the agents in the vaccine is about three weeks in animals that have been previously vaccinated.”
Farmers should consult a veterinarian if interested in the vaccine, Church advised. Cows being treated with other Gram-negative vaccines for scours or pinkeye are at risk for Gram-negative stacking, which could lead to abortion.
For farmers wary of vaccinations or who simply cannot afford it, Gay gave other tips for preventing calf scours:
1. Don’t buy calves from sales yards
2. Provide a clean are for cows to calve
3. Give newborn calves sufficient amounts of high-quality, cleanly handled colostrum
4. Follow up the colostrum with clean whole milk or a high-quality substitute
 Photo by Cherie Langlois |
I’m not fond of these shorter, soggier, colder, darker days, but I can think of one good thing about them: they give me the perfect excuse to stay inside where it’s warm, dry and lamplit, and get crafty.
The relentless approach of the holidays also plays a part in spurring this renewed interest, nudging me to break out my knitting or rughooking, put “clean/organize craft closet” on my to-do list, and start making inexpensive country greeting cards.
I guess I’m a bit old-fashioned, in this age of e-mail correspondence, but I still love giving and receiving real cards with real handwriting that you can hold in your two hands, prop on the piano, and then stash in a “Sentimental Stuff” box to keep forever.
I know there are lots of creative ways to make cards, but since I often make them at the last minute (as in, “OMG, it’s [fill in the blank]’s birthday tomorrow!”) and photography is a passion of mine, I tend to gravitate toward extremely quick and easy photo cards (I also create cards from pen and ink drawings, but that takes a loooong time).
All you need is:
 Photo by Cherie Langlois |
1. Shoot your photos and print them out. Today’s advanced digital cameras practically take good pictures by themselves.
And living here in the country, we’re surrounded by beautiful, interesting subjects to photograph at any time of year: family, animals, wildlife, gardens, barns, rural landscapes, you name it.
A few tips: when composing your pictures, think vertical as well as horizontal and ensure there’s no clutter in your background. Use your photo software to play with color, eliminate red-eye, etc. I usually print out photos in a 4 x 6 size for cards.
2. Glue or tape your photo to the front of the blank card. If using glue, place a book on top and let dry a minute before proceeding. OK, I just discovered the existence of photo greeting cards that print directly from your computer, so you could even skip this step.
3. Think up a funny, poignant, romantic, silly, festive or other sentiment to write in your card. You’d think this would be the easy part for me, being a writer, but it’s actually the hardest!
What craft are you up to now?
~ Cherie
 Photo by Rachael Brugger |
Ingredients
Preparation
Melt chocolate chips in the top of a double boiler over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Add egg yolks to the mixture and beat well. (It will begin to thicken.) Add cream cheese and amaretto and mix until smooth. Cover and chill until firm, about 1 to 2 hours.
Shape mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls; roll in almonds or other topping of your choice.
To serve, pour about 2 tablespoons amaretto into a wine glass. Place truffle in the glass and top with whipped cream.
Makes 36 truffles.
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Ingredients
Preparation
Combine ingredients and mix to moisten. Form into slightly flattened balls. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 425 degrees F for about 10 minutes, until golden.
Makes 10 biscuits.
