OR CR F-M16 - The Country Register
Transcription
OR CR F-M16 - The Country Register
2 The Country Register of Oregon 515 E Carefree Hwy #1128 • Phoenix, AZ 85085 602.942.8950 • 888.942.8950 Fax 602.866.3136 oregon@barlomedia.com www.countryregister.com/oregon Barb Stillman Lolly Konecky Publisher barb@barlomedia.com Patty Duncan Sales/Office Assistant Adrieanna Gaston Office Assistant Publisher/Art Director lolly@barlomedia.com Sandi Nickler Graphics Assistant Phyllis Cypert Sales/Office Assistant The Oregon Country Register is published by: Nancy Williams Consultant The Deadline for the April-May Issue is March 1st for Ads & Articles. Our feature articles will focus on Tea & Tea Rooms and Celebrating Mother’s Day! The Country Register is a United States and Canadian network of independently owned and published specialty newspapers for the consumer who enjoys outstanding shopping, events, day & overnight excursions and specialty classes. Publisher’s contact numbers across the USA & Canada for The Country Register Send $3 to any publisher below to obtain a paper from another area: * Indicates these editions are available on-line at www.countryregister.com USA Alabama: Dave & Amy Carter, P.O. Box 365, New Market, MD, 21774, 866-825-9217 * Arizona: Barbara Stillman and Lolly Konecky, 515 E Carefree Hwy #1128, Phoenix, AZ, 85085, 602-942-8950 * Arkansas: Lenda & Richard Brown, P.O. Box 32581, Oklahoma City, OK, 73123, phone/fax 405-470-2597 * California and N. Nevada: Barbara Stillman and Lolly Konecky, 515 E Carefree Hwy #1128, Phoenix, AZ, 85085, 602-942-8950 Colorado: Jan & John Keller, 16755 Oak Brush Loop, Peyton, CO, 80831, 719-749-9797 * Connecticut: Michael Dempsey, 10213 Fanny Brown Road, Raleigh, NC , 27603, 919-661-1760 * Delaware: Merle and Gail Taylor, P.O. Box 128, Owens Cross Roads, AL, 888-616-8319 * Florida: Dave & Amy Carter, P.O. Box 365, New Market, MD, 21774, 866-825-9217 * Georgia: Linda Parish, P.O. Box 389, Lexington, GA, 30648, 706-340-1049 * Idaho (N): Dee Sleep, 10563 Chicken Creek Road, Spearfish, SD 57783, 605-722-7028 * Idaho (S) WA & E. OR: Barbara Stillman and Lolly Konecky, 515 E Carefree Hwy #1128, Phoenix, AZ, 85085, 602-942-8950 * Illinois: Lenda & Richard Brown,, P.O. Box 32581, Oklahoma City, OK, 73123, phone/fax 405-470-2597 * Indiana: Merle and Gail Taylor, P.O. Box 128, Owens Cross Roads, AL, 888-616-8319 Iowa: Linda Glendy, P.O. Box 6, Tama, IA 52339, 641-751-2619 * Kansas: Cindy Baldwin, 988 9th Ave., McPherson, KS 67460, 866-966-9815 * Kentucky: Chris & Kelly Kennedy, 5804 Whitrose Way, New Market, MD 21774, 443-243-1118 * Maine: Gail Hageman, 221 Winslow Rd, Albion, ME 04910, 207-437-2663 * Maryland: Dave & Amy Carter, P.O. Box 365, New Market, MD, 21774, 866-825-9217 * Massachusetts-RI: Michael Dempsey, 10213 Fanny Brown Road, Raleigh, NC 27603, 919-661-1760 Michigan: Bill and Marlene Howell, 3790 Manistee, Saginaw, MI, 48603-3143, 989-793-4211 * Minnesota: Kim & Mickey Keller, 12835 Kiska St. NE, Blaine, MN, 55449, 763-754-1661 * Missouri: Lenda & Richard Brown,, P.O. Box 32581, Oklahoma City, OK, 73123, phone/fax 405-470-2597 * Montana: Dee Sleep, 10563 Chicken Creek Road, Spearfish, SD 57783, 605-722-7028 * Nebraska: Barbara Stillman and Lolly Konecky, 515 E Carefree Hwy #1128, Phoenix, AZ, 85085, 602-942-8950 * Nevada (N): Barbara Stillman and Lolly Konecky, 515 E Carefree Hwy #1128, Phoenix, AZ, 85085, 602-942-8950 * Nevada (S): Glena Dunn, 4568 Carol Circle, Las Vegas, NV, 89120, 702-523-1803 New Hampshire: Kathleen Graham, 330 North Road, Deerfield, NH, 03037, 603-463-3703 * New Jersey: Merle and Gail Taylor, P.O. Box 128, Owens Cross Roads, AL, 888-616-8319 New Mexico: Jan & John Keller, 16755 Oak Brush Loop, Peyton, CO, 80831, 719-749-9797 * New York: Dave & Amy Carter, P.O. Box 365, New Market, MD, 21774, 866-825-9217 * N. Carolina: Barbara Stillman and Lolly Konecky, 515 E Carefree Hwy #1128, Phoenix, AZ, 85085, 602-942-8950 * North Dakota: Dee Sleep, 10563 Chicken Creek Road, Spearfish, SD 57783, 605-722-7028 * Ohio: Barb Moore, P. O. Box 37, Cable, OH, 43009, 937-652-1157 * Oklahoma: Lenda & Richard Brown,, P.O. Box 32581, Oklahoma City, OK, 73123, phone/fax 405-470-2597 * Oregon: Barbara Stillman and Lolly Konecky, 515 E Carefree Hwy #1128, Phoenix, AZ, 85085, 602-942-8950 * Pennsylvania: Dave & Amy Carter, P.O. Box 365, New Market, MD, 21774, 866-825-9217 * Rhode Island: Michael Dempsey, 10213 Fanny Brown Road, Raleigh, NC , 27603, 919-661-1760 * S. Carolina: Barbara Stillman and Lolly Konecky, 515 E Carefree Hwy #1128, Phoenix, AZ, 85085, 602-942-8950 * South Dakota: Dee Sleep, 10563 Chicken Creek Road, Spearfish, SD 57783, 605-722-7028 * Tennessee: Chris & Kelly Kennedy, 5804 Whitrose Way, New Market, MD 21774, 443-243-1118 * Texas: Lenda & Richard Brown,, P.O. Box 32581, Oklahoma City, OK, 73123, phone/fax 405-470-2597 * Utah: Daniel & Stacy Tueller, 153 S 2050 W, Provo UT 84601, 801-592-8498 Vermont: Chris & Kelly Kennedy, 5804 Whitrose Way, New Market, MD 21774, 443-243-1118 * Virginia: Dave & Amy Carter, P.O. Box 365, New Market, MD, 21774, 866-825-9217 * Washington & E. OR & S. ID: Barbara Stillman and Lolly Konecky, 515 E Carefree Hwy #1128, Phoenix, AZ, 85085, 602-942-8950 * West Virginia: Dave & Amy Carter, P.O. Box 365, New Market, MD, 21774, 866-825-9217 * Wisconsin: Scott & Jennifer Hughes, P. O. Box 276, Altoona, WI, 54720, 715-838-9426 * Wyoming: Dee Sleep, 10563 Chicken Creek Road, Spearfish, SD 57783, 605-722-7028 Index for Feb-March 2016 Special Events ........................................... 3, 6-10, 15-18, 20 Oregon Coast .................................................................3-4 Myrtle Creek • Klamath Falls • Merrill • Grants Pass .......... 5 La Pine • Bend ................................................................... 6 Prairie City • Terebonne • Redmond • Sisters .................... 7 Roseburg • Drain • Sutherlin • Brownsville ......................... 8 Eugene • Springfield ......................................................... 9 Lebanon • Corvallis ......................................................... 10 Philomath • Albany .......................................................... 11 Independence • Stayton • Dallas ..................................... 12 Salem • Jefferson ............................................................. 13 Newburg • Wilsonville • Yamhill....................................... 14 Sandy • Gresham • Molalla • Aurora................................. 15 Beaverton • Tigard • Hillsboro • Portland ......................... 16 Mikwaukie • Corbett • Ridgefield, WA ............................. 17 Spokane Valley, WA • Odessa, WA • Forks, WA ................. 18 Online Shops & Services ............................................ 18-19 Cover Story Rebecca Barker’s Quiltscapes Rebecca Barker grew up on her family’s dairy farm in Oxford, Ohio. Her childhood appreciation for quilts and country life inspires the subjects she paints today. She began painting in her early teens and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Ohio University. She also attended Miami University’s graduate painting school. Rebecca has painted a series of paintings she dubs “QUILTSCAPES.” The title of the quilt pattern is depicted in the picture. For example, the Log Cabin Quilt has a log cabin in the background. Rebecca paints her QUILTSCAPES in acrylic on board (masonite). The patterns come from quilt history books and she attends quilt shows. Her style is realistic with clean, clear colors and a sensitivity to composition and texture. “My work is meant to honor the beauty of old time quilt patterns.” For a free color brochure call or send a SASE to: Rebecca Barker’s Quiltscapes 1085 willow Ave. Glendale, OH 45246 Phone: 513-521-4021 Website: www.barkerquiltscapes.com Send in this form or go online to receive each issue of... C Six issues mailed directly to you for only Disclaimer from our advertisers would be appreciated and would assist in our efforts. Copyright © 2016 by The Country Register, 515 E Carefree Hwy, #1128, Phoenix, AZ 85085. $18.00 Name:_______________________________________________________ Address:_____________________________________________________ City:______________________ State:_______________ Zip:__________ Phone:______________________ * Alberta: Ruth Burke, P.O. Box 97, Heisler, AB, T0B2A0, (780) 889-3776 British Columbia: Bryan Stonehill, Box 1338, Summerland, BC, V0H 1Z0, 800-784-6711 * Manitoba & Saskatchewan: Scott & Marj Kearns, Box 850, Kipling, SK, S0G 2S0, 306-736-2441 * Ontario: Harriet Ramos, Box 60, 4338 Innes Rd., Orleans, ON K4A 3W3, 613-612-8465 Articles published in this newspaper, which are contributed from an outside source, express the opinions of their authors only and may not express the viewpoint(s) of the management or staff of The Country Register. Such articles that are accepted for publication herein may be edited at the sole discretion of the publisher. Responsibility for products advertised in this newspaper lies with the advertisers themselves. Though The Country Register will not knowingly publish fraudulent materials or fraudulently obtained materials, we are not liable for any damages arising from the purchase or use of products advertised herein. Notification regarding any consumer complaints related to merchandise purchased R The ountry egister CANADA For more information about publishing The Country Register in your area contact Barbara Floyd at 602-237-6008 or email barbara@countryregister.com. Oregon (OR) Send check or money order to: The Country Register 515 E. Carefree Hwy, #1128 Phoenix, AZ 85085 Start my subscription: Current Issue THE COUNTRY REGISTER, Months of Feb-March 2016. THE COUNTRY REGISTER is published every other month. Copyright 2016. Reproduction or use, without permission, of editorial or graphic content in any manner is prohibited by law. 515 E Carefree Hwy, #1128, Phoenix, AZ 85085. Subscription price: 1 Year, 6 Issues, $18.00. Single copies: $3.00. The paper is furnished free to the customers at each advertiser. THE COUNTRY REGISTER is registered as a business trade name and also a trademark in the State of Arizona. Feb-March 16 Oregon Coast Vintage African Indigo Batiks —The Fabric of Life by Simone Gers When my husband Tray gets home from a “picking” trip, my first question is usually, “What’s your favorite find?” Earlier this year, it was Vintage Indigo Batiks from Africa. He couldn’t stop gushing about them. And they are beautiful. I’m a pragmatic person so I love items that have multiple purposes and indigo batiks are so inspirational. Of course, they make great shawls and wraps and are fantastic for throws. Some people like the lighter-weighted textiles for clothing and we like the heavier batiks for the throws. They bring tablescapes to life and make gorgeous tablecloths for all kinds of dishes, especially white ironstone and yellow or red Fiestaware. Many people are using batiks for pillows, bolsters and upholstery work—and it’s no wonder because the handwork on vintage indigo batiks is inspiring. Each batik, like a quilt, tells a story that is handed down from father to son, mother to daughter. Sections of cloth are composed of individual motifs such as fish bones, little stars or hunters and each piece has its own unique tale to tell. There are some themes, like wealth and luxury, calabash flowers (a sign of prosperity), brave and fearless, yet meanings differ depending on the individual, ethnic group or region. Continued on page 4... Super Bolt Sale - Sunday, February 7th Quilt Run 101 Shop Hop - February 5-15th 1110 Main Ave. Tillamook, Oregon 97141 • 503-842-9392 Hours: Mon-Fri 9-5 • Sat 10-4 • Closed Sundays & Holidays We are your “Creative Sewing” Center er Come & See Us For All Your Sewing Needs We are Now a Janome Dealer 3 4 Oregon Coast Everything for the Quilter • Authorized APQS Sales • Large Selection of Kits Longarm Quilting – You or Me • Original Patterns 120 Central, Coos Bay, OR • (541) 267-0749 HOURS: Mon~Sat 9:30~5:30 • Closed Sun Open Sundays 9:30-5:30 during Quilt Run www.ThreadsThatBindCoosBay.com Email: threadsthatbind@frontier.com Oregon Vintage Batik, continued from page 3... African Batik was originally imported in the 19th century by Dutch merchants from Indonesia where paste made from starch or mud is used as a resist instead of wax and the dye is made through a process of grinding indigo plant leaves. African batiks feature larger motifs with thicker lines and more colors than Javanese batik. The complexity of the weave, the color and the type of thread used determines the value of the fabric. I love looking at the batiks and wondering about the families who made them and what the symbols meant to them. I like to compare the weaves and feel the different textures between my fingers. It’s interesting to look at the blues next to each other and wonder how many times each piece was dipped to get it to its perfect shade of indigo. I love that each piece is unique. I love watching customers feel the fabrics between their fingers, throw a batik over their shoulders, wrapping themselves in history. And when someone brings a gorgeous indigo batik up to the register, I wonder what stories will be told about this great, one-of-a-kind find and what memories will become enmeshed with the stories already woven into the fabric. Simone Gers began her antiquing journey 35 years ago when she married Tray, an avid collector. They still have the first piece they bought together—a pegged farm table that was so decrepit it was behind the antique store— and they have been upcycling vintage finds ever since. The Gers own Gather A Vintage Market in Tucson, AZ, a monthly market. Simone has taught writing and literature at the college level for many years. Myrtle Creek • Klamath Falls • Merrill • Grants Pass Feb-March 16 5 Life Threaded in Stitchings by Ann St. Martin Stout YiaYia, my Greek grandmother, enjoyed crocheting. Her handiwork, while not legendary, was certainly impressive to me as a 10-year-old. Big bright spools of crochet thread were found near each of her resting chairs. When she finished crocheting each day, she slipped her slim, shiny crochet hook under the threads and tucked the unfinished length of lace inside the hollow cardboard spool. When YiaYia took up her crochet hook and cotton thread, the fingers of her dry, wrinkled hands flew as she made inch after inch of lace. These colorful strips—gold, red, aqua— would soon decorate a pair of pillowcases. While she worked, she told me about life in Greece and about immigrating to America as a 16-year-old. As YiaYia grew older, she made more pillow trim than anything else. In younger days, she had made doilies to cover the arms of her over-stuffed chairs, lace to trim curtains, and square tops for throw pillows. Most familiar, though, were the rainbow of pillowcase trims resting against crisp white bed sheets in each of her rooms and in the beds of her children’s and grandchildren’s homes. When YiaYia finished a yard of lace, she joined the ends and stitched the loop to the edge of a new white pillowcase. For this project, she unearthed from the bedroom closet what seemed to me an ancient Singer hand-cranked sewing machine, shiny black with a painted design that looked like gold filigree. It was one of the first things she had bought when she earned enough money as a young worker in a Lowell, Massachusetts, cotton mill. For a half-century, that machine stitched lace to pillowcases and created and patched clothing of three generations. This particular model required more coordination to operate than other machines because it was run by a hand crank. With the left hand, lace and fabric were fed to the needle while the right hand kept a steady rhythm in a clockwise motion making the needle march in place. When the sewing machine sat at the end of the dinner table, the tablecloth pushed back, I was eager to see what YiaYia was making. In the ‘60s and ‘70s, the era I recall most vividly, she was often patching dungarees for my older cousins. Long before I was born, though, she had stitched bleached cotton sugar bags into underwear for her own children and made other practical things like aprons and skirts for her family to wear. I’ve been married now for 35 years. We still sleep on the pillowcases YiaYia made for me. We store them in the linen closet beside the stack of flowered pillowcases from many sets of sheets. When a piece of YiaYia’s lace begins to unravel, I thread a needle and repair it. I fear that if the lace unwinds, little by little, some memories of YiaYia may also unwind and I would lose a bit of the thread that holds the years of my life together. Ann St. Martin Stout writes from Newport, NH, where she lives with her family and is always on the lookout for free heartwarming experiences to share. Her blog is www. leavesarefree.tumblr.com.© Ann St. Martin Stout “We Go For The Old-Time Quilting” RJR • In The Beginning • Moda Hoffman • P&B • Clotheworks Marcus Brothers • Northcolt Baum Textile Mills Timeless Treasures Old Feed Sacks Open: Mon-Sat • 8-5 Fire Hall 26654 Rocky Point Rd. Klamath Falls, OR 97601 Medford 140 Hwy We have classes and a big smile on our faces Welcome to our amazing quilt shop filled with displays, kits & samples to inspire you. Well worth the drive! We have something for everyone! We offer Quilt-cations along with our annual Fall retreat. We look forward to your visit! Save the Date! Huge Annual Sale! Sat • April 23rd (Closed Fri Apr 22nd for sale prep) M-F 10-5 and Sat 10-4 www.taterpatchquilts.com 109 E. Front St., Merrill, OR 97633 (541) 798-5955 Downtown Merrill 66 Hwy 1.5 miles to store Rocky Roint Rd 541-356-2218 541-281-0030 Quilting Sisters 6 La Pine • Bend • Special Event Oregon Clean Out Your Scraps And Make a Great Quilt! Sew Many Quilts 2008 TOP TEN QUILT SHOP Over 300 samples on display! View our Website for Classes! 1375 SE Wilson Ave., #170, Bend, OR 97702 (just east of Parr Lumber) Mon-Fri 10am-5:30pm • Sat 10am - 5pm • Sun 12pm-4pm Phone: 541-385-7166 www.sewmanyquiltsinbend.com by Deb Heatherly It’s that time of year—time to sort and organize. For some reason, I feel the need to do this once every year in my sewing room. First, I neatly fold all of the yardage that has been haphazardly tossed back into the closet during frenzied moments of creations during the past year. Next, I take out all of the scraps that have been piling up in my scrap basket and sort and press each piece. I then cut these pieces into ‘usable’ pieces, such as 2 ½” strips, and 5” and 10” squares. My now ‘usable’ scraps are then placed into labeled boxes and ready to be stitched at a moment’s notice. Finally, I cut a box full of light and dark 2 ½” x 4 ½” rectangles. These will go into my annual “Twist n Shout Rectangles” quilt. The blocks in this quilt are a great way to use up scraps and are super easy. By themselves, they look pretty boring but, once they are sewn together, they form a secondary pattern that will have you shouting and doing the happy dance. This simple pattern makes a fast gift and is fun to do with friends. You could even organize a scrap exchange to give your quilt more variety. Make sure to email me pictures at Debscatsnquilts@aol.com. I would love to see your creations. Deb Heatherly is a Creative Grids® designer and author of the books Cat’itude and Strippy Stars. Ask for her Creative Grids® CGRDH1 Cat’s Cradle Tool and CGRDH2 Strippy Stars tools, and these companion books at your local quilt shop. Deb owns Deb’s Cats N Quilts in Franklin, NC. She is a former freelance writer and designer for QUILT magazine. See Deb’s “Twist N Shout Rectangles” pattern on the next page! Building Harmony A Weekend with Hunter by Jeff Cappis Cathy and I don’t get to see as much of our grandchildren as we’d like. We admit it. Often, life gets in the way and time has a way of passing. The other day Cathy reminded me that our grandson, Hunter, was turning nine. It had been ages since we’d spent some quality time together, just the two of us. I made a point of planning a whole weekend around his birthday. I hoped it would be memorable for him and we could reconnect. We were still close, but it had been a while. I picked him up on Friday after school. The plan was to take him home for a birthday dinner, followed by games and a movie. On Saturday, I planned to take him into town for a few games of laser tag, a monster truck show, dinner wherever he wanted, and maybe play a round of mini-golf. We had a long drive to the acreage and didn’t seem to have much to talk about. I turned on the radio to fill the void. He likes to listen to the stations that give me a headache. I like listening to stations that made him want to “scoop his brains out and feed them to zombies.” Well, I didn’t want that to happen so, on the way home, I got a big headache. The snow was beginning to fall around five o’clock. Heavy. The temperature dipped well below zero and the sun was going down. I thought we were home free until my truck got stuck at the bottom of our driveway. We took a long walk through the deep snow up to the house. The door was locked and my keys were in the truck. It was then that Hunter turned to me and said, “Oh ya, I forgot, you left your headlights on.” To get my truck unstuck, we started up my quad with the snowplow on it. You may have heard me refer to it as “Satan” in other stories. Well, good ol’ “Satan” got us down to my truck all right. Then it died and refused to start. By the time we got up to the house, our boots were filled with snow. The blizzard was in full swing. I knew we weren’t going anywhere on Saturday. Cathy had prepared a birthday dinner for Hunter, though. He loved it. He stuffed himself with hot dogs and macaroni. We sang Happy Birthday to him (off key) and he blew out the birthday candles. Then he stuffed himself with rich chocolate cake and icing and downed half a soda. Yeah, we should have known better. It took us twenty minutes to clean up the mess. Hunter felt kind of sick for the rest of the night. I may never eat hot dogs and macaroni again. Worst of all was the smell. We tried opening windows and a blizzard went through the house. Because of the storm, our power was constantly up and down. It was pointless to try watching a movie, play video games or anything on the Internet. I was feeling sorry for Hunter. This was turning out to be a bummer of a birthday. I kept a big fire going, Cathy tended to his ailment and Hunter, well, he persevered feeling sick and making small talk with his grandparents. Turns out, listening to old people go on and on about when they were your age is boring. The 1970s were in the last century so who cares. And so the weekend went. The smell had gone by noon Saturday but the blizzard raged on. We all got a lot of sleep. We played a few board games. (Old ones from the last century—1998.) We had few laughs and even managed to bake some cookies. The conversations did get much better, but the weekend was nothing like we had planned. On Sunday, the storm finally subsided and the good old sun came out. Hunter and I spent the day digging Satan out of the snow and dragging its sorry frame back up the hill to the garage. We cleared the driveway by hand and drove my truck up. Then Satan began to run fine. Hunter’s mother was coming to pick him up at five o’clock so all we had time for was a cup of hot chocolate. I did a little soul searching. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out the way we planned. This must have been a real disappointment for you.” “Yeah, we did miss doing a lot of cool stuff. Maybe some other time,” he said, looking down for a second. Then he looked up, “But can we do this again next weekend?” “Sure,” I said with a smile. “I’ll order up another blizzard. But next time, no chocolate cake and soda.” Copyright by Jeff Cappis. Email: jcappis@telus.net. Feb-March 16 Prairie City • Terrebonne • Redmond • Sisters 7 High Mountain Fabric Quilt Shop 2500 sq. ft. of Quilting Stuff!! 100% Cotton Fabrics • Books • Notions Check out our discounts! Behind Carpetco•541-548-6909 1542 S. Hwy 97 • Redmond, OR 97756 Mon 10-2 •Tues - Fri 10-4 • sat 10-2 • Closed Sun Open longer hours July 4 to July 9 Check year-endinsafor les! 8 Roseburg • Drain • Sutherlin • Brownsville Oregon Umpqua Valley Quilters’ Guild Is Expanding Its April 2016 Quilt Show Umpqua Valley Quilters’ Guild of Roseburg is expanding its 33rd Annual Quilt Show and is offering several new features—plus it is moving to a larger exhibit building! The 2016 event, “Stars Over Oregon,” will be held Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 22, 23 and 24, at the Douglas County Fairgrounds – Douglas Hall. The Guild is very excited to offer two full-day quilt workshops taught by noted quilt professional Peggy Gelbrich of Yamhill, OR. On Friday, Peggy will be teaching a class on how to make the “Rocky Road to Kansas” quilt, an easy design, and on Saturday, a class on her original design, “Glorious Clams.” Peggy says, “Glorious Clams” is a fun quilt to make and it is not as difficult as it looks. You’ll learn foundation piecing using freezer paper. With this technique, there is no paper to tear way from the back. You’ll also learn curved piecing.” Peggy’s website is www. yellowhousequilter.com. Two hour “Make and Take” classes will also be available during which participants will complete a small project on brand new sewing machines to take home with them. Seventeen Vendors will be selling fabrics, quilting tools and rulers, sewing machines, long arm machines, patterns, quilt kits and more. They will also be offering fun door prizes! A Stitch and Sew Emporium will have handmade items for sale, including small quilts, tote bags, pincushions, all made with love by guild members. For the first time ever, food 2016 Raffle Quilt “Galaxy of Stars” will be offered at another new feature—a Quilters Café—where attendees have a place to relax and enjoy lunch, a pastry or cup of coffee. More than 300 quilts or quilted items will be exhibited at this professionally judged show. Four premium award ribbons will be awarded for: Best of Show, which includes a $250.00 cash prize; Mayor’s Choice; President’s Choice; and Viewer’s Choice. The 2016 raffle quilt, “Galaxy of Stars” is an original design by guild member Doris Koozer with the curved piecing being done with the “Piec-lique’” technique. It was expertly machine quilted by guild member Corrine Woodward. It is a 90” x 96” queen-size quilt and has an estimated retail value of $2,000. Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5 and the drawing will be held on Sunday, April 24, at about 3 p.m. The winner need not be present to win. Featured Quilter is Sheila Sinclair Snyder of Eugene, a quilt professional who has written books, puts on workshops, gives lectures and teaches long arm quilting. Sheila is well known for her fabulous pieced fabric footstool that she designed. Sheila’s website is www.licensetoquilt.com. Honored quilter is guild member Nancy Jarvis. She had been the Quilt Show Chairwoman for a number of years and even though she worked tirelessly on the show, she still managed to make an amazing number of quilts. The Guild is pleased to honor her as a quilter and as a revered member. “Stars Over Oregon” hours are: Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Daily admission is $6.00. The Fairgrounds are located at 2110 Frear St, Roseburg (I-5, exit 123). Established in 1982, the purpose of the Umpqua Valley Quilters’ Guild is to promote the joy of quilting as a creative expression and an art form. Guild meetings are a time set aside to learn more about the history of quilt making, explore new quilting techniques, share quilting experiences and inform the community about the art of quilt making. To learn more about the Quilt Show and the Guild, go to www.umpquavalleyquilters. com, or follow Umpqua Valley Quilters’ Guild Quilt Show on Facebook. Located in Southern Oregon, Roseburg and the Umpqua Valley are home to over two dozen wineries where vintners produce a variety of award winning wines. Self -guided tasting room tours or bus tours and are available. Experience world-class fishing in the Umpqua Rivers. Visitors can also participate in mountain biking, boating and golf, all in a beautiful locale. It’s just an hour to the Oregon Coast and a short drive to Crater Lake along the most scenic drive in Oregon. Deep Dark Espresso Brownies courtesy Cooksrecipes.com These rich, dark brownies, intensely flavored with instant espresso, will transport the coffee lover straight to espresso heaven! 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar 3/4 cup butter, melted 1/2 cup granulated sugar 3 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup instant espresso coffee powder 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips 1/4 cup powdered sugar Cooking Directions: Preheat oven to 375º F (175º C). Lightly butter and flour a 9-inch square baking pan; set aside. Beat brown sugar, butter and granulated sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Add eggs, vanilla and salt. Beat until well blended. Stir in espresso powder, flour and baking powder, mixing until smooth. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan. Lightly dust top with powdered sugar and cut into bars. Makes 24 brownies. Feb-March 16 Eugene • Springfield 9 The Tale of a Box from My Closet by Kerri Habben Winter offers powerful lessons that it is a good time to finish up old tasks. Of course, I’ve also received the last phrase of that sentence in a fortune cookie. Whatever the inspiration, I’ll make it my own: It is a good time to finish up old tasks and to allow the past to settle into the future. I have a tangible task; it sits before me in a box, waiting patiently as it has for the last nine years. There is nothing onerous, dreary or disturbing in my box. There is no lurking regret, sweat-breaking doubt or even intense grief. There is a beautiful memory, one so heartbreakingly warm that I rarely rewind the moment. That way, it remains vibrant and alive. Now I wish to share it with you. It is mid-August, 2006. Three generations of women sit together in a resident’s room at an assisted living community. The resident, the oldest at four months shy of 100 years of age, crochets, as do her daughter and granddaughter. It is as it has ever been for as long as the daughter and granddaughter can remember. Except for the grandmother’s hands. Their efficient rhythm has lost its steady stamina. There are gentle bursts of energy and then periods of complete rest. The process repeats itself until the yarn sits still and quiet in her lap. All of them know that the desire to try remains, but as the saying goes, the flesh is weak and tired. A rare sadness and passivity creeps into the grandmother’s eyes. The granddaughter finds a pretty basket in the closet. They ask the grandmother if she would like to put the yarn there so she can pick it up when she feels more rested. The grandmother nods with a relieved acceptance, releases the skeins and the partially finished granny square into the basket. 91 years of crocheting comes to an end. Three weeks later, the grandmother passes peacefully away at the hospital, dying of aplastic anemia, wherein her bone marrow ceased to produce blood cells and platelets. The blanket and yarn was packed up and the granddaughter placed it in her closet with the thought that she and her mother should finish it one day. She waited to finish it because what she felt from the blanket was the weakening of strength and durability. She knew, naturally, that one day her grandmother would no longer be living, but somehow it seemed like her hands would forever be steadily moving. After a time, whenever the granddaughter saw the box, she still thought of finishing it one day. But this time, somehow, she even forgot what was in the box. Which meant it was more than time to complete the blanket. So on this winter’s day, I open the box. I remove the yarn, whereupon the square appears lost. I reach out to embrace and reassure it and I find that instead it comforts me. During its long hibernation, the atrophy I feared to feel has somehow again grown into a new, deeper strength. Or, perhaps, time has the same effect on a blanket as it does on the human heart. I pick up a crochet hook and I decide to crochet one row to outline my grandmother’s work. And it is then that I know that her work never stopped at all. She is within every efficient and steady motion of my mother’s and my hands. The past settles into the future. It is a good time to finish up old tasks. Kerri Habben is a writer, photographer, and crochet instructor living in Raleigh, NC. An avid crocheter and knitter, she learned these skills from her grandmother and mother. She donates many of her yarn creations to those in need. Kerri has gathered a decade of essays she is working to publish. She can be reached at elhserenade@earthlink.net. Garlic-Ginger Beef & Noodle Soup courtesy Cooksrecipes.com 1 pounds beef top sirloin steak, cut 3/4-inch thick 2 tablespoons minced garlic - divided use 3 teaspoons minced fresh ginger - divided use 1 tablespoon sesame oil 4 cups reduced-sodium beef broth 4 ounces uncooked thin spaghetti or rice noodles, broken into thirds 1 (12 to 16-ounce) package frozen stir-fry vegetable blend 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce (optional) Cooking Directions: Cut beef steak lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick strips. Combine 1 tablespoon garlic, 2 teaspoons ginger, sesame oil and beef in medium bowl; toss to coat. Cover and marinate in refrigerate 30 minutes to 2 hours. Combine broth, remaining 1 tablespoon garlic and remaining 1 teaspoon ginger in stockpot; bring to a boil. Stir in pasta and vegetables; bring to boil. Reduce heat and cook, uncovered, 4 to 6 minutes or until pasta and vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, heat large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add half of beef; stir-fry 1 to 3 minutes or until outside surface of beef is no longer pink. Remove from skillet. Repeat with remaining beef. Keep warm. Remove soup from heat; stir in beef and, if desired, soy sauce. 10 Lebanon • Corvallis • Special Events Oregon From Lydia’s Recipe File: French Onion Soup If French is the language of love, what better way to express your love than with French onion soup? And your friends will undoubtedly ask for amour of this tasty, easy-to-make soup. For Valentine’s Day, cut the cheese into heart shapes to fit on the bread slices. Ingredients 1 package Onion Soup Mix (such as Lipton) 1 tablespoon sugar (optional) sliced French bread (one or two slices per person) Swiss cheese slices (one or two per person) Directions 1. Prepare onion soup mix according to package directions. Add sugar and simmer. 2. Toast one or more slices of French bread for each person. Butter if desired. 3. Top each slice of toast with a slice of Swiss cheese cut to fit the bread. 4. Microwave bread for 30 seconds or until cheese melts. 5. Pour hot soup into bowls. Top each with bread and melted cheese. Enjoy! Makes 4 one-cup servings. Optional: If you wish more onions in the soup, brown one or two thinly sliced onions in two tablespoons butter until tender. Add to packaged soup mix and simmer according to package directions. Read Lydia’s article on page 11! Feb-March 16 How Do You Spell Love? Love makes the world go ’round. So, as the year begins, here are some “heart-Tea” ideas to share love with family and friends of all ages. Heart-Tea Menu for Adults Last February, I was pleased to serve lunch to my sister Ruth. Since it was near Valentine’s Day, a “heart-Tea” meal was in order. I prepared four heart-y soups to sample: my mother’s meatballand-dumpling soup (my childhood favorite), white bean and ham, French onion, and asparagus with lemon. Ruth loves asparagus, so that soup with its refreshing, lemony taste and chunks of roasted asparagus was her favorite. It looked appealing served in a heartshaped glass bowl and topped with a heart-shaped piece of wheat toast and a roasted asparagus spear. I garnished another soup Place setting with garnished heart-y soup. with a slice of tomato cut into a heart with a cookie cutter and added a chive arrow across the top. Our menu also included green-pea salad with small, heart-shaped pieces of cheddar cheese served in paper muffin liners and placed on doilies atop heart-shaped saucers. We finished our meal by nibbling heart-shaped chocolate chip cookies and sipping Bigelow’s Pomegranate Pizzazz herbal tea, a rose-colored, fruity blend. Lovely Setting Pink and red make a cheerful setting for teatime. I used a pink gingham cloth, pink heart-shaped teacups, and red and white tulips for the centerpiece. Heart-shaped cookie cutters made inexpensive napkin rings and heart-shaped red, pink and white doilies added a lovely accent. Since Ruth enjoys the candy bar with her name, a package of Baby Ruths waited at her place setting. Heart-Tea Ideas for Young Sweethearts Often, our grandkids and I bake and frost heart-shaped sugar cookies together. Sometimes we also make chocolate chip cookies into hearts. They’re easy to make: Roll the dough into a ball, flatten it and then cut out the dough with a heart-shaped cutter. If the cookies lose their shape, recut them with the heart-shaped cutter as soon as they come out of the oven. For gifts and mailing, we place the heart-y cookies into heart-shaped boxes or cookie tins. Last year, our three grandkids (ages 4 to 11) came for a sleepover on Valentine’s weekend while their parents celebrated their wedding anniversary. We started by drawing names and making Valentines to show love in special ways to the person whose name we drew. I set out colored construction paper, doilies, stickers, markers, scissors, tape and glue. My four-year-old granddaughter, Anna, took her Valentine making seriously. She kept whispering to Grandpa and her older siblings to get the information she needed. I wondered what she was up to. Then we made our own Valentine holders and hung them from our chairs by the table. Place setting with heart-y waffles ready to serve The heart-y theme continued Lydia’s grandkids for breakfast on Valentine’s Day. during mealtimes with heart-shaped pizza for dinner. The next morning, we feasted on waffles cut into hearts and topped with whipped cream and heart-shaped strawberries. We sipped hot chocolate from heart-shaped teacups and added a dollop of whipped cream and pink sugar. After breakfast, we read our Valentine cards. When I opened mine from Anna, I found crooked strips of colored construction paper with letters printed on them. I strung the pieces together and saw they included the entire alphabet. Anna couldn’t write words and messages, so she simply wrote all the letters of the alphabet so I could create my own words. I kept those jagged scraps of paper, because to me they spelled L-O-V-E. Any time is a good time to show love to others. I’m ready to express affection to family and friends with a hearty meal, a lovely setting or tea and treats. Won’t you join me? Lydia E. Harris holds a master’s degree in Home Economics. She is blessed with five grandchildren who call her “Grandma Tea.” Lydia authored the book, Preparing My Heart for Grandparenting (AMG Publishers). See Lydia’s Recipe for French Onion Soup on the next page! Philomath • Albany 11 12 Independence • Stayton • Dallas Oregon The Community of Quilting by Colleen Blackwood When examined as a word, “Quilt” can be a noun, a verb or an adjective, and, in various forms, can indicate present or past actions. As for style, “Quilt” loosely conveys a catchall name for things ranging from comforters to wall art to wearable clothing designed to look decorative as well as provide warmth. In the process of determining if someone has a quilt, is a quilter or is going quilting with friends, it is likely some confusion can arise when someone takes up the craft and begins the process of accumulating the necessary supplies to feed her growing habit. Or his, since men have long been quilters and have become quite comfortable at being celebrated for diving into what was long perceived as the all-girls’ wading pool of quilting. The community of quilters has long shared their love of the craft by taking time to stitch together, whether on individual projects or as a group to achieve a goal to benefit others. More than stitches tie these efforts together; the spending of time together, working out solutions to the design process and sharing the joy of accomplishment are some of the obvious benefits to those who come together to quilt. The communities we live in receive the fruits of our efforts. Quilters are quick to give to those in need, such as infant quilts for needy young families, warming quilts for patients during their kidney dialysis treatments, domestic violence shelter victims, military veterans, forest fire victims, flood survivors and nursing home clientele. Other contributions come in the form of raising money by raffling quilts to benefit local organizations including domestic violence shelters, pet shelters, wildlife rehabilitation centers, cancer recovery centers, school funds for needy children, Christmas packages for needy families, regional art centers and music camps. Quilting in the name of community brings creative people together to share not only talent and supplies, but also their hearts and hopes for a better day for the people whose lives they touch. A secondary layer of community involvement is added when quilting groups gather their quilts and hang them for a public show. Local student groups carry the hanging frames and climb ladders for a donation to their school groups, often enabling a member of the team or group to participate on “scholarship,” no strings required other than spending a few hours working on a public project that brings joy and inspiration front and center. The student groups receive a donation and the quilters receive the enjoyment of spending time with young people who ordinarily would not cross paths with them, let alone joke, laugh and get acquainted. I make quilts, have many quilting patterns and quilt layers of cloth together with stitches on my sewing machine or by hand—deciding as I work which fabric, pattern or stitches to use on each piece. Some quilts are art for hanging on a wall, many are warm covers for cold nights and some are destined to be beds for family pets. This is my form of creativity or productive therapy and I reap the benefits of sewing with other people to benefit the community we live in. Not all the seams that join us together are taken with needle and thread, but our stitches are a catalyst for many good hearts and giving hands to provide comfort and inspiration while creating the quilts we love. Take the time to attend a quilt show, local or regional and look beyond the surface of the design; the quilters hearts are often on display as well. Colleen Blackwood is from Pendleton, Oregon. She has been quilting for 40 years and teaching quilting for over 25 years. She has taught at the Sisters Quilters Affair for the past 10 or more years. Colleen designs original patterns based on traditional quilt blocks for most of her classes. She quilts on her home machine and teaches machine quilting classes around the Northwest. Quilting with Barbara Working to Make 2016 a Brighter Year by Barbara Conquest We’re sixteen years into the new century. We have a new provincial premier and a new prime minister; our southern neighbours will have a new president in a few months. These changes in leadership will undoubtedly set our countries on new paths and we often feel insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Prime ministers and presidents come and go but everyday life will continue much as it has in the past for most of us. The past year has not been a happy one. There is no need to recount the world-wide disasters and terrible events that have affected so many; we are all too aware. Some have gone so far as to suggest we’re entering a new dark age. So I am proposing that each of us tries to lighten the gloom in some small way. This is not a new idea by any means, but what would happen if every quilter or handicrafter made some small effort to make a stranger’s life a little brighter (e.g. a lap quilt for someone who is wheelchair bound, a fidget quilt for an Alzheimer patient, a cheery pillowcase for a sick child, a crib quilt for a new mother who has little, a prayer shawl for an elderly person…) and presented it in person, not through an agency? There is always a vast outpouring of donations of gifts around Christmas to innumerable charities and the food banks that support so many people, and rightly so. These contributions are extremely important. But what about the rest of the year? Dare I suggest that we each make two personal donations throughout the year—or even monthly ones? Poverty and need are present all year. Now, I do realize that a great number of quilters already far exceed this imaginary quota year round. Our thanks and admiration go out to them. However, there are many more, myself included, who could do more. What better time to start than the new year? There is never a lack of recipients and one small act can have far-reaching consequences. Over 30 years ago when I had ESL (English as a Second Language) students, one newly-arrived teen seemed lost and completely bewildered by her new surroundings, even though she did have family here. Her birthday is in July, when school is closed, so I sent her a card and a small gift. She was appreciative far beyond reason, I thought, but that small act resulted in a 35-year family friendship that I greatly value. (Incidentally, she became an R.N. and now has two sons who are university graduates—a success story indeed). Within the next year, we will have more opportunities than ever as bewildered immigrants and refugees who have lost everything arrive on our shores with hardships in their recent pasts that we cannot even imagine. Some may never recover from their trauma but perhaps we can help, even a little. Let’s work—individually and together—to make 2016 a brighter year for newcomers and those already in our midst. It has been said that it’s better to light a candle than curse the darkness, but perhaps an old song says it best. “Brighten the corner where you are!” Happy New Year! Barbara Conquest writes her column from Blue Sky Quilting in Tofield, AB. © Barbara Conquest. Feb-March 16 Salem • Jefferson 13 “Bits and Baubles” Appraisal Event At Historic Deepwood Estate in Salem on 2/14 by Nancy Williams Have you ever wondered about the old costume jewelry you have that, perhaps, came from your grandmother’s jewelry box? Are you curious to see if those pieces might be more of a treasure than you thought? On Sunday, February 14, you will have your chance to discover their value during a special jewelry appraisal event being held at Historic Deepwood Estate in Salem. “Bits and Baubles: The Treasures in Your Jewelry Box” will feature Lisa Hand, owner of Wind Horse Antiques, on-site from 2 to 5 p.m. to appraise jewelry—so bring your treasure and swing by Deepwood. A $5 donation per appraisal goes to support Deepwood Museum & Gardens. A fourth generation antique dealer, Lisa now follows that passion as her full time career. She attended her first auction at six months of age and made her first (bartered) collectible purchase when she was about 4-years-old. Lisa worked in her mother’s business, Carriage Trade Antiques, until she graduated from college and was commissioned as an officer on active duty in the United States Army. She reconnected with those roots in 2005 starting Wind Horse Antiques in Oregon. Lisa specializes in mostly American antiques and vintage items produced between 1850 and 1950—specifically silver, silverplate, linens, lace, hankies, ephemera, pottery and art glass, sewing items, small special pieces of furniture and, of course, costume and fine jewelry. Her business also includes special upcycled objects produced from antique and vintage items that are damaged or incomplete. She has an active online presence and is available by appointment at her office located at the Aurora Airport. Volunteering at Deepwood Museum and participating in events for the last seven years, Lisa has stocked and merchandised the Deepwood Shop for the last two years. She is also a member of the Deepwood Museum Collections Committee. Deepwood Museum & Gardens is located at 1116 Mission Street SE in Salem. The 1894 Queen Anne Victorian, on 4.5 acres of historic formal gardens and nature trails, is owned by the City of Salem and managed by the Friends of Deepwood, a 501(3)(c) organization. The unique Deepwood gardens are open to the public, free of charge, dawn to dusk, 365 days a year. Group tours can be arranged in advance and the gardens are available to rent for private outdoor events. Docent guided Historic House Tours are provided April to October. The gift shop is accessible during regular tour hours or by special appointment. Deepwood hosts many ongoing and featured activities that are open to the public. Some upcoming events include: Valentine’s Day Tea on February 14, Downtown Abbey Tea on March 8, the annual Deepwood Plant Sale on March 18 and 19, Children’s Etiquette Tea Kids EdVenture Event on March 21 and Alice’s Easter Egg Hunt on March 26. There is also the Heritage Talks Series, a monthly lecture series held on the 4th Tuesday, January through May, on a variety of topics related to Oregon history, historic preservation, and PACNW history. Information about the history of this splendid estate and details about its events are available at http://historicdeepwoodestate.org/, by calling 503-363-1825, by email at info@ historicdeepwoodestate.org or by following Historic Deepwood on Facebook. Enter to Win a $25 Gift Certificate The Country Register has a Gift for one of our lucky readers! We are giving away one $25 gift certificate to be spent at a local advertising shop. Use it to go shopping at your favorite Country Register advertiser. The drawing will be held on March 1st and the winner will be announced in our April-May issue. The gift certificate will be mailed to the winner. Entry Deadline is March 1, 2016 (Names are not sold, given away or used for any other purpose.) Drawing Entry Form Name ________________________________________ Phone_________________________________________ Address __________________________________________________________ City, State & Zip ___________________________________________________ E-mail address: ____________________________________________________ Name of my favorite Country Register advertiser is: _________________________________________________________________ Tell us what makes this advertiser your favorite: ____________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ To enter, complete this form and mail to: The Country Register, 515 E. Carefree Hwy, #1128, Phoenix, AZ 85085 (Photocopy of form is fine. Be sure to answer all questions.) Or email the information to: oregon@barlomedia.com and put “Gift Certificate” in the subject line. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Please tell us about a local Oregon quilt shop, antique store, gift shop, etc that you would like to see advertising in The Country Register: ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ We welcome your comments and/or suggestions about The Country Register. Include a note with your drawing entry, send us an email or give us a call at 1-888942-8950. We enjoy hearing from our readers! 14 Newburg • Wilsonville • Yamhill Oregon I Am Going Home by Barbara Walters I am going home. It has been eighty two years since I left home. I was born in the state of Washington. The year was 1930. It was winter time. Spring was just around the mountains. I was suppose you want to know what my name is. I am a wedding quilt. The journey has been long. After I began to age and no one wanted me anymore, I was sold, given away and trashed. I was born in the beautiful area of Grays Harbor, Washington. I traveled in the old trunk, across Washington, south through Oregon and into California. For nearly eighty two years I have been traveling from garage sale, flea market, antique stores, farm sales, trash dumps and probably used in the barn for the pets to sleep on. I was dragged from one room to another by the children. They loved to play tent or ghost with me. I was just recently discovered by this lady author. She found me at a yard sale in Pleasant Valley, California. I am so thankful. Someone now loves me. She talks to me and hugs me. With much diligence and determination she has found my wedding party, my family on Ancestry.com. The ladies of the Grays Harbor Women Church Auxiliary were discussing the spring weddings of the up and coming couples. Most weddings were celebrated in April or May. You are probably Photo courtesy Lauren Runow, Publisher/Owner Vacaville Magazine. wondering why. I will give you just a little local history of Grays Harbor, Washington. Grays Harbor is surrounded by lovely green rain forests. A large mecca of lumber. When the snow starts to melt in April and May, the lumber mills or pulp mills would gear up for the summer lumber harvest. It was best to have weddings during these months. Once the lumber harvest started, there was not much time for weddings. The wedding was held in April 1930. The ladies of the church auxiliary and the bride/ groom families decided upon a quilt pattern by the name of “The Signature Basket/Wedding Basket”. I will let you look up the pattern. Yes, it looks like a basket. I have seventeen baskets with family names embroidered in the center of each basket. Can you imagine being covered with loving family names? Most of the names embroidered inside of the baskets were the women of the bride and groom’s families. I was made from one hundred percent American made white cotton muslin material. The material has little black dots woven into the muslin. You can hardly see the dots. I was quilted and tied with new one hundred percent cotton thread. I was hand sewn. Muslin material in 1930 was a cheap/inexpensive thin cotton material. Each signature basket is a different color. In the middle of each signature basket is the signature of each person quilting or who will be in the wedding. Each signature is cursive embroidery in one hundred percent red cotton embroidery threads. The inside of the quilt is a flannel sheet. Real flannel sheets were made from one hundred percent cotton. The flannel is very heavy and thick. The back of the quilt is a sheet of very thin muslin material. I am so very thankful that someone who loves me is now taking care of me. I have missed that. My new owner has located my real family. She located my 1930 wedding party family. They live in the state of Washington. It will be wonderful to see my real family. I am going home. Note to the readers: During the late 1920’s and 1930’s, the country was in the middle of a great depression. Resourceful families were using feed and grain sacks to make quilts. There was a saying, “use it up, wear it out and make it do, or do without”. Every bit of material was used in some way of another. One year my mama made me a blouse and skirt out of feed sacks. After I outgrew the set, she cut it up and used the material in a quilt. Cotton material was hard to come by. Or should I say to buy. There was hardly any material because of the depression. Yes, I have a quilt with the feed sack material mama used to make me the outfit. I cried when I name this article. We all eventually go home. Barbara Walters is the owner of Ann’s Textile Repairs & Restorations in Northern California. She can be reached at 707-469-0498. This article first appeared in Vacaville Magazine and used with permission. Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies courtesy Cooksrecipes.com Soft and chewy—for some, this is the only way a peanut butter cookie should be made and served. Recipe Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar 1 cup butter or margarine, softened 3 large eggs 1 cup creamy peanut butter 2 teaspoons vanilla extract Cooking Directions: Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, soda, and salt; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream sugars and butter with an electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, peanut butter and vanilla and mix at medium speed until well blended. Stir in the flour mixture and until just mixed. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. With a wet fork gently press cookies in a crisscross pattern. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until slightly brown along edges. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely. Store in covered container. Makes 3 1/2 dozen cookies. Feb-March 16 Sandy • Gresham • Molalla • Aurora 15 Fabric • Notions • Patterns Fat Quarters • Books • Classes Hand-Dyed Wool We Service Sewing Machines Machine Quilting Available! ss! New Addre TUES- FRI 10-5 • SAT 10-2 39400 Pioneer Blvd., Ste.7 • Sandy, OR 97055 • 503-668-3106 E-mail paradisequilts@frontier.com www.paradisequilts.net This is part 1 of a 3 part Mystery Quilt, watch for parts 2 & 3 in the next issues! Irish Kielbasa Chowder courtesy Cooksrecipes.com A hearty and satisfying cabbage, potato and smoked sausage chowder with sharp cheddar cheese. 1 pound kielbasa, sliced 1/8-inch thick 1 medium onion, chopped 4 russet potatoes, peeled and chopped 2 cups water, Salt and ground black pepper to taste 1 small cabbage, shredded 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 3 cups milk 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese Cooking Directions: Place the first four ingredients in a large cooking pot and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for for 20 minutes. Add cabbage and cook for 10 minutes or until tender. Whisk the flour and milk together and add to to soup; simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add cheese and cook, stirring until cheese is melted and soup is heated through. Makes 4 servings. 16 Beaverton • Tigard • Hillsboro • Portland Oregon Giveaways and Winners We have three giveaway winner from our last issue: • Yvonne Vitko of Aloha will be sent a $25 Gift Certificate to be spent at her favorite Country Register advertiser, Sharon’s Attic Quilt Shop in Hillsboro. She said, “Sharon’s Attic willingly allows charity groups to use their facilities for quilters to gather to work on quilts. They also welcome quilters to work on their own quilts in their spacious area with no charge!” Yvonne went on to explain how pleasant Sharon is to all of her customers and provides hints and help to quilters. • Candy Leelaamornvichet in Corvallis won Jane K. Cleland’s mystery book, Ornaments of Death. • Roberta Holmes from Wamic is the winner of the 6” tapered candle set. In this issue, there is another $25 Gift Certificate drawing so be sure to enter and tell us which Country Register advertiser is your favorite. We love hearing from our readers and so do our advertisers so let them know how much you appreciate their shops and that they bring you The Country Register each issue. The Country Register, Inc., is celebrating its 28th year! Newspapers are now published in 46 states across the U.S. and in five provinces in Canada. Going out of state? Call ahead to the state(s) you will visit and get a copy of that area’s The Country Register and take it with you as you travel. When you enter our contests, please share with us how you use The Country Register in your travels and shopping trips. We are grateful to all the authors, publishers and advertisers who provide the books and tickets for our drawings throughout the year. Feb-March 16 Milwaukie • Corbett • Ridgefield, WA 17 Clark County Quilters 2016 Show Will Be at New Venue, April 7 to 9 The 2016 Clark County Quilters Quilt Show will be held Thursday through Saturday, April 7 to 9, at a new venue—the Clark County Event Center Fairgrounds in Ridgefield, WA. The theme for this 41st Anniversary event is “Circle of Life.” More than 300 quilts will be showcased in several categories. Members were asked to use their imaginations and creativity to produce quilts that speak of the essence of life. These might include a grandmother holding her first grandchild, water flowing from the mountains to the seas and then returning to the mountains as rain, a harvest that begins with a seed and ends with another seed being planted, and, of course, the patterned and abstract quilts that are passed down through generations, in love. Shirley Pyle and Elizabeth Spanning are judges for the show. In addition to traditional judging in each category, the public will have an opportunity to vote on a “Viewer’s Choice” award. The Opportunity Quilt for 2016 is “Celebrate Our Beautiful Land” and the drawing will be held during the Quilt Show. Throughout the show there will be demonstrations of hand quilting, opportunities to work on Comfort Quilts, which are distributed to local charities, and individual vendor demos or classes. Over 40 vendors will offer the latest in quilting products and food and beverages will be available as well. Two special classes will be offered. “Raw Edge Landscape” will be taught by internationally known quilter Mary Arnold on Thursday from 9:30 a.m. In our 2015 show the quilt "Vemeer Meets Fasset" by Lynn Czaban won to 4:00 p.m. Participants will learn to construct a First Place Judged ribbon in the representational quilts from photographs and drawings Art-Pictorial category. It also won a of landscapes. The cost of the class is $50 plus $10 for National Quilting Award. one of Mary Arnold’s patterns. The registration form can be found on clarkcountyquilters. org. Are you interested in learning to judge quilts? National Quilters Association Judge Kathie Kerler’s will teach a two-day seminar, “Introduction to Judging.” Participants will learn about all aspects of quilt judging plus receive a copy of NQAs 68-page Guide to Judged Quilt Shows and a folder of helpful handouts. The seminar is $200 for the two days. If you are interested, contact Kathie Kerler at krkerler@comcast.net or call 503-242-1643. “Circle of Life” will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Admission is $7 for adults and teens or a three-day pass is $10. Children under 12 years of age enter free. The Quilters’ group is looking forward to the change in venue for this year’s event. The Fairgrounds are located at 17402 NE Delfel Road, Ridgefield (Exit 9 off I-5) and event parking is $6 per day. Clark County Quilters (CCQ), a non-profit corporation in Vancouver, WA, was established in 1974. While the guild has grown significantly over the last forty years, the vision and purpose remains the same. The guild contributes to the growth and knowledge of quilting techniques, patterns and history; provides educational meetings, fun and friendship and sponsors and supports quilting activities; encourages quilt making and collection; promotes the appreciation of fine quilts; performs community service by participation in quilt-related projects; and provides assistance to charities in Clark County and the Pacific Northwest. General meetings are on the second Thursday of each month, September through June, at the Vancouver Church of Christ, 9019 NE 86th Street, Vancouver. Social hour begins at 6 p.m. and the meeting begins at 7 p.m. About 500 members support the guild. Non-members are welcome to attend meetings for a small $5 fee. Meetings consist of opportunities for piecing, quilting and binding quilts for charity; checking out books from the CCQ Library; participating in the Block of the Month drawing, Round Robin, Mystery Quilt, Secret Pal, Fat Quarters and more. The guild also has an Outreach program that teaches under-privileged youth to quilt. More information is available online at http://clarkcountyquilters.org. Meat Loaf Potato Pie courtesy Cooksrecipes.com This meatloaf version of the classic dish, Shepherd’s Pie, features a baked ‘crust’ of meatloaf filled with creamy mashed potatoes topped with cheddar cheese. 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs 1 large egg 1 cup milk 1/4 cup chopped onion 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon sage 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 2 cups mashed potatoes 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese Cooking Directions: Mix together ground beef, dry bread crumbs, egg, milk, chopped onion, salt, dry mustard, pepper, sage, garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce. Spread into an ungreased 9-inch baking pan and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 40 to 50 minutes; drain. Spread mashed potatoes evenly over the meat in the pan and sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted, about 2 to 4 minutes. Makes 6 servings. 18 Spokane Valley, WA • Odessa, WA • Forks, WA • Services Oregon Fabric of the Forest Quilt Show Kicks Off RainFest 2016 in Forks Helping kick off the RainFest 2016 celebration in Forks is the Piecemakers Quilt Club’s annual Quilt Show & Classes on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, April 15, 16 and 17. Forks is located on the beautiful Olympic Peninsula. The Fabric of the Forest quilting event will be held in Forks High School Auxiliary Gym on Spartan Avenue across from the new Peninsula College. Quilt Show hours are: Friday, Noon to 6 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, Noon to 4 p.m. Because Forks is well known as the location used as the primary setting for the vampire Twilight series, the Guild is excited to display a very special “Twilight” quilt—signed by its author Stephenie Meyer—during this Show. Featured Quilter is Marsha McCloskey, a well-known author and teacher in the quilting world. She has written or co-authored thirty books on quiltmaking since 1981. Fabric of the Forest classes will be held at the DNR Conference Center. A registration form for Fabric of the Forest and all class details are at www. piecemakersquiltclub.org. Marsha’s website is www.marshamccloskey.com. Watch for more information in our April – May newspaper. KISSed Quilts Happenings in the Quilting World by Marlene Oddie If you’ve been reading my articles for a while, you know about my book that was released in Spring 2015—You Can Quilt! Building Skills for Beginners. This past October, my co-author, Leila Gardunia, and I were able to do a presentation at market on behalf of the publisher, the American Quilter’s Society (AQS). This gave us an opportunity to talk with other shop owners about how effective the book is at removing the intimidation factor of trying new techniques. We recently learned that the book was #3 New Releases for AQS in 2015. Thank you all! If you followed along with the blog hop during Fall Market, then you saw the various blocks and how much fun the Island Batik Ambassadors had in making various small projects. We’ve added a wide variety of finishing instructions at www.skillbuildersampler.com. Do you remember my sneak peeks last year? My new quilt designs using Island Batik fabrics, “Dangling Diamonds” and “Jewels” (Fire Island Jewels version), were displayed at Fall 2015 market. They were also accepted into the AQS QuiltWeek™ in Phoenix, AZ, from February 11 to14, 2016. If you are in the area or are coming to the show, I hope you’ll be sure to check them out in detail. On Thursday and Friday, February 11 and 12, I’ll also be doing demos in the Author’s Corner. Hope to see you there! Here is an opportunity to win some fabric and maybe more. If nothing else, you’re sure to be inspired. The Island Batik Ambassadors will be showing off the new fabric collections, including those that I used to make these two quilts, with projects as part of a blog hop February 15 to March 4, 2016. Watch http:// www.islandbatik.com/news/ for the complete listing of blogs. I’m excited to share new projects on several different days. 2016 is the 25th anniversary of Electric Quilt (EQ) software #EQ25. This software has been my tool of choice for designing quilts for 15 years. I’m honored to be an EQ Artist and have several tutorials on my blog for how to use the software. EQ is hosting monthly contests and prize packages this year in celebration of its 25 years. I hope you’ll consider using the software by checking out the festivities at www.electricquilt.com. Click on the “Happy 25 years!” banner and then find the videos. I hope you can find mine and enjoy a walk through history of some of the noteable quilts that EQ has helped me to design. Marlene Oddie is an engineer by education, project manager by profession and now a quilter by passion in Grand Coulee, WA. She enjoys long-arm quilting on her Gammill Optimum Plus, but especially enjoys designing quilts and assisting in the creation of a meaningful treasure for the recipient. Follow Marlene’s adventures via her blog at http:// kissedquilts.blogspot.com and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ kissedquilts. Feb-March 16 Online Shops & Services 19 The Way It Was and the Way It Is! Class Action by James A. Nelson Recently I attended my 47th class reunion. I had been bombarded with preregistration information for this event in January. I dutifully filed it under “Maybe I’ll go, maybe I won’t.” On the eve of the big event, I decided to go. After all, I hadn’t seen most of my school friends since graduation. When we graduated, it was like the novel The Winds of War. Most of the males were drafted and the girls began working. Many never returned; some settled in far away places and some were lost in Korea. Another strong reason for my attendance was the fact that I love to dance. I felt sure none of my old girlfriends would turn down “old twinkle toes” (a nickname I acquired as a senior) if I asked them to dance. I hadn’t been to a reunion in 25 years and I have been single for 23 of those years. What I have missed most being single are the companionship, pillow talk and feeling of intimacy that come from sharing your life with someone through years of togetherness. It takes a great deal of adjustment to go from a wife and four children to an empty apartment, but adjust you must. Across the room at the reunion stood Russ, one of my closest friends in high school and college. As I walked over, he extended his hand as we both said in unison, “Great to see you.” His wife, Jan, was standing at his side looking as pretty as ever, a tinge of gray in her blond hair giving just a hint of the passing years. She smiled at me saying, “Jim, you haven’t changed a bit.” I grinned at this statement beneath a shock of snow-white hair, thinking “Yeah right.” There were Lyle and Carol Ann; he looked fit and trim and Carol Ann was as pretty as ever. The only thing lacking was his football uniform and her cheerleading outfit. “Hi Sara, golly it’s great to see you. You did a fantastic job on the committee.” “Louie, you remember that time we went hunting and you didn’t have any boots, only Oxfords? It rained and snowed for two days.” Louie just looked up at me and smiled. And so it went as we reminisced throughout the evening. The ticket included dinner; I wondered where I would sit as I entered the room. The question was quickly answered as I was hailed by Phyllis and Joanne, two women I hadn’t seen since my last reunion. After introductions to their respective husbands, I took a seat and ordered the salmon. It was delicious and made so much more palatable by the conversation. We laughed as we talked about friends, past weenie roasts, firesides, football games and the dances we had attended. After the meal, I was waiting for the music to start when I felt a gentle squeeze on the back of my shoulder and heard the words, “Jim, is that you?” There she was—Joy! She looked just like she did on our last date, a wonderful dancing cruise on a summer moonlit night forty-seven years ago. I didn’t have to glance at her nametag as I gave her a warm hug. “It’s great to see you, Joy.” I exclaimed. She looked up at me with the warm look I remembered so well. The look turned to pleasant laughter and she said, “I was hoping you’d be here. I want you to meet my new husband.” I hesitated just a moment since I had heard she was single. I had lost again. We walked to their table where introductions and pleasantries were exchanged. Shortly, I walked away a little befuddled. After all, at one time she had meant a great deal to me. We danced later and I said, “It’s like old times.” She looked up with a smile and said, “You dumped me once, remember?” All I said was “What a mistake that was.” I held her just a little tighter as I knew she’d walk away once more after this last dance. The evening was drawing to a close as I watched my friends head out the door, most of them with wives and husbands, many with new mates. But there were still enough high school sweethearts holding hands as they departed into the night, enough of them for me to know that love can and does survive. I grabbed my coat and a dose of reality and headed for my ’67 Dodge Dart, glad I had come and vowing not to miss the next one, God willing. I made a quick stop at McDonalds for coffee and a hamburger, not because I was hungry but it just seemed like the right thing to do, sort of a fitting end to the evening. As I sat in my booth at this late hour, I watched the high school couples come and go holding hands after a date. I thought to myself, most, if not all, of these kids will attend their forty-seventh year class reunion some day. Hopefully, with a little luck and perseverance they won’t be going home alone. Perhaps my time is yet to come. This story comes from Jim Nelson’s book, The Way It Was and The Way It Is, which contains 46 nostalgic short stories and is available for purchase through Amazon.com. It can also be found in the public libraries and school systems in Spokane, WA. Jim enjoyed a career at the Spokane Review and retired in Spokane. He has been writing for over 50 years and his pieces have been widely published in nationally known magazines, including five times in Chicken Soup of the Soul books. Jim enjoys hearing from our readers and can be reached at 43 E. Weile, Apt. 214, Spokane, WA 99208. 20 Special Event Oregon