This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Mar 17, Mskathy rated it really liked it. If you enjoy quilting, you will enjoy this book. You will find yourself laughing as you read and relate to her quilting "episodes".
Stephanie rated it it was amazing Apr 09, Kristen IA rated it liked it Feb 22, Knitter rated it liked it Jul 25, Debbie Grasley rated it it was amazing Sep 01, Pat Hannaway rated it really liked it Jul 30, Cathy Hartle rated it really liked it Oct 19, Katie rated it it was amazing Dec 13, Cheryl Elliott rated it liked it May 11, Joyce added it Jan 02, A collection of amusing, moving, and invariably wise essays from Helen Kelleys beloved "Loose Threads" column a favorite of readers of Quilters Newsletter since , this treasury comes together much like the exquisite q One of the countrys best-loved quilters shares her observations on the whys, wherefores, and wonders of applying needle to fabric and creating a world.
A collection of amusing, moving, and invariably wise essays from Helen Kelleys beloved "Loose Threads" column a favorite of readers of Quilters Newsletter since , this treasury comes together much like the exquisite quilts Kelley creates: Gathered in book form for the first time, these pieces form a lovely patchwork that will certainly keep. Hardcover , pages.
Published July 15th by Voyageur Press first published January 1st To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Loose Threads , please sign up. Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Ramona Mccaslin rated it really liked it Jul 16, Victoria rated it really liked it Sep 15, Marianne rated it liked it Jul 20, Stephanie rated it it was amazing Apr 09, Anita Waller rated it it was ok Aug 31, Marla Whalen rated it really liked it Mar 05, Sarah rated it liked it Nov 03, On the back of the quilt, Helen listed the symbols used, such as the strawberry plant at the feet of Mary, representing righteousness. Another noteworthy quilt, Renaissance , seven years in the making, was finished in In this quilt, she set out to blend the art and traditions of Norway with American quilts, resulting in a stunning tribute to her husband's maternal grandmother, who came to America from Norway at eighteen and was known as "Granny" by the family.
Each motif is a double applique with black applied first, under a second image inspired by Norwegian woven tapestry. Helen considers this a strong, groundbreaking quilt, especially since it was made during the bicentennial time when most quilters were still using traditional patterns. This quilt received recognition in many venues, including Marion Nelson's Norwegian American handicraft exhibit, which opened in St. It was later acquired by the Minnesota Historical Society.
At the end of her life, Helen still found creative inspiration by using old patterns in her exciting contemporary quilts. On her website, she stated that "ethnic needlework from around the globe has fascinated me Helen's Postcard Quilts evoke precious memories of places she has visited.
Finally numbering twenty-four quilts, all in a thirty-five-inch by fifty-inch format, they include images of Norway, Jamaica, Canada, New Zealand, England, Scotland, Wales, France, Austria Switzerland, and many states and cities in the United States. A nonpostcard quilt that Helen made to commemorate a family vacation in Jamaica was stolen from a quilt show in Chicago.
She called this Come Back to Jamaica and gave a framed photographic copy to each of her daughters. Another of her quilts, Crazy Jubilee , or as her family knows it, Victoria was acquired for the quilt collection at the International Center for Quilt Study in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Helen's writings have appeared in several books and countless magazine articles, and her own library reflected her ambitious research abilities.
As a result of all this research and writing, Helen's work as a writer consultant and historian continues to inspire and entertain readers. Early on, Helen recognized the importance of putting a time period to quilts in her self-published book Guidelines for Dating Quilts. Her book Scarlet Ribbons was a twenty-five year study of the Native American Indians' use of French silk ribbon for reverse applique floral designs. In , Every Quilt Tells a Story: The title of this book was chosen for reflect Helen's pride that her mother had learned to cook under Irma Rombauer, author of The Joy of Cooking.
A third collection of her writings, Loose Threads: Stories to Keep Quilters in Stitches , was published in Nothing pleased Helen more than her family, her church involvement, and her meaningful Minnesota quilt guild, and she found a way to balance these three loves gracefully. As the first president of the Minnesota Quilters in , she was very proud of the role they have played in sustaining the growth of the American quilt today. She helped with the Minnesota Quilt History Project by driving throughout Minnesota and the Dakotas to pick up and return quilts for documentation. At Minnesota Quilters Meetings, Helen's name tag would show her as "Member Number 3," and she was always comfortable staying in the background, enjoying the work of others.
In she was named "Minnesota Quilter of the Year.