What's for Breakfast?

February is American Heart Health Month. Both of my parents died from heart disease too early in life and I do what I can to try to reduce my own risk. I try to change the risk factors I'm able to change and I also try to instill healthy eating habits in my family. I think that's why I surround myself with hearts--to remind myself.

Breakfast is THE most important meal of the day, at least that's what I've been hearing for years and I'm famous for nagging my family about it. I never allowed my kids to eat sugary cereals for breakfast while they were young and if we occasionally had any of it in the house they ate it for dessert or as a snack. A silly Christmas tradition we had was to wrap up a box of Christmas Cap'n Crunch and give it to my son so he could go nuts with it over winter break, while he was home from school, LOL. Trust me, I wasn't a complete green meany--they ate enough sugar at other times without overdosing on it at breakfast too. I remember my son's 3rd grade teacher telling me that she could tell which kids ate what for breakfast. She said that by 10:00 every morning 1/2 the class was climbing the walls, so she did a quick survey and asked the kids what they ate for breakfast. Yup, sugary cereals. I'm a believer.

Adults who eat a healthy breakfast instead of skipping it are more likely to maintain a healthy weight and have better overall glucose levels. I have to admit, I'm a coffee junkie in the mornings (but no sugar) and sometimes I don't get around to eating breakfast until later because the coffee fills me up and I just get busy. I know, I know--I should know better. Sometimes I exercise and I hate to do it on a full stomach. On the days I skip breakfast (oh no! Don't tell my kids!), I know I tend to overeat later in the day, so, while I was writing this, I promised myself I'm going to do better. Breakfast every day, like I tell my kids. Maybe it will help me lose weight.

Well, at our house, we get tired of the same old, same old breakfasts. My daughter doesn't often have time for anything elaborate in the morning and I'll admit, even though I'm a pretty good cook, I have a hard time being creative with meals while we're rushing around at 7:00 a.m.

We used to love oatmeal but that was gettting so boring--UNTIL my daughter recently asked me if I could make her the apple crisp kind of oatmeal without the apples, just the crispy topping. Now, I make a mean Apple Crisp, but that's a dessert item in my repertoire and when my kids were little I would sometimes let them eat the leftovers for breakfast, without the ice cream. This morning there weren't any leftovers, so I said Hmmm . . . and came up with a great recipe for a very quick CRISPY BAKED OATMEAL I think you'll love. Betty Crocker, look out. I made it in the microwave and then put it in the toaster oven to CRISP up. Here are the approximate directions for one serving. Keep in mind--I'm a quilt designer, not a recipe czar:

Mix 1/4 cup dry oatmeal with a dash of salt and about 3 or 4 tablespoons of water to moisten in a microwaveable bowl. Use your prettiest measuring spoons and measuring cups.

Microwave on high for 1 minute. You don't have to fully cook it. It tastes better if the oats are sort of raw and not soggy so they crunch up nicely. 

Pre-heat toaster oven to high or broil.

Sprinkle a little cinnamon and brown sugar into half-cooked oatmeal; stir. Place mixture into a greased small, individual size glass baking dish (those white corningware things work well).  Drizzle a little melted butter over the oatmeal so it browns. Bake oatmeal on high or broil for 5-6  minutes until crispy. I like to time it with this cute little teapot timer.  

Let it cool and, if you prefer, add a little milk to enjoy your apple crisp topping without the apples. Yum! I like to top mine with vanilla yogurt. A nice change from soggy oatmeal.

 Plain or topped with yogurt?

I prefer the apples in mine and have sometimes made the quick version of Apple Crisp this way in the microwave but it still takes a little longer to cook the apples. You can also sprinkle a low-cal sweetener instead of sugar on top AFTER it's baked if you need to cut out some of the sugar. Or, be creative--sometimes I add raisins or dried cranberries plus walnuts to the oatmeal AFTER I microwave it.  Great for those cold, snowy mornings we all seem to be having in the U.S. lately.

My street this morning; another 6 inches predicted.

  Nothing compared to some.

 

You probably already know this, but it bears repeating. According to research, here are some good reasons to eat your oatmeal:

1. Oatmeal may help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. The soluble fiber in oats helps remove LDL or "bad" cholesterol.

2. The soluble fiber in oatmeal makes you feel full longer, so oatmeal can help you control your weight.

3. Research suggests that eating oatmeal may reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes. The soluble fiber helps to control blood glucose levels.

4. Recent studies show that a diet that includes oatmeal may help reduce high blood pressure, due to the increase in soluble fiber in oatmeal. Oats contain more soluble fiber than whole wheat, rice or corn.

5. Oatmeal contains a wide array of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and is a good source of protein, complex carbohydrates and iron.

So, sorry if this sounded like a lecture, but I need to remind myself to keep eating my oatmeal.  Maybe my heart will thank me one day.

Is It a Book Yet??

"You cannot plow a field by turning it over in your mind."

You will all be happy to know that I finally finished up the manuscript and quilts for my fourth quilting book (Yay!), which will come out about a year from now. 

Did you ever wonder about what's exactly involved in getting a quilting book published? I get asked about it often--how did you even get a book published (LOL, I'm sure she didn't mean it that way) and why does it take so long? There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes and it's quite an interesting process, getting a book from concept to finished product. Nothing gets done without a lot of hard work and a fair amount of stress, though.  

I've had a headache for days (weeks?) and haven't slept well for a really long time, with so much to do. My daughter made me a bracelet to make me feel better. They look like worry beads to me. What, me, worried?? Quilting should be FUN, not stressful! I feel sort of like I just gave birth: exhausted, but gratified. My family will be so glad it's over . . . .

Mom, are you done yet???

I'm sure many of you have plenty of great ideas for a book and that's where it all starts. For me, this last time the idea was triggered by something I came across in the research process while working on one of my other books. I get a lot of ideas, but the main idea usually takes a while to germinate and develop. If it just does not go away, keeps nagging at me, day in, day out, then I know I have to do something about it. Like, take the idea out of my pocket and look at it closely and then ask myself if I can possibly create projects that blend with it. Most importantly--will anyone else find the topic as fascinating as I do? Can I design quilts to go with the topic? Can I really turn it into a book? Will anyone buy it?

For some quilting book authors, the book begins with an idea for a quilt pattern they are driven to design and the rest of the patterns follow and surround it. For me, the projects always come after the basic premise or theme of the book is developed. Sometimes I come up with the title first and then the rest follows. Sometimes I get a paragraph stuck in my head that keeps getting longer and longer.

Once you're set on your idea, the next step is to write a proposal (the outline of your idea) and submit it to a publisher. For the book I just finished, after the idea was sparked, it took me several weeks to get the proposal together, write an outline of the chapters, draft an introduction and design some quilts before I sent it to my publisher. When I finally got the OK to go ahead and actually make the quilts (it takes weeks to hear sometimes) and write about the topic, the hard work began.

If you're thinking of sending in that proposal for your great idea, I recommend you do your homework and try to present your idea in a clear, organized fashion. Many publishers give distinct submission guidelines on exactly what you need to include in your proposal. Take your time and don't get discouraged if it's rejected the first time. Did they just publish a book on that topic? Check, because they may not want to do another one like it so soon. Or, try another publisher. Publishers are always looking for new ideas that will sell. And that, my friends, is the bottom line--remember that the publisher is in a business to make money, not give out prizes just because you make nice quilts.The idea needs to be fresh, the quilts interesting and, above all, is it something quilters will want to buy? Do you have an interesting technique, can you design enough quilts around that technique to make a book? I say go for it. Just do it. It's an amazing feeling to see THIS:

plus THIS:

and pages and pages of THIS:

turn into THIS:

It costs the publisher a lot of $$ to publish and print a book--they must pay an editorial, design and marketing staff to create and then sell the final product. In addition to the actual costs of printing the book, (paper and ink) shipping and distributing costs have to be factored in as well. A publisher must take all of these things into consideration before sending out that contract to you. Most importantly--will they make money on the project? If they don't make money, they can't exactly run a business. They're not doing it for free, just to be nice. I've heard that lots of great ideas can be turned down simply because the book just may not make the publisher enough money if it's published. They take a great risk and put a lot of money up front to actually MAKE the book (paper isn't free), assuming it will sell.

It's amazing to me that they can make this from my ideas. A lot of people spend a lot of time and do a great job putting it together.

I always love how the pages turn out after sending in my type written words and hand drawn illustrations.

 But here's the shocking truth: you won't get rich. I remember one of the first lectures I ever gave--my first book had just come out and I talked a little about what it was like writing it. A woman raised her hand at the end and asked, "So, are you filthy rich now??" That got me laughing. It probably doesn't seem like a lot of work to outsiders, I know. Hey, I get paid to do something I love all day long and publishers probably throw money at me just for the honor of publishing my ideas.

Unfortunately, for most craft book authors, there is no glamorous "advance" like the one they give to James Patterson or Stephen King (or at least if there is, no one told ME about it!). The author eventually gets a royalty--a small percentage of the profit made on the books that are sold after it comes out. So, after working on a book for many months, you will have to wait another year or more until you actually see a check for your efforts. Patience and hope are all part of the deal, so don't quit your day job just yet. The truth is, you're not likely to get rich writing a quilting book, and the very few who do work at it constantly, putting in long, long hours while also doing many other things related to quilting.

After the book does come out, the author also has to do what she can to promote the book herself and try to let the public know it's out there--book signings, lectures, teaching. Talking it up. No one else is going to do it for her.  Every little bit helps. I am so grateful for all of the work that fans of my books do as well--you guys get the word out to friends and promote it through your shops and guilds and I really appreciate every bit of it. Thank you for that.

In the meantime, while I wait for the editorial and design teams to finish their part, and then begin promoting the book, I'll be giving you updates as soon as I hear anything.

  

Now that I have more time, I'm going back on the road a little this Spring and here's list of some of my upcoming lectures, mostly in the Midwest, because I still have a family that's been ever so slightly neglected over the past few months.

March 18, 2010--Pride of the Prairie Quilters, Plainfield, IL

March 25, 2010--DeKalb County Quilt Guild, DeKalb, IL

April 14, 2010--Mukwonago's Crazy Quilters Guild, Mukwonago, WI

I'd love to meet some of you!

Permission to Create

Here's a story that will inspire some of you. I was reminded of this recently because my small quilt yahoo group is working on a challenge this month to make a little quilt, any quilt, from my book Prairie Children and Their Quilts. A little while ago I received a letter from an 88-year-old woman who wrote to tell me that she picked up one of my books, American Doll Quilts (my first book), and had been inspired to make all of the quilts and projects in it. Then she sent a photo to prove it. What fun! Can you believe she made ALL of the quilts, one by one?  It was such a sweet, warm letter and she was so proud of what she'd done that I answered her and thanked her for being an inspiration to ME. She wrote back to tell me that now she's starting on the quilts from Prairie Children, and I wished her luck. I'm pretty sure she'll finish. It made me wonder what keeps some of us going so long, inspired to create?

The doll quilts that 88-yr-old Doris made.

I came relatively late to quilting, but I like to think that I may still be quilting myself at the age of 88 or 90.  Unlike so many other quilters, I didn't have the quilting legacy passed down to me. There are no family quilts; I am the first to make them as far as I know. Years from now someone will find them in a trunk and wonder about the woman who made them.

My mother was never very "crafty" herself when I was young, but I remember feeling good when I made things out of paper, scissors, crayons, glue, string or yarn. My specialty was little books made with pictures I either drew myself or cut from magazines and read to my dolls. Funny, the paths we end up taking--50 years later I'm still cutting out inspiring pictures from magazines but I eventually got a little help with the books.

My mother always encouraged me and smiled proudly when I showed her my projects, giving me implicit permission to create. But I don't think she ever felt she had the time to do anything creative herself. Her spirit was focused more on cooking, housekeeping, and other endless chores. This was before Martha Stewart became a household word and we learned that yes, there could indeed be creativity in cooking and keeping a house. I know she sewed a little and when one of my sisters took up sewing, I learned too.

My four sisters were a bit older than me--the oldest being 15 when I was born (can you say accident?)--so I essentially grew up with 5 "mothers" to encourage and nurture me. I became an aunt at age 11.

This turned out better than it looks here--she ended up coming around and being my friend.

When I was 18 and on break from college one Christmas I went out and bought a Simplicity pattern and made doll clothes for her Barbie dolls, and remember knowing somehow that the sewing fed my soul after the stress of going through finals. I still make little doll dresses, just for fun.

I clearly recall that uplifting feeling I got from being creative and sometimes try to tell my 16-yr-old daughter to just make something, anything, when she's stressed or feeling down about herself, when her finals loom or college planning takes over her world, to help feed her soul.

In high school a friend taught me to knit and crochet and when I started going nuts making things my mom became so fascinated with my "granny square" vests, macrame belts and crocheted floppy hats (I grew up in the sixties, did you guess??) that she let me teach her to crochet. After raising a family of 5 girls for lo those many years she finally gave herself permission to be creative and I noticed a calmness in her personality. Soon she had made afghans for everyone in the family and had a lot of fun making numerous silly crocheted toys, ornaments, etc. Playing with yarn.

She never knew my kids or my dogs, but they definitely feel something comforting when they cuddle under those simple afghans she made, I can tell.

I bought my mom a needlepoint kit once and then she quickly got into that too, like she'd missed playing for years and was catching up. It was fun to watch and it made ME feel so good, to know that I was the one who got her started making things, instead of the other way around. I think she had a lot of creative energy in her that she never allowed to come out until she was older. Too much time spent taking care of others, not enough time for herself. She passed away at a relatively early age (33 years ago this weekend) and I know for sure I would have gotten her to quilt at some point, but I started pretty late myself so we never had time. She didn't teach me to quilt, but she taught me to be true to myself and follow my heart.

I'm teaching my daughter (and probably my son too, come to think of it--he takes lovely photos and has fun writing poetry and song lyrics) the importance of making time to be creative, connecting to the process and letting it feed your spirit, giving yourself permission even when you think you're too busy. Not worrying too much about whether or not it meets someone else's standards or whether it's "perfect." If you wait for that, you'll never do it.

So I keep this silly hat around that I made when I was in college (yes, we really wore hats like this in the '60s, and no, I sure wasn't alone) to remind me of how I started on the path, how much I've always loved making things, even if they're silly, and Caitlin wears it sometimes. Maybe I'm hoping I can pass on the "creative hat" to her through osmosis? If nothing else, it sure looks cute on her.

American Doll Quilts, the book that started it all for me, is now out of print and I hear it's hard to find. I have copies I'm hoarding (see previous post about this problem I apparently have, LOL) but you can always download an e-book version at the Martingale & Co. website, here.

Inspired by Fabric

My sewing room is a mess right now. But sometimes good things come from messes. I'm looking at the quilts I made for the new book and I'm grateful I was able to choose fantastic fabrics to make them, thanks to some of my favorite designers (and yours--more later). Some of the Civil War reproduction fabrics (my favorite) that are available today at quilt shops are so incredible it's hard NOT to be inspired to make gorgeous quilts. The best reason to browse.

Choosing fabrics to make my quilts is probably my favorite part of quilting. I love working with scraps or lots and lots of different fabrics. Most quilt shops sell reproduction fabric in fat quarters, charm packs or bundles. In addition to shopping at my favorite shops, I try to attend quilt shows where there are vendors and buy fat quarters or bundles from them too. Bundles "speak" to me because you can always pick up a couple of them quickly if you don't have a lot of time to shop. Also good because I like to use LOTS of different fabrics in my scrappy little doll quilts.

                                    

                         

And sometimes, even if you're experienced, it's just plain easier to have a bunch of fabrics all pulled together from different designers and different lines that you might have missed on your own. I don't know about you, but it can get overwhelming looking at so much fabric and trying to choose even just a couple of cuts.

Also, I'm not afraid to go into a quilt shop and ask them to cut 10 different 1/4 or 1/8 yard cuts of different fabrics for me. One time I think I actually bought twenty 1/8 yard cuts. And the good thing about reproduction fabrics is that they're timeless.

                 

True, fabric lines get discontinued pretty often to make room for the new ones, but I'll still always have enough of those reproduction fabrics that I love to give me that antique look we all crave. Some I've saved from years ago that will be just perfect for when I'm inspired by a certain block or antique quilt. I hoard  my favorite scraps and actually have some very small pieces from certain lines that I just can't part with in a quilt yet. (Oh no, you don't think they'll make me go on that A & E  show Hoarders, do you?) They're just waiting to be used in that perfect quilt. Maybe Dear Jane? Probably a good thing I saved them then, I think.

                  

                               

If you're wondering, like most designers, I take my time playing around with color before I make a decision about what fabrics I'm going to use in a quilt. So, experiment. I think the more time you spend looking at different quilts closely and deciding what it is you like about a certain quilt the easier it gets to choose fabrics for your own. Study pictures in books or go to quilt shows. Look at samples in shops. Ask yourself (and wait for the answer): What is it about that quilt that I love? I'm drawn to just about any quilt with blue in it and I use it so often I almost consider it a neutral. Simple, scrappy quilts with lots of blue PLUS pink or red make me drool, like this antique  spools quilt:

I don't know,  I wish I owned this quilt. Hey, wait, MAYBE I CAN REPRODUCE IT!!

There is such a wide variety of reproduction fabrics available today that you can reproduce almost any antique quilt. We had a small quilt challenge using this same block in SmallQuiltTalk last year. I didn't have time to make a quilt--only got as far as these 2 little blocks. Oh well, I'll finish someday. And maybe it'll turn into that big antique quilt above, ya think?

                        
We really have to hand it to all of those quilters who spend the time designing and reproducing antique fabrics to make the wonderful fabrics we use in our quilts. Isn't this a sweet photo of Jo Morton, one of our favorite designers? I took it last year at Quilt Market. My husband also took one of the two of us together but my eyes were closed and I had a funny look on my face so I won't let you see it. NOT inspiring. Such a nice lady--she gave me her newest book and I gave her mine.

And, since we're talking about  inspiration, I surely couldn't make my quilts without Judie Rothermel's amazing fabrics . . .

That's her lovely wavy striped fabric on the cover quilt of Remembering Adelia. I spent quite a LOT of time trying to find a perfect border fabric for that darn quilt. Four different shops until I saw it and knew immediately that was IT. What luck to find just the perfect Civil War stripe. And blue, too. 

The quilt was made in 2008 and the fabric is no longer available, I'm told, but I still have some I'm saving (okay, yes, hoarding) to use in a doll quilt. Fabric lines change too fast sometimes. But I've seen others make it with a different stripe and it still turns out quite well.

Keep your scraps, you never know.

Return to Cranford

Last night my daughter and I were pulled back into nineteenth century England as we watched the last episode of  "Return to Cranford" on Masterpiece Classic, after being entranced by the original "Cranford" series about a picturesque village in 1840s England which aired on the same PBS channel several weeks ago. Have you seen it?

OMG, the cast is wonderful (Dame Judi Dench, for one) and the series so beautifully adapted from Elizabeth Gaskell's Cranford novels. I was drooling over the fabric in the costumes and the awesome scenery the whole time I was working on quilting a small quilt. That was inspirational. I love seeing depictions of nineteenth-century life.

"Cranford" begins with the story of 2 sisters, Matty and Deborah, in their 50s or 60s, never married, and prominent figures in the town. Love some of the dialogue. A young woman assists a doctor in a difficult operation and he praises her as having been "the equal of a man." Deborah frowns and says: "No woman should ever be said to be the equal of a man. She is superior in every way." LOL

Deborah rejects the suggestion she read "The Pickwick Papers," a new book by the radical new writer Charles Dickens. She is too refined and will only read the proper classics, thank you veddy much. But Matty is the kinder, gentler one who brings the town together at the end after the railroad threatens to change their isolated world.

In the first part of the series, "Cranford," which is now on DVD,  the arrival of a single eligible young man in the town (Sweet Dr Harrison) sets the entire village in motion. My daughter likes to call this series "Sex and the Village" because of all the little trysts going on in this sleepy little town, but in a very proper manner, mind you. The dialogue is witty and the costumes and scenery gorgeous.

See a preview here

Well worth catching if you haven't seen it and can get it on video.  Next week, PBS is airing Jane Austen's Emma!