Not Just Another “Storybook Quilt”

May 6th, 2010

We’ve noticed some confusion about just what one of our Storybook Quilts is. It seems “storybook quilt” is now a descriptor for several products.

Enjoying our cat theme Storybook Quilt

Our Storybook Quilts combine a quilt designed and handmade by us with a original story that we weave around the fabrics in the quilt. Both the quilt and the story are entirely original. The process is intense and can be lengthy – the quilt has to be visually pleasing and it also has to fit perfectly with the story. We often need to look more than once for the right fabrics; the story has to be adjusted to fit the fabrics available and be fun to read out loud.

Other types of storybook quilts exist — all different from ours. Some are quilts designed around an existing, separate children’s story. A few are quilts made to echo the story a child has written. Some are made from fabrics commercially printed with the characters from an existing story.

Our Storybook Quilts are unique in several ways.

First, no other “storybook quilt” pairs an original story with an original handmade quilt.

Second, our quilts are created so that the patterns in the fabrics can be the basis for any number of stories – a great way to tickle a child’s imagination.

Third, our Storybook Quilts offer a range of personalization and customization options. The Storybook Quilt can be built around
your child, not a fictional character.

We specialize in customizing both the quilt and the story. An embroidered square can be included in the quilt that is personalized to fit the giver and the recipient. The story also can be customized. We can include a message and photo from the giver — and we can alter the story itself to include the child’s name and other information, making the story their story.

Here’s what one mom has to say about the Storybook Quilts her two daughters received from their grandparents:

“The quilts themselves are really beautiful and obviously made meticulously by a talented artist. I absolutely love the different printed fabrics–really vivid, unique patterns and just so interesting to look at even without the story line to follow. A real feast for the eyes!

“About the stories: [my two daughters] loved that their names are in the stories. Their eyes lit up when they heard the stories were about them. They also really like listening to the story and looking at the quilt so they can point out when I am reading a part that matches a quilt square.”

If you’re looking for a one-of-kind gift that will capture the hearts of the children in your life for a lifetime – contact us. We would love to create that special Storybook Quilt just for you!

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Rainy Days and Mondays

May 3rd, 2010

It IS Monday — and rainy and grey and very, very green. It’s really quite beautiful to an adult, but not so much for a young child. Despite the myriad of electronic gadgets, children still experience that feeling of being trapped and being trapped often turns in to being whiny or cranky. Haven’t we all recited this chant to try to charm the rain away? (I used to think it was mean to wish rain on the children in Spain, which I thought was just a few miles down the road from our house in NYS.)

RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY
Mother Goose

Rain, rain, go away,
Come again some other day,
Little Johnny wants to play.

Rain, rain, go to Spain,
Never show your face again.

What can children do inside on such a day? Or what can Mom do with them? Here are a few suggestions.

• put on a show — sing, dance, or create a play (American Idol!)

• make up a story — each person adds a sentence

• make up a poem about the rain — or anything else

• draw pictures, or cut them from magazines, maybe to illustrate the story or poem

• take a walk in the rain!

• find pictures of flowers that will bloom after the rain

• bake cookies

• build a tent with blankets

• exercise, pretending to be in the Cirque de Soleil!

• get out paper and crayons and watch the magic appear

• play pet store with stuffed animals or grocery store with canned goods

• have a picnic on the floor and pretend it’s the beach — wear bathing suits!

• make paper airplanes

• read a book together

• cuddle up under a Storybook Quilt, read the adventure, and make up a new one!

Do you have a special way of passing a rainy day? We’d love to hear it.

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The Story: Magic Boots and Horses

April 30th, 2010

Our newest theme quilt is done and we are finalizing the matching story. In the story, our heroine receives a pair of boots for her birthday and a ticket for a trip to her uncle’s ranch in the West. She’s excited! Not only does she love the West, and her aunt and uncle, but she also loves the wild horses. Of course, this wouldn’t be a good horse story unless she fell in love with one particular wild horse, and through some trick of her magic red boots, has a chance to ride it – into an adventure. The story uses all of the fabrics in the quilt, including the three cats in the field of tulips!

As you can tell, our heroine does not yet have a name. You can help us decide on a name by voting by May 7th in the box on the right — or contact us with other ideas.

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Tell a Story Day: The Contest

April 27th, 2010

Today was to be the day that we announce the winners in the Tell a Story Contest. As you remember, the challenge was to create a new story based on the fabrics in any of our eight Storybook Quilts themes. Either a video or a written story could be submitted.

We received no videos, but did receive two written entries. Both were creative and fun, but two entries do not a contest make. We had hundreds of visits to the contest pages on the website; interest clearly was there.

So, why no entries? We’d love to hear from you on that, but suspect it’s a matter of time. Life seems to be so rushed! It’s sad that there’s no time to spend with a child or grandchild –- or school class — to make up a story.

We will have another contest this year, something simpler but no less entertaining, and will invite you will join us for that.

In the meantime – our new theme is about to debut! As we noted in an earlier post, this one centers on a girl, a pair of magic boots and a wild horse in the Southwest. You can follow its development on our Design Board page and/or our Facebook Fan Page.

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Do You Have a Favorite Tree?

April 22nd, 2010

Happy Earth Day! If you’re old enough, you may remember the Joyce Kilmer poem about nothing being as beautiful as a tree. How true! Trees have the most amazing shapes and colors, no matter what time of year.

Do you have a favorite tree — one you gaze at every day, one you look for on your way to/from work, one you planted and are watching grow, or one you climb? Maybe it’s not just one tree, but a stand of trees. Or a forest.

The yard behind our workshop has many trees. The stately old walnut has stood there for probably 75 years.

The gorgeous maple below, planted just three years ago, is growing incredibly quickly.

As children, my brother and I had a particular sugar maple that we climbed, off in a pasture away from the house. I’m not entirely sure Mom knew we did that (probably the best for her sanity!). It was a big tree — maybe 70 years old then. My younger brother would climb higher than me; he didn’t seem to get as scared when the wind made the branches sway. (Or, at least, he wouldn’t admit it.)
We used to carve initials on one particular branch in that tree. I think the last time I did that I was old enough to be “in love” and I was up there on my own.

Do you have a favorite tree? We’d love to hear that story!

And . . . in case you’ve forgotten the words, here’s the poem.

TREES
Alfred Joyce Kilmer

I THINK that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth’s flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

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A New Theme: Horses and Magic Boots

April 17th, 2010

We are well into developing the next Storybook Quilt. So, far we have the central character — magic cowgirl boots. We have a few of the fabrics selected and are auditioning others. The story line is not yet clear — we need to find other fabrics, it seems, to make one work.

Keep tabs on the development of this exciting new theme on our Design Board page on the Storybook Quilts website.

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6 Steps to Creating the Winning Story

April 9th, 2010

Time is speeding by! The April 21st deadline for the Tell a Story Contest is closing in. Have you started making up your story yet?

Below are the six steps that we use to write our stories. Maybe they will help you, too.

1. Give a name to the character you pick. It’s easier to make up a story about something that has a name.

2. Look at the pictures of the fabrics. Imagine your character talking to or having an adventure with what’s in the fabric. For example, let’s say the frog wins the jumping contest but ends up on the train by mistake and the train starts to move!

3. Pick more of the fabrics and do the same thing. For example, say the fairy grants the frog three wishes – what three fabrics would make a great story about that? (Now you’re up to five fabrics – you need at least seven, so only two more to go!)

4. Cut out the pictures of the fabrics you have chosen and arrange them in a line. Try to tell the story. Rearrange the pictures until you get a story you like.

5. Think of a fun ending – a surprise always is good or an ending that makes the listener wonder. At the end of our frog story, the listener has to decide whether Winnie the Frog was a really a frog — or a boy.

6. Stand in front of a mirror and tell yourself the story. Or tell someone else. Or have someone make a video. This is a great way to find out if you would like to change anything.

Then it’s up to you whether you want to enter the contest with a video or a written story.

Remember: Nothing has to be perfect; the idea is to use your imagination and have fun doing it!

The Grand Prize is a personalized Storybook Quilt or a $300 cash gift card; First Prize is a Storybook Quilt. We expect an adult to help with the story a bit and an adult must be the official contest entrant. Please see full contest information here.

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Enjoy Frogs! April is National Frog Month

April 6th, 2010

Like frogs? We do! Although kissing a frog is a bit more than anyone here is willing to do, even for a handsome prince.

Have you ever raised a tadpole or a polliwog? We have! We found a great website about how to raise tadpoles. Of course, you have to find them first. This is JUST the right time of year. Find a local pond and you likely will find tadpoles. On the other hand, this may be something that’s better to read about or do at school.

What else do you know about frogs? Here are some fun facts:

1. Frogs drink water right through their skins! This isn’t surprising since they spend so much time in the water. But they also can breathe through their skins, which is amazing.

2. Some frogs shout so loudly that can be heard up to a mile away. But they make all that sound with their mouths closed – except when they are scared and then they open wide. You can listen to some frog calls here.

3. Frogs are the best jumpers it the world and can jump up to 20 times their own length. That would be like a human jumping the length of two and a half big yellow school buses!

4. In Japan, frogs are considered good luck.

In any country, our frog Storybook Quilt could be very good luck! Create the winning story about our froggy friend in the Tell a Story Contest — or use one of the other themes. You could win a Storybook Quilt or even a cash prize. What could be better than that?

Hurry, though. The contest ends in just two weeks.

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An Easter Gift

April 2nd, 2010

DanZy wishes you a wonderful Spring weekend and, for many, a Happy Easter! His present to you is his new video. It’s a shortened version of the storybook half of his Storybook Quilt.

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Who’s the most famous rabbit?

April 1st, 2010

Is the Easter bunny the most famous rabbit, do you think? And why is a rabbit a symbol of Easter?

Well, Eastre (Easter) was a northern European goddess whose holiday is the first day of Spring. She is said to have amused children by turning her bird into a rabbit, the rabbit then laid colored eggs. Hmmm. Sounds familiar.

In addition to the Easter bunny, who are some of the other famous bunnies?

Peter Rabbit — always in trouble with Mr. McGregor

Bre’r Rabbit — made famous by Walt Disney. Remember Zippity Doo Da? (cheery video clip from the movie)

Uncle Wiggly

The Velveteen Rabbit

Bugs Bunny — Ehh. What’s up doc? (Yep, that’s him!)

Thumper

Peter Cottontail — who also has his own song (Sing along with these kids!)

The White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland

The Energizer Bunny

Can you think of others?

Well, there are magicians’ rabbits. To us, the most famous one of those is our own DanZy. We’ll post his video debut here tomorrow!

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