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From the Customers of Storybook Quilts

Nancy — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:00:21 +0000

No matter what we write or say about our Storybook Quilts in this blog, on our website, on Facebook or Twitter, or anywhere else, it’s only our opinion. “Well, they would say that, wouldn’t they?!” often is any reader’s or viewer’s response to any company’s claims.

So, to make it a bit more real, below are just a few of the unsolicited comments Storybook Quilts owners have sent in. We’ll include others in subsequent posts.

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This mother’s two daughters each received an SQ for Christmas last year from their grandparents. The quilts were Amos the Bear and Maggie the Dog.

“I think the idea of the personalized quilt and book is a great one. 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: Chloe and Hannah loved that their names were in the stories. Their eyes lit up when they heard the stories were about them. They also really liked listening to the story and looking at the quilt so they could point out when I was reading a part that matched a quilt square. (We have both quilts hung up in the nursery so they are looking at the quilt on the wall as I read.)”

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An fully customized version of Winnie the Frog was made for a boy’s fifth birthday. In addition to the special square on the quilt, the story was revised to include family details and use his name for the main human character. It was a gift from his aunt and her family.

“I’ve been meaning to send you a note for weeks — Thank you for the beautiful quilt! It is really very lovely and Rafael enjoyed the story very much. I’ll remember to keep you in mind when friends ask about a special gift to give someone.”

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Most recently, we heard from Kelly, who won the contest this summer to name the turtle character in our Captured by Pirates Storybook Quilt.

“Nancy, I can’t tell you how fun it has been showing off your quilt and book to our friends and family. Everyone agrees that this is such a beautiful gift and we are so very fortunate to have this lasting representation of our summer with lunas. [The family raised luna moths, an experiment for their 4-year-old daughter.] Your book has been so fun! Our favorite part of the story is when the crabs come in to tell Adia a rescue is being planned. It might have *something* to do with the crazy whispery-voice-with-foreign-accent we’ve created just for them, but it sends the girls into giggles.

“I also love that you’ve ended the story with the question about whether it was a dream or real. This has been a fun discussion with Adia at each story’s end.”

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Don’t you think it’s time you ordered a Storybook Quilt for the child in your life?

Orders are being taking for Hanukkah until mid-November and for Christmas/Kwanzaa/New Year’s until early December. Order now to be sure your SQ is in the production queue.

Contact us through our website or on our Facebook Fan page or on Twitter @StorybookQuilts. We look forward to making your Storybook Quilt!

Is It a Pumpkin, a Squash or a Gourd?

Nancy — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:07:19 +0000

Pumpkins, squashes and gourds are everywhere this time of year. What’s the difference?

Well, all three belong to the same family, “cucurbita,” which has three subgroups. But that gets confusing and it’s more fun to think about their uses than figure out their complicated families!

Pumpkins have lightly-ribbed skin, usually are oblong, and have woody stems. Mostly we think of pumpkins as orange, but they also can be white or yellow or even mottled green. Orange, squat and rounder pumpkins are used for pies; we all know the big pumpkins make great jack-o-lanterns! Most pumpkins are grown for eating or for carving, but some are just ornamental.

For a fantastic series of photos on winning pumpkin carvings, click here. Our second-place winner in the Name the Turtle Contest, Barbara Randa, carved this one.

Pumpkins were an important part of the Native American diet centuries before the Pilgrims landed. Dried strips of pumpkin also were woven into mats.

The origin of pumpkin pie is thought to have occurred when the early settlers removed the seeds of a pumpkin, filled it with milk, spices and honey, and then baked it in the hot ashes of a dying fire. (That sounds a little far-fetched to me, but it makes a nice story.)

Squash, not pumpkin, is used in most of today’s store-bought “pumpkin” pie and in canned “pumpkin.” And squash is just not the same taste. Try to find someone who still makes pies from real pumpkins — the taste is wonderful!

Squash that have fairly thick, inedible skins are winter squash, second cousins to the pumpkin. They can be many colors — orange, white, blue, yellow and green. Squash are very good to eat, especially mixed with a little maple syrup and nutmeg.

Many pumpkin-carving contests use huge squash, not true pumpkins, for carving.

Gourds are first cousins to pumpkins. They are grown not for food, but for their hard or colorful shells. One type of gourd is the source of luffa sponges, those great bathtub companions!

In our Lost in a Maze Storybook Quilt, Zach spends more time than he would like with pumpkins. In this story, Zach spends a week at his aunt’s and uncle’s dairy farm, taking his new dog, Max, with him. Max is a very active Dalmatian who gets in all kinds of trouble chasing the barn cats. Zach runs after Max, trying to stop him. They both get lost in the corn maze and spend hours waiting to be found in the center of the maze, which is filled with pumpkins.

A-maze-ing Facts

Nancy — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:40:06 +0000

Here in the Northeast the hummingbirds are fattening up for their long flight south, (did you know they fly alone all the way to Central America and across the Gulf of Mexico in one go?!), the mums are coming into bloom, baseball is reaching its peak, and the corn fields are disappearing into winter storage silos. But not all the corn fields — some are becoming corn mazes, at least for a little while.

One of our Storybook Quilts features a corn maze: Lost in a Maze: Zach and Max the Dog Visit the Farm. When we designed that quilt, we got interested in them and did some research. Here are a few things we learned.

Where did corn mazes originate?

Well, there might be a battle about this, but the first corn mazes probably were in England. This is not a surprise, really, since mazes of other kinds have been common there for centuries. Kings, queens and other royalty loved the challenge of finding the path through the maze.

The British call theirs “maize mazes,” maze being the British word for corn and corn being what they call wheat. Confusing!

Where was the first corn maze in the US?

The first “modern” corn maze in America was created in 1993 for Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pennsylvania, and won a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Where is the largest corn maze?

It’s in Dixon, California, and is 43 acres. Click here for the Cool Patch Pumpkins website. Sure looks like fun!

How many corn mazes are there in the US each year?

Keeping an exact count is difficult, but estimates are 800 or more. This is up from maybe 50-100 a decade ago.

Who designs the corn mazes?

Depends. Some farmers design their own. Several companies now design corn mazes professionally. The advent of the GPS has made it much easier to follow a pattern when cutting the maze. In our Storybook Quilt story, Zach’s uncle designed the maze himself.

How long does it take to go through a maze?

Anywhere from 20 minutes to over 2 hours, depending on the size and complexity of the maze. In our story, Zach and his dog are in there, really lost, for hours while his aunt and uncle search for him.

Is there more to a maze than just paths?

Oh, yes! Mazes often include puzzles and games, even food stations in case it takes a really long time to solve the maze. The one in Dixon has a Starbuck’s!

Farmers often also offer hayrides at the site, sell pumpkins and may have a petting zoo.

I’m excited! Where can I find the nearest maze?

Every State has mazes. Local newspapers usually publish a list this time of year. The websites we found that may be helpful include: The Corn Maze Directory, Corn Maze American, the Corn Mazing Directory, and The MAiZE. Some of these sites have wonderful pictures of the mazes from the air.

What’s the number one rule for a visit to a corn maze?

Always come out with as many kids as you had when you went in!

Number 2 is never, never follow your Dalmation puppy as he chases a wily old barn cat into a corn maze — as Zach finds out in our story!

In Honor of Grandparent’s Day: Their Special Role

Nancy — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:59:13 +0000

Maggie the Dog Storybook Quilt

One of the most wonderful things about today’s world is that people live longer. More children have a chance to fully enjoy their grandparents and more grandparents have a chance to enjoy and to guide their grandchildren. But no matter how determined we are to not fall behind on the latest technology, the latest vocabulary, the latest fashion or the latest animated film characters, we inevitably do. That’s not necessarily a bad thing!

Grandparents, I believe, have a special role in being living proof that one doesn’t have to always be involved in the latest latest to be valued or find satisfaction in life. Grandparents also provide a link to timeless traditions and activities that are both exciting and comforting.

It’s grandparents, often, who have the time that busy parents do not to dabble in such things with their granchildren — a little fingerpainting and papier mache creation, making (and “testing!”) a few cookies, helping fit together a puzzle, exploring the wondrous animals at the zoo, feeding the squirrels in the park, going fishing in the beaver pond, planting a garden and watching it grow, or reading stories together.

These are timeless pleasures that do much to restore one’s soul, at any age, and are the building blocks for a good set of coping skills that are invaluable throughout life.

At Storybook Quilts, the special bond between grandparents and grandchildren is one thing the spurs us on to create the quilts and write the matching stories. We imagine a grandparent cuddled with a grandchild under a quilt, reading a story that plays out in the fabrics in the quilt. The stories are adventures that keep one’s attention to the end; the quilts become companions that can help recollect that cozy, comforting feeling of being held and read to by grandma or grandpa. These are memories that always are precious; our unique quilts with matching stories help ensure that they remain strong for years to come.

We are continuously adding to our themes and now have eight available: DanZy the Rabbit, Amos the Bear, Maggie the Dog, Maurice the Cat, Dapper Dan the Snowman, Vroom Vroom the Red Sportscar, Winnie the Frog and the yet-to-be-named sea turtle. (The contest to name the turtle has just ended; the winners will be announced shortly.)

Happy Grandparent’s Day!

As Summer Winds Down, [Turtle] Gets Closer to a Name!

Nancy — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:19:56 +0000

Although the calendar insists that it’s still summer, it is clear we have entered another phase of the year. The beach vacations, for the most part, are pleasant memories. Thoughts turn now to corn mazes (see Zach’s adventure with his dog, Max) and football (see David’s adventure in the red sports car on the way to the game).

Like all our SQs, [Turtle] is one of the great memories that not only lasts, but lasts for decades. At this point, [Turtle] is very close to having a name. We are awaiting the decisions from the remaining two judges. It is veeeeery tempting to provide an early peek at the results. Instead, let me say once again that I appreciate the inventiveness of all of you who entered.