When I was five years old, I started hand sewing my fourth quilt, my log cabin quilt. When I was picturing it, I was imagining the Story of “This Old House”, a story told by my Great Aunt Chris Coutts about our family’s 200 year old homestead. I loved hearing how it was rich with the proud history of our country and the brave men and women who defended it. This story ties my quilt to our family history and acts as a tribute to our Country. The log cabin quilt pattern is made of pieced strips built up like logs and represents the spirit of Abraham Lincoln, the log cabin President, and the simple pioneering values of frontier America: honesty, hard work, humility and liberty.In 1862, Abraham Lincoln said “In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free. We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best, hope of earth. Interestingly, Underground Railroad quilt coders believe many different quilt patterns may have represented messages or clues to runaway slaves escaping north on the Underground Railroad. These patterns may have included the log cabin pattern, bear paw, flying geese and star; all these patterns are in my log cabin quilt.“This Old House of ours has seen many families raised under its roof, and it has lived with them all the joys and sorrows that make up life. First, before ever there was a building here, the land looked upon some important events in the early Wallenpaupack Settlement of Pennsylvania.” Chris Coutts 1977This Old House, the inspiration for my The Log Cabin Quilt Story, was built in the early 1800’s. Before it was built some interesting history took place on the site of This Old House homestead in Northeastern Pennsylvania.Let’s begin a long time ago, before the Revolutionary War, around the 1750’s. A brave family, the Carter family settled in Pennsylvania alongside the Wallenpaupack River among the Paupackan Indians, who soon became their friends. These first white settlers built their log cabin out of logs cut in the forest, constructed a stone chimney from the rocks along the hillside, and plastered the crevices with the clay from the river. Tragedy struck when Mr. Carter and his family were killed and their house burned during the French and Indian War.“The Indian Chief Paupackan’s heart was sore within him for he loved his pale-face neighbor.” Tales and Lore of the first Settlers, Traditions of Wallenpaupack, Helen M. Cooke 190lThe log cabin is a symbol of an expanding America and a testament to the ingenuity of the American spirit. The log cabin quilt pattern is made of pieced strips of fabric built up like logs. My log cabin quilt is set in the barn raising pattern, which depicts the community cooperation that was necessary to survive newly settle territories.

When I was five years old, I started hand sewing my fourth quilt, my log cabin quilt. When I was picturing it, I was imagining the Story of “This Old House”, a story told by my Great Aunt Chris Coutts about our family’s 200 year old homestead. I loved hearing how it was rich with the proud history of our country and the brave men and women who defended it. This story ties my quilt to our family history and acts as a tribute to our Country. The log cabin quilt pattern is made of pieced strips built up like logs and represents the spirit of Abraham Lincoln, the log cabin President, and the simple pioneering values of frontier America: honesty, hard work, humility and liberty.In 1862, Abraham Lincoln said “In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free. We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best, hope of earth. Interestingly, Underground Railroad quilt coders believe many different quilt patterns may have represented messages or clues to runaway slaves escaping north on the Underground Railroad. These patterns may have included the log cabin pattern, bear paw, flying geese and star; all these patterns are in my log cabin quilt.“This Old House of ours has seen many families raised under its roof, and it has lived with them all the joys and sorrows that make up life. First, before ever there was a building here, the land looked upon some important events in the early Wallenpaupack Settlement of Pennsylvania.” Chris Coutts 1977This Old House, the inspiration for my The Log Cabin Quilt Story, was built in the early 1800’s. Before it was built some interesting history took place on the site of This Old House homestead in Northeastern Pennsylvania.Let’s begin a long time ago, before the Revolutionary War, around the 1750’s. A brave family, the Carter family settled in Pennsylvania alongside the Wallenpaupack River among the Paupackan Indians, who soon became their friends. These first white settlers built their log cabin out of logs cut in the forest, constructed a stone chimney from the rocks along the hillside, and plastered the crevices with the clay from the river. Tragedy struck when Mr. Carter and his family were killed and their house burned during the French and Indian War.“The Indian Chief Paupackan’s heart was sore within him for he loved his pale-face neighbor.” Tales and Lore of the first Settlers, Traditions of Wallenpaupack, Helen M. Cooke 190lThe log cabin is a symbol of an expanding America and a testament to the ingenuity of the American spirit. The log cabin quilt pattern is made of pieced strips of fabric built up like logs. My log cabin quilt is set in the barn raising pattern, which depicts the community cooperation that was necessary to survive newly settle territories.

It is the middle of the Depression. Eleven year-old Delia, an only child, watches with fear as her mother faces a serious illness. During what seems like a futile search for a woman to keep house and nurse her mother, a stranger appears at the door. To her amazement, both her mother and father accept this odd little woman - Miss Lula - who proceeds to make what is crooked straight with scrub brush and Scripture. Despite her frustration with the scraps of paper scribbled with admonitions from the Bible that Miss Lula tacks to the wall over her mother’s head, Delia finds herself warming to her. When yet more scraps, this time cut from fabric, arrive, a quilt begins to take shape. Just as the quilt is pieced together, Delia’s mother grows daily stronger. Delia’s faith in Miss Lula and in life is also growing- but can Miss Lula stay forever? And what would happen to this little family if she was to go away? Truly a story of fabric and faith, Scraps teaches a lesson every quilter and every person of faith already knows. It is about taking the scraps life hands you and piecing them together to make something colorful, beautiful and life sustaining.

Mom is gone, the last of the four generations of Stadels who lived on Stadel Mountain. The 1870’s farmhouse lies quiet, but for an old dust covered trunk. Memories of life on the farm draw us to the trunk.

The eager hands of the fifth generation gently open the lid to reveal twenty- four family quilts. Vibrant splashes of colorful fabrics stitched together in quilted patterns spill from the trunk. Quilts containing stories stitched from threads of time reveal the family’s history. The beautiful quilts hide a box filled with photo albums, prose and poetry written by Mom. Our minds begin to create chapters of our family’s role in the development of the Catskill Mountain area of New York. And thus, Quilts Stories From Stadel Mountain was written.

Co-authors, Gloria Driscoll and Carol Gendle, are daughters of Mae Stadel Reisinger. Gloria is the eldest of Mae Stadel Reisinger’s children. She is a registered nurse, mother of three, avid quilter and quilt teacher. Gloria was featured in the “Yesterday Today” article of the February, 1999 issue of Quilting Today magazine. Carol is the youngest of Mae’s children and mother of 2. She is a retired elementary teacher, quilter, and family historian.

The quilts and their stories have been juried into the New York Quilts in Troy, NY and the Bennington Quilt Show in Bennington, VT. Gloria and Carol have lectured for school, church, historical, and quilt groups, and their local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. A presentation was also given for a women’s studies class at the State University of New York at Binghamton. It is most unique that the twenty-four quilts, artifacts, historical references, and writings compiled to create this book come from one source, Stadel Mountain.

Mom is gone, the last of the four generations of Stadels who lived on Stadel Mountain. The 1870’s farmhouse lies quiet, but for an old dust covered trunk. Memories of life on the farm draw us to the trunk.

The eager hands of the fifth generation gently open the lid to reveal twenty- four family quilts. Vibrant splashes of colorful fabrics stitched together in quilted patterns spill from the trunk. Quilts containing stories stitched from threads of time reveal the family’s history. The beautiful quilts hide a box filled with photo albums, prose and poetry written by Mom. Our minds begin to create chapters of our family’s role in the development of the Catskill Mountain area of New York. And thus, Quilts Stories From Stadel Mountain was written.

Co-authors, Gloria Driscoll and Carol Gendle, are daughters of Mae Stadel Reisinger. Gloria is the eldest of Mae Stadel Reisinger’s children. She is a registered nurse, mother of three, avid quilter and quilt teacher. Gloria was featured in the “Yesterday Today” article of the February, 1999 issue of Quilting Today magazine. Carol is the youngest of Mae’s children and mother of 2. She is a retired elementary teacher, quilter, and family historian.

The quilts and their stories have been juried into the New York Quilts in Troy, NY and the Bennington Quilt Show in Bennington, VT. Gloria and Carol have lectured for school, church, historical, and quilt groups, and their local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. A presentation was also given for a women’s studies class at the State University of New York at Binghamton. It is most unique that the twenty-four quilts, artifacts, historical references, and writings compiled to create this book come from one source, Stadel Mountain.

This book depicts how Hunterdon County women contributed to the history of the County through their quiltmaking. It also portrays a desire for rural women to stitch their artistic creativity into quilts. Read about the connection between the history of Hunterdon County, the development of New Jersey and quiltmaking.

Visions and Voices is the history of Quilters’ Connection, a quilt guild in Arlington, Massachusetts. Founded in 1977, its membership encompasses a wide range of quilters, including some professionals with international reputations. The story of Quilters’ Connection provides a window into the quilting renaissance of the late twentieth century, especially into the continuing tension between “traditional” and “art” quilters. The book is based heavily on interviews with over sixty present and past members, whose stories not only tell the history of one guild, but also tell of the importance of quilting in the lives of quilters everywhere.

Visions and Voices is the history of Quilters’ Connection, a quilt guild in Arlington, Massachusetts. Founded in 1977, its membership encompasses a wide range of quilters, including some professionals with international reputations. The story of Quilters’ Connection provides a window into the quilting renaissance of the late twentieth century, especially into the continuing tension between “traditional” and “art” quilters. The book is based heavily on interviews with over sixty present and past members, whose stories not only tell the history of one guild, but also tell of the importance of quilting in the lives of quilters everywhere.