Trails End Quilters Book Nearing Publication

In order to get my Trails End Quilters book finished, I've changed the idea for the first one and simplified.  My sister is anxious to see a copy for one of her poetry/family story presentations at the assisted living home where she resides.

So I've decided to simplify.  This will be a fun book for the family, and I'll proceed with the more detailed one incorporating more character interaction and story, publishing it later.  Perhaps publicity from the current book will enlist more interest in a follow-up.

At any rate, I'm having an enjoyable time putting the current book together, using some scrapbooking and mixed media techniques with it.

Too often, as writers, we put off what we can do today by aiming for a large project that might be beyond our scope to finish at the time.

Trails End Quilters Book

A friend has been encouraging me to get more done with my Tales of the Trails End Quilters book.  I've been working on a cover design and have made up postcards using the cover illustration.  So I'm planning to use these to promote the book.

Next, I've been making an outline of who and what I want to include, along with photos of the quilters and their work when any of this is available.

Putting the book together will involve more research about the first quilter (my great grandmother, Mary Barker Coon).  I do have photos of her and my grandfather's description of her quilting in one of his journals. 

• Do I need drama? 
• Should this be mainly a book for my family heritage?
• Will other quilters be interested in reading it?
• Should I include patterns for some of the quilts described and pictured?

So many decisions to make in deciding what to include and what direction a book should take.

Recipes of the Trails End Quilters

In addition to memories of quilting, when I visited my mom's home, Trails End Farm, I recall with fondness those of cooking and delicious meals. My aunt and grandmother lived in one end of the farmhouse. My uncle and his wife in an apartment added onto the west end.

Auntie, who lived with Grandmother or Nanny, cooked such tasty meals and allowed me to cook with her. From Auntie, I learned to bake bread, churn butter, make cottage cheese (called pot cheese in those days), stir up desserts and other items.

My mom cooked, but she also worked on our farm and took care of raising chickens and getting eggs ready for market. So, when she found I liked to cook, she let me do all I wanted, as well as prepare the family meals. Tidbits I picked up from Auntie came in handy.

I realized that this blog should encompass some of those Trails End memories, too.