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Inspiring Respite for
Quilt Lovers
By: Kathy Manney / Around Our World
As an activity enjoyed by both young and old,
quilt lovers are found in all 50 states. There
are block quilts for beginners and complicated patterns for advanced
quilters
Only a few places, however, bring quilt enthusiasts together like
Tillamook’s Latimer Quilt & Textile Center, a working museum
considered among the world’s largest.
Many consider the Oregon coast the world’s most beautiful and
Tillamook is a coastal community where the temperature seldom
ranges beyond mild, regardless of season. A short distance inland from
the Pacific Ocean lies a wall of dense coastal forest, evergreens, maples,
and ferns.
With the sound of seagulls
calling, we approach the
textile center/museum.
Before 1959, the building
housed the Maple Leaf
School and then became
abandoned. It gradually
and sadly deteriorated as
the elements took over with
wild blackberries growing
through the floorboards and
birds nesting in the eaves.
The owners, the Latimer family, suggested the building to the
Tillamook County Pioneer Museum Foundation. The former school
reopened in 1991 as the Latimer Quilt & Textile Center.
In succeeding years, the structure has been fully restored and
improved. The interior walls are adorned with gorgeous quilts and
textile arts.
As you wander from room-to-room, you realize this is a working
museum. Quilters and other fiber artists are often observed while
operating the center’s quilting equipment and looms.
For many family members and friends, sleeping under the quilt a
loved one made becomes the quilter’s beloved legacy. My grandmother
left a legacy of many beautiful handmade quilts.
The museum’s exterior welcomes with a mural depicting quilting
history through generations. And the gift shop is filled with a variety of
handmade quilts, wall-hangings and fiber art.
For anyone desiring to research quilting and fiber arts, there is a
library with books on quilting, textile creation, spinning, embroidery
and rug hooking. It’s a sizeable quilt pattern library.
So, whether you are a quilter or simply enjoy fiber flair, the museum
is a noteworthy destination. Without any doubt, it’s an inspiring respite
for quilt lovers wanting to meet and learn.
Kathy draws her articles from a diverse personal background. She
hopes readers enjoy her column as much as she enjoys the writing and
sharing.
December 2023
Families Are Made of This
By: Pat Alexander / Art of Entertaining
Holidays always mean family to me. Whether
it’s the one you’re born into or one that you
make.
Part of moving into a senior community means that for the most
part you leave behind family and friends. You come into this new place
with hopes of new friendships and opportunities.
To me, Holidays also mean food. In my youth, food was a major
factor in all our gatherings. We laughed at the table, shed tears, shared
stories and, as we ate, we bonded.
Ties form that remain your entire life. Food comes into play in
everything.
We meet friends for breakfast, for lunch, for dinner. No longer family,
but friends we make
family. We take food
to a friend who’s
ill. We laugh over
hors d’oeuvre at a
party. In every part
of our lives, the
connecting part is
still food.
Nowadays, my
family is scattered
throughout the
country. We meet
when we can, call
to stay in touch, not
as much as we’d like
but enough to keep
tabs on one another.
We still talk about
our Holiday celebrations and the closeness we shared. We remember
our “then” and it colors our “now” and it completes us.
But it’s also the case that my new friends are now my family as
well. We share food, fun, laughter, and games. And we share tears and
heartbreak. We weren’t born to each other, but we share our lives. In
every way, we are family!
Speaking of food and family, try sharing this with them.
Too Easy Tiramisu
Beat 1-1/4 cups heavy cream with ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar in
large bowl until soft peaks form. In another bowl beat until smooth, ¼
cup confectioners’ sugar, 8 oz. mascarpone, 1 Tbs. espresso powder and
pinch of kosher salt. Add ½ of whipped cream mixture to mascarpone
with 1 Tbs. coffee liqueur. Mix until just combined.
Crumble 2 Tbs. ladyfingers into pretty glass dishes. Add 1 Tbs. coffee
liqueur. Top with whipped mixture. Using pastry bag, make decorative
pattern on top. Sprinkle with cocoa powder..
Pat Alexander writes about all things home. She is well known for
her cooking, parties and interior design, and consults on kitchen
and bath remodels.