“I think that I shall never see/A poem lovely as a tree.”

Trees are a true commodity! The 17th Century settler would never have thought to be serious about the poetry he may have seen in a tree! They were everywhere. He had to clear out a few a year and plant his crop among them until, years later,the land was more open and pleasing to till and use. Logs meant warmth in a fire or the structure of a home and barn.

Oxen, another needed commodity..hauled plenty of lumber and pulled the plows each Spring. The blacksmith had to fuel his needed fire constantly, as he forged out the implements that the early colonists familys’ used, bushels each day of firewood.

How did a housekeeper keep her home warm? If she was fortunate enough to have 2 fireplaces this meant plenty of wood was needed, maybe around 15 cords of wood for each fireplace a year. The new arrivals from Europe were astonished at the amount of wood that was being consumed by the colonist; for,in Europe, it was a rare commodity.

We are busy finishing up our cabin. It has been a 4 year labor of love, sweat and tears! and plenty of muscle! My husband is remarkable and persistant! He is upstairs right now planing some wood for trim in the corner of a room, it sounds so natural to me to hear the saw or smell the chips of wood as it is planed or sanded off. A colonist’ wife must have heard someone in the family chopping wood each day, knowing she would have her supply ready for the next days duties. Her husband was pretty remarkable too!

Quilting Bees must have occurred in these active, close-knit colonist homes..girls were married with their hope-chests full. They needed each article for their start of a new home. I grew up in the day when we started our hope-chests at an early age..doing some embroidery on pillow cases and kitchen towels. My older sister did it, so I copied her and glad I was when I got married too.

Quilting is relaxing. Quilting is inspiring. Quilting is a great way to meet people and make friends. Try out your area quilt shop and see what you find. If you have any questions just email us or give us a call. Thanks for stopping by!…..I have got to go finish staining on the front porch railing!

Quilted Blessings! Karen