Fictional Elm Creek Manor Comes to Life

Fictional characters often can become bigger than life. Think of Scarlett O’Hara in “Gone With the Wind,” poor orphaned Oliver in “Oliver Twist” and J.K. Rowling’s famous wizard, Harry Potter.

For contemporary author Jennifer Chiaverini of Madison, Wis., characters from her popular Elm Creek Quilts series have developed an extensive fan base, too. Her readers still clamor for more after 15 books since her first was published in 1999.

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A New, Must-Have eBook for Elm Creek Quilts Fans

A couple of years ago, Elm Creek Quilts author Jennifer Chiaverini organized a contest among her devoted Elm Creek Quilts fans. In the novel Circle of Quilters, two founding members of Elm Creek Quilts Camp decide to leave the fold. The remaining members had to select two new teachers to join their staff, which is really more like a family. In the book, as a part of the application process for the teaching position, each of the five finalists was instructed to design an Elm Creek Quilts quilt block as a test of their quilting skills, creativity, and understanding of the spirit of Elm Creek Quilts.

Jennifer decided to invite Elm Creek Quilts fans to design an original quilt block to be used as the new logo for Elm Creek Quilts. The entries were as delightful and varied as those in the story, and the block that best captured the spirit of Elm Creek Quilts was chosen by an online vote. The grand prize winning block was made by Jane Klocker. Click here to see the complete list of winners.

C&T Publishing is excited to announce that C&T has made the 10 winning block patterns available in a downloadable eBook called To Be an Elm Creek Quilter featuring a sampler quilt project. You can find it only on the C&T website.

THE ALOHA QUILT — Jennifer Chiaverini. Simon & Schuster, $24 (336p) ISBN 978-1-4165-3318-4

In this latest entry to the bestselling Elm Creek Quilts series, quilting queen Bonnie Markham explores Hawaii and learns about the islands' quilting traditions while setting up a tropical quilt camp. Weary from a difficult divorce battle, Bonnie leaves beloved Elm Creek Manor and takes up her friend's invitation to start the camp; once in Hawaii, she gets to work on hiring staff and making her version of a Hawaiian quilt. When her mean-spirited ex-husband-to-be demands half her share in Elm Creek as part of the settlement, Bonnie takes drastic measures to protect the estate and her friends. Still, the big changes are hard to take, and Bonnie's not sure she can follow through. With homey details and a strong sense of the connections that bind women, friends, and families, Chiaverini (Circle of Quilters) lovingly crafts her tale about a woman stitching together a new life and a new project. Series fans will enjoy this latest entry, and those new to the quilting bee should have no problem finding their groove. (Apr.)

For the Elm Creek Quilters, the day after Thanksgiving marks the start of the quilting season, a time to gather at Elm Creek Manor and spend the day stitching holiday gifts for loved ones. This year, in keeping with the season’s spirit of gratitude, Master Quilter Sylvia Bergstrom Compson Cooper is eager to revive a cherished family tradition. A recent remodeling of the manor’s kitchen unearthed a cornucopia that once served as the centerpiece of the Bergstrom family’s holiday table. Into it, each Bergstrom would place an object that symbolized something he or she was especially thankful for that year. On this quilter’s holiday, Sylvia has invited her friends to continue the tradition by sewing quilt blocks that represent their thankfulness and gratitude.

In celebration of the publication of Jennifer Chiaverini's new novel, A Quilter's Holiday, Elm Creek Quilts fans are invited to piece a block for charity quilts, choosing a pattern symbolic of their own gratitude. Have you recently welcomed a new addition to the family? Perhaps a Mother’s Delight block suits your feelings best. Has a caring friend offered you comfort and encouragement during difficult times? The Best Friend block may be your choice.

Please sew a 12" finished size block (12.5" unfinished including a .25" seam allowance) using autumnal hues for the focus fabrics, with cream, off-white, or light beige as a background color. Please include an artist’s statement with your name, the name of your block, and a few sentences explaining what the block means to you. Some blocks and artist’s statements may be posted on the Elm Creek Quilts website.

All blocks meeting the guidelines will be sewn into samplers to be donated to charity. If you would like to nominate a favorite charity, please include information about the group with your package.

Mail blocks and artist’s statements to Elm Creek Quilts, PO Box 620824, Middleton WI 53562. Entries must be postmarked by December 31, 2009. As a thank you gift, each participant will receive one limited edition A Quilter's Holiday pin while supplies last.

“We must never become too busy to help those in need.” —Gretchen Hartley, A Quilter’s Holiday

UPDATE: To see some of the beautiful blocks that have already arrived, please click here.

This morning I'll be a guest on Wisconsin Public Radio's "Conversations with Larry Mieller" show at 11:45 AM Central Time. (That's the same time zone as Chicago.) You can listen to our chat live via the internet by following the links on the WPR Ideas Network web page. I hope you'll tune in and maybe even call in with questions as we discuss A Quilter's Holiday and Elm Creek Quilts.