Welcome to Teapot Tuesday
the Sisterhood of the Traveling Teaparty
and Challenge #255
Charm School
Note: Anyone is welcome to play! You automatically become a Teapotter the first time you play in our challenge. Also, you do not have to write a story. You just have to be inspired by the teapot or by the story about this week's location! Have fun! If this is your first Teapot Tuesday Challenge, please mention that in your commentary so we can be sure to greet you properly, in pure Teapot Tuesday fashion! Your participation in Destination Station is 100% voluntary and not at all required. Just have fun!
The Rest of the Story:
1: Nothing says country more than a homemade quilt. And especially ones made with multiple colors of patchwork pieces. Like a fond memory of time gone by or a walk down familiar paths, the comfort of wrapping up in a quilt with a cuppa or a good read just makes troubles fade away. Quilts are part of the charm of country life and many a person has been known to stop and smile upon seeing quilts hanging on the line or over the porch rail. Many of the quilts of years past were made from the tiniest scraps left in the sewing basket after fashioning clothes for the little people in the family as not a bit of expensive fabric should be wasted. Today large groups of quilters wishing to evoke memories of that simpler time have coined a phrase for this style of quilts, "charm quilts". They are fashioned from usually only 1 patch pattern such as square, triangle etc. and cut from a large variety of fabrics. Some even aspire to having every single patch on the whole quilt cut from a different fabric, and sometimes a single quilt may contain pieces of as many as 1,000 different fabrics. Many hours were spent making these beautifully colored creations and many an hour after receiving one was spent trying to identify the patches that matched clothes in your own closet.
2: At the center of this renewed interest in "old-timey" patchwork is an avid quilter who had learned at the side of her own grandmother and aunties. Miss FayeAnna Smith was rapidly becoming world renowned for bringing back a touch of the simple life to our days. While her many books showcasing her own quilts and patterns have brought attention to their beauty, the real driving force behind the movement are the classes she teaches. Known as "Auntie Faye's Charm School for Quilters", the classes are booked months in advance and ladies gladly put themselves on waiting lists for cancellations. Even though there is rarely anyone who cancels, they know that she has been known to hold another class if there are enough on the waiting list to fill up another session.
3: There is a new quilt shop in town and all the ladies are quite abuzz about the wonderful fabrics, the multitude of patterns, rulers, templates and tools. And to have a large well lit room with lots of tables so quilters can quilt and gossip without interference from family or chores is a stroke of genius on the owners part. The "stitchin room" is always occupied with several ladies chatting, machines hummin and frequent bursts of laughter. But this normal excitement has reached a fever pitch in town since the shop's owners announced the 1 yr anniversary celebration. A whole week of discounts, door prizes, free patterns, and most of all; a Saturday class with the famous Auntie Faye! Oh my, the ladies are in a twitter all over the county and the waiting list is even beginning to fill up. Ladies are scrambling around, sorting through their stash and scrap boxes; trying to come up with the required 250 different fabrics to cut their patches from. Swap meets have been put together and gals from all over the county are getting together to swap fabric with someone who has something they don't have.
4: After one such swap meet, Corin Corina is still in a twitter, she is determined to make each patch from a different fabric but that means she will need more varieties of fabric. Between her fabric stash and her sister's they thought they had it covered, but even after going to 2 different swap meets, she needed a couple more pieces. Especially in pastels. Corin is starting to feel desperate as time for the class nears and she still can't find anyone with anything different. That is part of the down side to small towns, the options aren't as varied, but it is many miles to the next town large enough to have a quilt shop. Corin however, is undeterred and decides to arrange a road trip with any ladies who are also having trouble finding enough fabric. Surely there will be enough ladies to carpool together and get what they need.
5: WHOA!!! Did someone say there is a carpool to buy fabric?!?!?! Who doesn't need more fabric! Ladies were scrambling all over themselves to call and save a seat. So many ladies that the road trip would require a caravan, so the ever enterprising Corin called the school bus driver and talked him into driving a school bus across the county for their buying trip. WHOOOT!!!! This sounds like a trip for the teapotters to join in on. A bus full of gals looking for fun and fabric in the big city. Part of the problem with fabric stashes is that you sometimes forget what you have. Not to worry, Corin has paired each shopper with one of the 42,000 teapotters who will act as their assistant to keep track of the stash at home, and what will look good with it. She also promises lots of "tea" and cookies for all the teapotters. So get your bag packed girls and your stash lists ready, it's off to the quilt shop we go.
Challenge Translation:
Bring quilts, quilt patches, quilting tools, quilt books, and even a quilting buddy if you wish. We want to bring messages of hope and support to Karin and her family. Bring it all in shades of pastels for a country look. But no loud, vibrant, jarring fabric or it's the back door for you.
EPEC-extra points for extra cookies:
extra cookies for anyone bringing scripture and messages of hope.
Destination station:
This week our destination is Folsom CA if you would like a place to send your card. How about sending it to Karin who is the cousin of SCSer Renee
(momof3boys)
To get more information and an address to send a card to Karin's family see
post 354 in the Destination station.
Please remember that just because you participate in a Teapot Tuesday challenge that is combined with a card drive request, it does not mean that you are REQUIRED to send your cards. It is totally 100% voluntary!
Here is my card NOTE: the quilt pictured was made by my Great Aunt Faye. It is a "Trip around the world" pattern in pastels. She made herself and each of her 3 sisters a new apron every Christmas and the patches in this quilt were from those aprons. I always loved finding patches that matched my granny's aprons.
Here is cousin Renee's card
Here is a quick link to MMTPT#255 gallery
Ever want to get a jump on next week's challenge card? SCS has given Sheri (KSNurse) permission to create an email Teapot Tuesday Cheater Group and email the challenge out on the Saturday before the Tuesday of the challenge so you girls can have the weekend to make your card. Send her a pm with your email address if you wanna be a Cheater!
If you are confused about these challenges, see the first sticky post of this thread for more information. There is also a directory of individual challenges. Feel free to grab this I survived Teapot Tuesday Badge for your blog!
MMTPT#255 ~ June 18, 2013 ~ Charm School
I loved another SCSer's card so I had to CASE!! 
