I’ve been working this week on a new feature for the Quilting Gallery site: a Quilter’s Cookbook, to be available for sale early in December as a downloadable PDF file.

Early next week, you’ll be able to submit your family-favourite recipes for inclusion in the Cookbook. You’ll also be able to include a short story about the recipe, a photo of your favourite quilt and a story to go with the quilt. It’ll truly be a Quilter’s Cookbook.

The theme for the Cookbook is Quick and easy recipes, so we can get back to quilting. I’m looking for recipes in the following categories:

• Appetizers and Snacks
• Soups and Salads
• Main Dishes
• Quilter’s Sweet Treats (Desserts)
• Beverages
• Other Goodies

I’m really excited about this, and can’t wait to read everyone’s recipes and quilt stories. Please don’t send me your recipe in email. The submission forms will be available early next week for you to submit all the information on-line.

Start looking through your recipes and photos of a favourite quilt you’ve made or one made by a family member.

More info next week!

I’ve set up a chat room on the site. I’ll be around this evening between 6 and 8 pm Eastern time, if anyone wants to chat.

If you have any ideas for the Quilting Gallery site, I’d love to hear them. Found a new tool that you want to share, great. Looking for help on your current project, drop in and see who’s around.

The chat room is always open and can be used at anytime. I’m not sure where this idea will go in the future, but I thought it would be fun to connect tonight. (Yes, I know, short notice, will plan better in the future.)

I don’t believe you have to actually Join to participate, you can be a Guest. If you want to use your online name that’s great.

Chat with you in a couple hours. Now, to check on the crock pot stew I’m making.

If you’re having problems getting in, drop me an email. I’ll add a help file if needed later.

There are still a few days left to enter the Nature’s Best Quilt Contest for your chance to win fabulous prizes. Registration closes on Friday, September 25, 2009. Voting will start on Saturday morning and last until October 4, 2009.

Two of the entries submitted for the small quilts and projects contest caught my eye as they were done by a 5 and a 6 year old from Germany with a little bit of help from their mom. Both quilts have won awards too.

Swimmy by Hendrik, 5 years old, won second place in Birmingham at the Festival of Quilts 2008.

Visit in my Garden by Jonas, 6 years old, won a second place in a German competition from the Patchwork Gilde Deutschland in 2007.

While I don’t have kids of my own, I hope I’ll be able to share my quilting love with my nieces when they get older and come visit me in Ottawa.

Contest Links:

• Guidelines and Prizes
• Register – Small Quilts and Projects
• Contestants – Small Quilts and Projects
• Register – Large Quilts
• Contestants – Large Quilts

I was very pleased earlier this week to learn that one of the missing mini quilts from the Spring Blooms swap finally arrived from Australia to it’s new home in Kansas, USA.

I know two quilts have officially been lost in the post. One from the UK to France and another from Brazil to the United States. I want to thank both Maggi and Glaucia for generously offering to make new quilts for their partners to replace the lost ones. Maggi’s replacement quilt is the one pictured.

I am still hopeful that mini quilts for Claudine, Holly and Sue will arrive as I have heard back from their partners that they would be sent (or have been sent)… almost 3 months late.

There is one person that I have not been able to reach despite repeated attempts. Robin has offered to be a Swap Angel and make a new quilt for Jay. Thanks Robin!

I have a couple more Swap Angels to call upon if the three missing quilts mentioned above don’t arrive soon.

If there’s anyone else that has not received their Spring quilt, please contact me. I’ve tried to keep track, but it’s possible an email or two fell through the cracks.

I had no idea how time-consuming organizing the swaps would be. Just under 3,000 emails so far for the three swaps: spring, summer and friendship bag.

Despite the few bad apples (swappers), it’s been fabulous to see so many gorgeous creations. You can see them for yourself in the various Flickr groups:

• Spring Blooms
• Good Ol’ Summertime
• Friendship Bag
• Inchie Ornaments – Register here

I will be adding a level of experience question to the next swap registration: beginner, intermediate, and expert. I will be matching partners the best I can based on their experience level.

I’d love to hear any feedback or suggestions from participants. Is there anything I can do to make the swaps better? Has your experience been good, fine, bad? Any suggestions for improvement would be greatly appreciated. You can leave a comment below or send me a private email.

It has been suggested by a few that I charge a small admin fee to help offset the time and costs associated with running these swaps. Ideally, payment would be via PayPal, but other arrangements can be made if that option doesn’t work for you.

I’ve added a poll below. It’s anonymous. I’ll make a decision next weekend if I’ll start charging the admin fee for the Fall swap due to start September 28th. Thanks for your vote!

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I also want to thank those of you that have sent a donation. Your support is greatly appreciated.

I set up a Cafe Press store to sell Quilting Gallery merchandise. All products and sales are handled directly through Cafe Press. They print the items, collect payment and ship them. In a few months, I might even receive a commission cheque. ;)

They offer tons of products and options, so I tried to pick the ones I thought would be most popular. If there’s something else you would like to see, please leave a comment or send me an email, and I’ll see about adding it.

A few of the items available:

Visit the Quilting Gallery Merchandise Store.

This is the final week to take advantage of the summer special for the Quilt Shop Locator where you can advertise directly to quilters for less than $7.00 a month.

The Quilt Shop Locator is a growing network of quilt shops, online retailers, retreat facilities, pattern and fabric designers, authors, teachers and other quilting professionals from around the world.

This powerful map-based tool makes it easy for quilting enthusiasts to find retailers near and far. It’s an excellent advertising option for online-only retailers too. Especially in these more difficult economic times, potential customers are more apt to buy from you if they know where you are located. It’s the trust factor. Unique categories allow customers to find you here too.

Give it a try! It’s only $40.00 for six months of advertising. You won’t find online or offline targeted advertising anywhere else for that kind of price.

Join Today!

Summer special ends September 15, 2009.