Our Family Quilt

The Fabric of Life

by

Rhonda Cratty

Join and experience creativity and nostalgia through Grace, a master quilter, -as she shares her creative gifts with her young granddaughter, Audrey. Together their lives unfold around their family quilt.  The love between grandmother and granddaughter keep a family’s generations turning despite minor setbacks, disappointments and celebrations of life. As friends and family of this charming mountain town in Colorado come together for life’s moments. Creating an inspirational, heartwarming story to share with those you love.
 

12 Quilts

The Fabric of Life

Book 2

by

Rhonda Cratty

When Jana’s life turns upside down, Gram travels halfway around the world and back, to bring her home. Living over Helen’s Quilt shop, she heals, learns to quilt, and becomes part of Summit Colorado. As a Master quilter, Helen shares her life, friends, and creative gifts with Jana. During their quilting moments, the bond between Helen and Jana deepens, as their personal, professional, and quilting goals develop and change. With Helen’s guidance, imagination, time, and wisdom, Jana masters quilting; As well as learning to adapt amid the constant challenges and changes of life. 

A heartwarming contemporary novel filled with ideas for living creatively as well as insightful peeks into a quilting family.

The cover of Our Family Quilt was the first quilt I ever made-a Log Cabin design.  As Audrey was learning to quilt in the story, I was learning to quilt.  

My second book in the series, 12 Quilts, has  my Wave of Flowers on the cover.

 Learning at home by Rhonda Cratty is a new parent resource, filled with ideas to help children become the best they can be. Daily activities for family fun, that make subjects become more than pencil and paper, moving learning into everyday life. Learning at home gives parents an idea a week to challenge and motivate children. 48, four per month, educational learning ideas that can happen anytime. Around the kitchen table, in the backyard, on vacation, everyday within the comfort of family, using objects found around the home and books from any library. Filled with tips for family fun nights, holidays, trips and every day ideas to raise lifelong learners. Each idea can work with multiple ages and needs within a family. Tucked in are lists of family friendly books, recipes, homework help and games to extend learning. 

Learning at Home by Rhonda Cratty

Within, The Fabric of Life Book 2, 12 Quilts,  Jana learns to make is a nine patch. 

Here is a small excerpt: 

Twenty minutes later, showered, pajamas on, teeth brushed I was sitting side by side with Gram. “Okay, I got all my blocks done for my nine patch quilt. Now, what do I do?”

“If you want just a nine patch quilt, you will sew the nine patch squares together. Or you can make a disappearing nine patch.” Gram said as she worked sewing down the binding on Christmas placemats she was making as gifts.

“What is a disappearing nine patch?” I was spreading my nine patch blocks out on the floor trying to find a pattern I liked them in.

“You would take each of your nine patch quilt blocks and slice  each in half twice to create four smaller units.” Gram got down on the floor and demonstrated by using her hand to draw an imaginary line down the middle of a block and then across the middle of a block.

Sitting back I looked at my blocks, “So I would now cut them into four equal parts then sew those together.” 

“Correct!” Gram also sat back, “then you would arrange them in various ways to create your desired layout.”

“Like a puzzle.” I jumped up, “wait right there.” 

Of course, as I was writing about Jana learning to quilt a nine patch I had to learn too!  -R

  Within the pages of Our Family Quilt Grace tells the story of her momma’s Apple Crisp.  Then she teaches Audrey and Jana how to make it. Below is the recipe. 

“If you were family or friends, you could count on an apple crisp from momma for Christmas. Which she claimed were so good because 

her apples were made from love.”                                                               -Our Family Quilt by           Rhonda Cratty 

Apple Crisp

5 cups of sliced, pared apples
¾ cup of packed brown sugar
½ cup of flour
½ cup of oats
¾ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon of ground nutmeg
¾ teaspoon of cloves
½ cup of butter 

Preheat oven to 375
Spray pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Arrange apples in pan.
Mix remaining ingredients, then sprinkle over apples.
Bake 30 minutes.