Farmhouse Quilts The Kitchen Hearth by Liberty Homestead

From Introduction: "'The Kitchen Hearth' is the sixth book in the Farmhouse Quilts series. If you are familiar with the farmhouse books, then you're familliar with the basic themes that have been the basis for these books....simplicity, tradition, utility, efficiency. The title itself, 'Farmhouse Quilts', is meant to be descriptive, to remind us of a calmer, slower-paced time & place. A time & place where 'back to basics' was a good thing....These values perhaps have their strongest origins in our homes...at the kitchen hearth. These themes can easily be seen in many of our quilts, and particularly in the quilts in this book....The scraps of prints and flannels and wools often came from worn out clothing. These were times when nothing was wasted - what might look like scraps or rags to us now could very well be seen as the beginning of a new project. Even though this may sound like an inauspicious start, many beautiful quilts have had just such humble beginnings. To 'pretty up' these quilts, little bits of embroidery were an inexpensive way to make something special out of something ordinary. Also, the quilts in these books are tied rather than quilted, reflecting 'utility' and 'efficiency'. Tied quilts were normally called utility quilts simply because they were intended for every day use. They took far less time to complete, and time was valued just as highly then as it is today. Since there is no batting in a tied quilts, a nice soft piece of flannel makes a great backing....The title of this book, 'The Kitchen Hearth', is intended to conjure up all kinds of good things. The smell of hot coffee on a cold morning. Fresh baked bread or pie of cookies or just about anything. Friends and family gathered around the kitchen table for a holiday meal, or just for no reason at all other than that you all just wanted to be there. The kitchen is where we keep many of our favorite things and where we make many of our favorite memories."