Country Woman April/May 2019

One of the nicest parts of my job is reading the stories, tips and ideas you send in. Your wit, wisdom and ingenuity inspire me every day. Susan Dixon’s photos of her grandmother’s framed handmade doilies are one example. Susan, of Bear Creek, North Carolina, sent them in with a note telling us these doilies reminded her of her grandmother every time she looked at them. That got us thinking: How else could you repurpose these cherished family heirlooms? This issue’s Make It feature, beginning on page 26, offers four more ideas for keeping Grandma’s handiwork close. Thanks for the inspiration, Susan! I hope the rest of you enjoy the projects her letter sparked. We love learning new ways to display family treasures, so there are some more clever tips from readers on…

Content Kudos I just wanted to let you know how pleased I am with the October/November 2018 issue of Country Woman. Your Thanksgiving leftover recipes are great, and I’m going to try them all this year. Also, the instructions for putting new seat covers on my dining room chairs are perfect—just the project I wanted to do at this time. Thank you very much and keep up the good work. JUDY GASCO ELMIRA, MICHIGAN Helping Hands I just saw the letter from Pamela Huber (“Let’s Chat,” December/January 2019) showing her take on the “Wiggles and Giggles” quilt. I live near Sacramento, California, where there have been terrible fires recently. When I showed the picture to my crafting group, we decided we would like to make several of those quilts to donate to the people…

Q: How have you repurposed your family’s heirlooms? I wanted to display my mother’s and grandmother’s hankies, so my husband built this cornice for me. I added one of my dad’s handkerchiefs, too, and displayed on top are some vintage sewing notions, including my mother-in-law’s button box. KATHY CLEM CONWAY, SOUTH CAROLINA My grandmother’s tea cart has pride of place in my dining room. Even though I love redoing old furniture, I couldn’t come to grips with changing this piece. When I decided to add a pop of color to it, I left the top as it was and only painted the bottom. I used chalk paint, then lightly sanded, and finished up with a faint coat of antique wax. I know my grandmother would want her tea cart to bring me joy,…

Time Flies As we approach our 50th anniversary, we’re taking a look back. If you’ve been reading Country Woman since we were Farm Wife News, we want to hear from you. How were you introduced to the magazine? Similarly, if your story, recipe or craft was featured in these pages, tell us what you’ve been up to since then. Where the Heart Is Friendly folks and room to roam are a few of the reasons rural living will never go out of style. Tell us why you love living off the beaten path, or why you value having grown up in the country. Is there a specific story or memory that brings it all home? Howdy, Neighbor! Casseroles, cookies or a simple hello: What’s your favorite way to welcome newcomers to the neighborhood? And if…

Our Circle of Friends volunteers help provide the creative ideas and stories you see in every issue of Country Woman. Visit countrywomanmagazine.com/circleoffriends for more information or to apply. AMY ADAMS TORRINGTON, CONNECTICUT TERESA AMBORD ANDERSON, CALIFORNIA HOLLY AMBRO SEQUIM, WASHINGTON SHARON BLUMBERG MUNSTER, INDIANA TABITHA COOPER COLUMBIA, TENNESSEE BRENDA DAVEY GREENBRIER, ARKANSAS SANDY DUDZIK STREAMWOOD, ILLINOIS SANDY ERDMAN WINONA, MINNESOTA HELEN FLETCHER SHAD BAY, NOVA SCOTIA DANIELLE GLASGOW UNION MILLS, INDIANA MARIE HILLIARD NEWBORN, GEORGIA MARGIE LYTLE WASILLA, ALASKA MELLANIE MCCREARY PALMER, ALASKA JENNIFER MILAKOVIC-NELSON CAMPTON HILLS, ILLINOIS STEPHANIE MORGAN EWING, KENTUCKY HAYLEY MOSS HULL, IOWA SHELBY OPPERMANN MECHANICSVILLE, MARYLAND WENDY QUATTLEBAUM MCDONOUGH, GEORGIA MELODY RICHARDSON MIDDLESEX, VERMONT CATHIE SCHOER SHEPHERD, MONTANA CHERYL STUNKEL TUSCARORA, MARYLAND JAMIE TAYLOR MUSKEGON, MICHIGAN JESSICA WAGNER VERSAILLES, OHIO WENDY WALKER EUSTIS, FLORIDA…

The way Gail Belmont sees it, if she didn’t suffer, she wouldn’t fully understand. And she might not be quite so driven to help. The founder of Quilts of Honor, which bestows patriotic quilts on veterans who have been gravely affected by war, served in the armed forces herself. Gail enlisted in 1969, joining a Women’s Army Corps Band as a trumpet player. It wasn’t until her arrival at Alabama’s Fort McClellan that she discovered her duties would include playing taps at the services of soldiers killed in Vietnam. The experience left her with post-traumatic stress disorder. “I didn’t even know what a funeral home looked like because I went in six days after I turned 18,” Gail recalls. “It was rough, but that’s really why I founded Quilts of Honor. I know…