At the recent FGS conference in Philadelphia, I saw something I had not seen before. Admittedly, I don't look at quilting supplies very often; I leave that to my sister, a quilting expert. Maybe this is "old hat" to experienced quilters, although I suspect not.
FunStuffForGenealogists.com (love that name!) sells all sorts of items for genealogists: t-shirts, jewelry, magnifiers, clip art, and now quilting supplies. The item that caught my eye was the Family Tree Quilt Panel. It is a great way to honor your ancestors by adding them to a wall hanging and proudly displaying it in your home.
You need to see the pictures that I took; words alone will not adequately describe this. You can see the family tree on the wall hanging. If you look a bit harder, you will see ovals that contain the names of all the ancestors of the person shown at the "tree trunk."
The Family Tree Quilt Panel is not a kit although "some assembly is required." There are two blank banners and one banner that says "Our Family Tree" and it contains 21 ovals for personalizing. You can use an embroidery type sewing machine or Micron Pigma pens (or equivalent) to add the names of your ancestors.
To personalize, you can print out your names on a word processing program (to the size they fit the ovals) and put the printed type image behind the oval and then trace using a light box or a window (for backlighting). Instructions come on the panel to guide you through this.
These quilted wall hangings are 24" wide x 24" tall. Each of the 21 ovals for names is 3-1/2" wide x 1-1/2" tall.
While these are great gifts for genealogists, including as a gift to yourself, I would think these would be especially appropriate for the new baby in the family.
These do-it-yourself quilted wall hangings sell for a modest price of $9.99 each plus taxes and shipping. Take a look at the pictures I snapped, click on any picture to see a larger image. Then look at http://www.funstuffforgenealogists.com.
This is so cool!
