Saturday, December 28, 2013

Pattern Name?

Collection of the Taylor Museum in Arizona

Above is a quilt that looks to have been made sometime
in the early 20th century. The claret red and cadet blue
fabrics at lower right are good clues to the 1890-1920 era.
The bright purple and yellow might indicate the 1930s.

See more about it at the Arizona Memory site:
http://azmemory.azlibrary.gov/cdm/ref/collection/tshsettle/id/0

The family story that it was made before 1890 seems fairly unlikely because the fabrics look later. The caption says it was made by Margaret Henrietta Baird Camp and donated by her granddaughter, who passed on the family name for the design:

The caption reads:
"In the South, the pattern was called 'The Whig’s Defeat'. In the North it was known as “Democratic Victory".

Interesting? Those names for this pattern haven't been recorded.

I looked it up in BlockBase where it is #3807

The pattern has a lot of published names, beginning
in about 1890 when the Ladies' Art Company sold it as Dutch Rose.
Eccentric Star and Octagonal Star are other often used names.

The design was popular in the 20th century and you see
related patterns going back to the mid-19th-century.

This one with squares in the corners looks to be Civil-War-era. It's BlockBase #3809,
which also has many published names


Carpenter's Star is common
but it's also published as Knickerbocker Star
and Black Diamond.

It's just not known as Whig's Defeat. Could the donor or the museum have mixed up some labels?

Confusing it with a quilt similar to this, which
Florence Peto published as Democrat's Fancy or Whig's Defeat in 1941.

A simple mix-up in quilts and the family name happens every once in a while but the major question I have is how did the page and the pattern come to be called Confederate's Defeat?


"100 Year old quilt is hand pieced and quilted . Pattern is Confederate defeat or
Democratic victory."


Typos in the digital files----facts on the internet.

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Dixie Diary Progress


Dixie Diary 2 by Terry

Terry (Honas52) is doing two tops of six inch blocks multiplied in rows of six:
She says: "Six 6-inch blocks in nine rows, three 4-inch blocks plus appliqued star and heart in the corners."

The photo above with the 4"  flying geese border shows the background print better.

She finished it out with a caramel-colored brown 
and it's on its way to the quilter.

The strips of the same block is a nice idea, and these were so simple they were easy to repeat.
See her photostream here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/55917145@N08/with/9983093693/

Denniele (tmdab) has all 12 blocks done and set in their frames.

Her photostream:

PinkDeenster has photographed all of her blocks on the design wall. She's using recycled needlework---embroidery, etc.

She's got them set and working on a border.
See more:



MooseBayMuses has her block done but she is (of course!) short of sashing fabric (12" short). Stay tuned. 

http://moosebaymuses.blogspot.com/

She's ordering more.

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Blocks into Tops

Kris Loves Fabric posted this finished Dixie Diary top with the 12" blocks in 2010
when she made it from patterns she got in Sandi Brother's  shop
A Quilt of Many Colors.



She asked Cathi to quilt it and finsihed it almost two years ago:


Here's Sandi's version with the applique.

The set for the 12" blocks

See instructions for both Sets here:

Denniele Bohannon has nine done for this photo on the blue plaid rug.
She used my reproduction collection 1862: Battle Hymn
She used only stars for applique.

MuleHill posted this a few months ago.
It was waiting for applique and borders.

It will be fun to see what borders you choose.

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Dixie Diary 12: Turning Yankee


Dixie Diary 12: Turning Yankee
8" Version

A pinwheel represents the end of the Morgan women’s travels through Confederate Louisiana. The Secesh women spent the rest of the war in Union New Orleans.

New Orleans, 1864

Sarah and her mother decided to seek shelter at brother Philip's home. After crossing Lake Pontchartrain in a schooner they were greeted at the dock by a group of Union soldiers who asked them to swear the hated oath, a pledge of U.S. citizenship. 






April 22, 1863 New Orleans

"[The officer in charge] uncovered his head and told us to hold up our right hands. Half-crying, I covered my face with mine and prayed breathlessly for the boys and the Confederacy, so that I heard not a word he was saying until the question, "So help you God?" struck my ear. I shuddered and prayed harder. There came an awful pause in which not a lip was moved. Each felt as though in a nightmare, until, throwing down his blank book, the officer pronounced it "All right!" Strange to say, I experienced no change. I prayed as hard as ever for the boys and our country, and felt no nasty or disagreeable feeling which would have announced the process of turning Yankee….


Taking the Oath in New Orleans

He turned to [Mother] and asked if she was ready to take the oath. "I suppose I have to, since I belong to you," she replied. "No,madam, you are not obliged; we force no one. Can you state your objections?" "Yes, I have three sons fighting against you, and you have robbed me, beggared me!" she exclaimed, launching into a speech in which Heaven knows what she did not say; there was little she left out, from her despoiled house to her sore hand, both of which she attributed to the at first amiable man, who was rapidly losing all patience. Faint with hunger, dizzy with sleeplessness, she had wrought on her own feelings until her nerves were beyond control. She was determined to carry it out, and crying and sobbing went through with it."


Now that Sarah is in Union-occupied New Orleans we will leave her in the summer of 1863. This
is our last block. But look for the end of the story soon.



Cutting a 12" Block

A C 4 rectangles 9-3/8" (9-5/16" if you use the 1/16th" default) x 2-5/8". 
Trim the ends at a 45 degree angle now or wait till the block is finished to trim.

Cut 1 square 4-1/4" (4-3/16" if you use the 1/16th" default). Cut into 4 triangles with 2 cuts. 
You need 4 triangles.

C  Cut 1  square 7 1/4". (7-3/16" if you use the 1/16th" default). Cut into 4 triangles with 2 cuts. 

       
You need 4 triangles.

D Cut 4 rectangles 4-3/4" x 2-5/8".


Cutting an 8" Block

C 4 rectangles 6-1/2" x 1-7/8"  (1-15/16" if you use the 1/16th" default)
Trim the ends at a 45 degree angle now or wait till the block is finished to trim. See above.

Cut 1 square 3-1/4" (3-3/16" if you use the 1/16th" default). Cut into 4 triangles with 2 cuts. 

You need 4 triangles.

C  Cut 1  square 5-1/4". (5-3/16" if you use the 1/16th" default). Cut into 4 triangles with 2 cuts. 

You need 4 triangles.


D Cut 4 rectangles 3-3/8" x 1-7/8" (3-5/16" x 1-15/16" if you use the 1/16th" default).



Optional applique:
Applique a star or a heart after piecing.
Go back to the January 5, 2013 post to see a JPG with the heart and the star.

Saturday, November 30, 2013

2014 Civil War Block of the Month: Threads of Memory


We are going to do another free online Block of the Month on this blog on the theme of the Civil War for the year 2104.

The theme Threads of Memory refers to the Underground Railroad. Each month you'll get a block named 
for an important place in the story of the network that assisted slaves on the road to freedom. We'll explore true stories of people who lived in slavery, escaped on the "Liberty Line" or helped the fugitives.

The twelve blocks will finish to 12" and each is an original pieced design for a star block.
(No applique!)

YOU DON'T SIGN UP. I'll post the block instructions here. But you might want to sign up on the left here
for email notifications. The weekly post will come right to your inbox.

I'll post blocks and stories on the LAST Saturday of each month beginning on January 25, 2014.
UPDATE: Here's the first post
http://civilwarquilts.blogspot.com/2014/01/threads-of-memory-1-portsmouth-star-for.html

Jean Stanclift made the blocks for this sampler several years ago. We'll be showing hers in primary colors.

She used
reds, yellows and blues 
with a very dark brown as a background.
Her sashing was two shades of blue.


To update the sampler Becky Brown has done two new sets of blocks---One in rather romantic prints of pink and brown and the other in my 2014 reproduction collection Ladies Album for Moda.


Here are some fabrics from her pink and brown set done and
in her signature style with lots of fussy cutting.

Here are the swatches from Ladies Album
which is scheduled for March, 2014 delivery.

Dustin is also doing two sets of blocks as models.

He's mixing my 2013 collection Civil War Jubilee
with a plain white for contrast.


He is going to make a set out
of ONE FABRIC.

Blue & white ticking.
Stay Tuned!

Jean's sampler of 12 blocks with sashing finishes to 68" by 88". We'll give you that basic set and some yardage suggestions in January.

Right now it's time to start sorting your fabrics.

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Dustin's Organic Diary

Have you been watching Dustin's Dixie Diary on our Flickr Page?
He wrote that it was growing organically.




Half way done

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Wishing For a New Civil War Block of the Week?

Here's the sample quilt for Jennifer Chiaverini's quilt book
Loyal Union Sampler
There are 121 blocks, each 6" x 6"
This book will keep you in stitches for 2 years.

It's paired with her novel
The Union Quilters


See her web page here:

I think it would look lovely in prints from my last two Civil War collections for Moda

From Metropolitan Fair



And Civil War Jubilee



And since you will be working on this sampler into 2015 here's a sneak peek at my next mid-19th-century reproduction collection from Moda: Ladies' Album.




Ladies Album should be in shops in March, 2014.


See a preview of Jennifer's book at C&T here.
http://www.ctpub.com/client/client_pages/googlepreview.cfm?ISBN=978-1-60705-766-6

You can download it as an ebook too.
http://www.ctpub.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=3086