Wednesday, December 6, 2023

2024 Pieced BOM: Washington Whirlwind

 


Next year's pieced Block of the Month series here at the Civil War Quilts blog is scheduled to start on January 10, 2024 with twelve blocks published as free patterns on the second Wednesday of each month. The theme is Washington Whirlwind and the stories are from the Lincoln White House.

Willie on the left and Tad at right with the First Lady

We'll begin on a light note with some boisterous boys, the White House children during the Lincoln years. Willie and Tad were at the center of the whirlwind with accomplices in a pair of neighbors, the Tafts. Their older sister Julia Taft remembered the White House days; her memories were collected in a 1931 book Tad Lincoln's Father. 

Julia Taft's little brothers Holly & Bud

The monthly stories for Washington Whirlwind are drawn from hers and other White House memoirs, letters and diaries.

We'll show some different settings---the horizontal grid 3x4 for the 12 blocks and this version for 9 or 13 with blocks on point.

The nine purplish blocks here would be pieced.
The turquoise plain. 





Why purple? It was the fashionable color in the 1860s
and you know Mary Todd Lincoln was nothing if not fashionable.

First Lady's dress by Elizabeth Keckly
Smithsonian Collection

And quite a difficult character unfortunately.
But therein lies the family tale.

Becky Brown's solids---purples from Magenta to Solferino (period names)
with some complementary yellows, etc.
Jeanne Arnieri is using reproduction prints, a butternut
& blue palette.

Twelve blocks in a 3x4 grid = 48" x 63"
With a 6" finished border 
50" x 75"

In 2001, Tad Lincoln's Father was reprinted by the University of Nebraska Press's Bison Books.


You can buy a pattern packet for Washington Whirlwind ---14 pages to print yourself for $12. 

And we have a public Facebook group.
You don't have to join. Just check in regularly.
Post your blocks.

You have a couple of weeks to get your fabric together or you can wait to see what we are up to.
January 10th.

2 comments:

Jayne Honnold said...

This looks interesting! Even though I am terrible at maintaining momentum on BOMs, I might just give this a go. At the very least, I will follow everyone's progress.

Rosa said...

Wow, love the layout.I can't play along right now I don't have machine but will follow your progress