2025's Applique Block of the Month Starts in March

 

Our 2025 Applique Block of the Month series begins here on the last Wednesday of March. Models are made----well, some models are started; some tops are DONE. Many years I base the series on a woman's dairy from the Civil War era such as Mary Chesnut's, Caroline Cowles Richards's or Sarah Fowler Morgan's.

Sara Tappan Doolittle Lawrence Robinson

 (1827-1911) when she was thirty

This year's journal is by Sara T.D. Robinson (as she called herself), written in her first year in Kansas where she and her husband came from Massachusetts to fight slavery. Kansas; Its Interior and Exterior Life. A Full View of Its Settlement, Political History, Social Life, Climate, Soil, Productions, Scenery, Etc. was published in 1856.

My copy of Sara's diary had a leaf pressed inside.

Who owned it before me?

Sara T.D. Robinson lived on the crest of a rocky ridge overlooking the Kansas plains, the same geological formation that I live on. One hundred and seventy years and a few miles separate our houses on Mount Oread (once called Hog Back Ridge.)

Sara lived on the crest of the ridge overlooking the town.

We’ll spend March to December, 2025 observing how Sara saw the natural world around her as she braved Bushwhackers and primitive living conditions while enjoying the flora and fauna, particularly the native birds. 

Inspiration

Our blocks will be inspired by traditional applique and Sara's descriptions.

Here's a set for nine blocks on the square.

Nine blocks finishing to 15" = 45" sides.

Add 6" finished strip border with 4x9=36 birds finishing

to 5" (Add seams to the bird templates.)

Or place the blocks on point, add triangles...

And a 10" finished border as Becky Collis did:

With cardinals in the corners:

How much fabric?

If you are planning on one background fabric & 15" finished blocks:

Straight set & border- 2-1/2 yards

Diagonal set & border- 7 yards.

Nine appliqued blocks: birds, trees & flowers in color:

You might like to have 8 different half-yard pieces

or scraps from your bottomless stash.

Elsie Ridgley's fabrics

Denniele Bohannon's

Becky Collis's

Barbara Brackman's---pieced background

The pattern fits into a 14" square but you might want to give the birds more space & make 17" blocks.

Starts here at CivilWarQuilts on March 25th.

Here's our Facebook Group for posting your birds:

LibertysBirdsQuilt

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1716334192277047

And you can buy the pattern in my Etsy shop for $12.

Click here:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1851873148/libertys-birds-appliqued-block-of-the?