Saturday, April 27, 2013

The Medallion Set

Civil War Sampler by Ruth
She's finished the 2011 series of blocks.

Ruth at Country Log Cabin writes:


"Finally finished my CW quilt and you can find pictures of it here:
I am very happy to have it finished. I quilted it myself on my Janome 6600. "

I certainly like that fake medallion set---I guess it's a fake because it's really blocks on point alternating with pieced blocks shaded in concentric rows.

Several people used it--- like Karen D above

And Karen in Tucson

 Tora Quilt

Dutch Quilt Cat


And Domy R

If you haven't done all the 50 plus blocks from that series you might think about this set for fewer blocks
It would work for 9...

As in the center of Tora's

Or 25
As in the center of Ruth's

As well as for 49 plus 4 corners as in the finished tops above.
Here's a post with instructions:


Saturday, April 20, 2013

Circuit Rider's Quilt---An Ohio Commemorative


The Circuit Rider's Quilt
by Jenifer Dick, copy of a quilt in the collection of 
The Art Institute of Chicago

See the original quilt here:

Few quilt have the name recognition of the Circuit Rider's Quilt, an Ohio album, that has been romanticized over the past hundred years by the woman who donated it to the Art Institute and by several twentieth century quilt writers. Most recently it was a block-of-the-month in the Kansas City Star and a pattern book by Jenifer Dick---an excellent source for mid-19th century applique designs.


Although most of the history associated with the quilt has to do with the minister for whom it was made, I thought it might have some connection to the Civil War. Like many other samplers of the 1860s it features a Union shield in the center.


The shield from the original quilt.

Might we consider it a Civil War quilt or a commemorative?
I assume that there is no date actually inscribed on the quilt. The Art Institute caption and most writing dates it to 1862, which makes one think it would qualify as a Civil War quilt, but Susan Price Miller, who did an extensive study of the quilt for an American Quilt Study Group paper, dates it to 1867, based on genealogical information about the signers.

We can hypothesize that it's a Civil War commemorative quilt, however, because of the Union shield in the center. Above and below the shield are the names Augustus Troth and A.J. Troth.  Miller assumes this "symbolizes his status as a Civil War veteran." He was a private in the Ohio Infantry in the war.

The quilt was presented to George Warvel, a minister in the the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. Over the years it has come to be called The Circuit Rider's quilt, although Warvel was not a circuit rider. Miller discusses the mythmaking behind the quilt in her paper.

Miller found out more about Augustus Troth, most of it scandalous. It appears he had an affair with his wife's hired girl and left town abandoning both the wife Lizzie Troth, the servant Nancy and her child Orie. The women raised the child together. See some discussion of the scandal by descendants here:
http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/PREBLE_CO_OH/2005-03/1109803377

Jenifer Dick
Circuit Rider's Quilt
Another set for the blocks that were a 
Block of the Month pattern in the Kansas City Star

UPDATE
Jenifer Dick, author of the pattern book The Circuit Rider's Quilt added some information. She believes the quilt's name is correct as the minister for whom it was made did ride a circuit. In her book she outlines all the circuits, stations and missions he served at in his career –"All information," she says, that "I got directly from the United Brethren Church archives in Ohio. They consider him a circuit rider, so I never questioned that part of the story…
She adds:
"The reason the quilt is dated 1862 is because that’s when he left the Low Chapel where the congregation who made the quilt were. He left the appointment when he enlisted in the 167th Regiment of the Ohio Infantry , Company E. 100 days service (as a Chaplain). After his service, he did not return to Low Chapel and was onto another circuit. It would be highly unlikely that congregation would have waited 5 years to make him the quilt (not improbable though.) "

I say: Either date I think we can classify it as a Civil War quilt.

-------------
Read Susan Price Miller's "The Circuit Rider's Quilt: Romance and Reality" in Uncoverings 2009, Volume 29 of the Research Papers of the American Quilt Study Group. Order it here:
http://www.americanquiltstudygroup.org/UCDetail.asp?ID=29

Here's the abstract describing the paper:
In 1919, the Art Institute of Chicago accessioned an appliquéd album quilt which had been donated by Emma Blanxius Hodge, called the “Circuit Rider's Quilt.” Accompanying information described it as having been presented to George C. Warvel, an Ohio minister. An article published in 1923 portrayed Warvel as an iconic circuit rider of the frontier, and this romanticized story was repeated in print media throughout the twentieth century. The disparity between the romance and the reality of the quilt's story serves as an illustration of the powerful influence of the Colonial Revival movement in twentieth-century America, the roles of collectors and magazine writers in perpetuating popular stories, and the important contributions possible through partnerships between committed quilt researchers and museum curators.

I think it's enough evidence to qualify the sampler as a Civil War commemorative. I added it to my Pinterest Page Quilt Civil War.
http://pinterest.com/materialculture/quilt-civil-war/

Saturday, April 13, 2013

What's Up?

Amy at Lexington Quilter

Amy's using French General Prints


I've found many blocks from the Dixie Diary Block of the Month pattern up on the internet.

RCCheryl


Karen at Breezy Point Quilts

She's making two using Jo Morton's Alexandria prints
On her blog she says she "got sucked into it." Yay! That's my job.

Pinkdeenster is incorporating scraps of old embroidery.




Kookaburra Calling has added a second layer to the applique,
which works nicely.

And WonesmartCookie has added 
another little something to the applique.


Those above are from our Flickr Group:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/civilwarquilts2011/

I also found a few posts on other blogs....

 CookiesCreek is using pink and brown.

Reems Creek Chronicles

Keep posting those pix!

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Dixie Diary 4: Asylum


 Block 4 Asylum
8" Version

A simple block built of squares and rectangles represents Sarah Morgan's first asylum.
At the end of July, 1862,  new Confederate threats to retake Baton Rouge threw the town into a panic over the coming battle. The Morgan family---babies, mother, slaves and sisters Miriam and Lilly---ran with the rest of the civilian population to a large school for the deaf and the blind on the outskirts of town. Their refuge at the Asylum was the first in a series of exiles.

The School for the Deaf became a temporary home
 for the Morgans and after the war for
Louisiana State University.

July 24, 1862, the Asylum
"Yes; that must be the date, for one day and two nights have passed since I was writing here. Where shall I begin the story of my wanderings? I don't know that it has a beginning, it is all so hurried and confused.  But it was Tuesday evening that the Federals were seized with a panic which threw the whole town in alarm. They said our troops were within eight miles, ten thousand in number. …

Imagine what effect this had on the inhabitants! Soon, an exodus took place, in the direction of the Asylum, and we needs must follow the general example and run, too. In haste we packed a trunk with our remaining clothes, - what we could get in, - and the greatest confusion prevailed for an hour. Beatrice had commenced to cry early in the evening, and redoubled her screams when she saw the preparations; and Louis joining in, they cried in concert until eight o'clock, when we finally got off.

What a din! Lilly looked perfectly exhausted; that look on her face made me heartsick. Miriam flew around everywhere; mother always had one more article to find, and the noise was dreadful, when white and black assembled in the hall ready at last. Charlie placed half of the trunks on the dray, leaving the rest for another trip; and we at last started off.

Besides the inevitable running-bag, tied to my waist, on this stifling night I had my sunbonnet, veil, comb, toothbrush, cabas filled with dozens of small articles, and dagger to carry; and then my heart failed me when I thought of my guitar, so I caught it up in the case; and remembering father's heavy inkstand, I seized that, too, with two fans. If I was asked what I did with all these things, I could not answer. Certain it is I had every one in my hands, and was not very ridiculous to behold."


This is not Sarah but illustrates that guitars
were the same size then as they are now---
too big to take with you on the run.
We have not heard the last of the guitar.

A caba must be a container of some kind. Seventeen people from the Morgan houses fled to the asylum, including Lilly's five children, ranging from a girl about 9 years old to toddler Louis and baby Beatrice.


Sunbonnet-wearing southern refugees from Harper's Weekly.

BlockBase #3210 is the basic pieced block,
 Blocks in a Box.


Cutting 12"
A:  Cut 3 squares 4 1/2".
B: Cut 2 rectangles 4 1/2" x 12 1/2"
Cutting 8"

The red measurements use the 1/16th inch default in BlockBase
A:  Cut 3 squares 8-1/2" x 3-1/8"  (3-3-16")
B: Cut 2 rectangles 3-1/8"  (3-3/16")

It should say:
A: Cut 3 squares 3-1/8" (3-3/16")
B: Cut two rectangles 8-1/2" x 3-1/8"  (3-3/16")

UPDATE I just fixed the 8" cutting directions in October. It's been wrong for 6 months but I guess the block is so simple nobody noticed until Doreen did. Thanks, Doreen.





Optional applique
Go back to the first post January 5, 2013 to see a JPG with the heart and the star.