Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Yankee Notions



Becky, Denniele, Dorry & I are plotting two BOM patterns here next year, one pieced, one appliqued. The pieced Block of the Month is Yankee Notions---Twelve traditional blocks with monthly stories about two kinds of Yankee Notions:
  • Tangible sewing notions manufactured in the North
  • Philosophical and cultural notions dividing North and South

The word notion has long meant an idea—-perhaps an idea that appears a little wild to the observer. Elite Southerners viewed New Englanders and New Yorkers with their foreign notions as threatening their aristocratic way of life.


The two societies encountered each other in commercial business. For example, city merchants or rural peddlers sold small manufactured goods not made in the South before the Civil War. Somehow these small goods also became known as Yankee Notions.

From a British Board of Trade poster during World War II
A notions man

Each month on the 2nd Wednesday you'll get a free pattern here in 2020. No need to sign up but you may want to join our Facebook page so you can see what everybody's stitching.


And you can buy the patterns all at once at my Etsy store.


The patterns will include instructions for 18-inch blocks and 12-inch blocks (if you have BlockBase you can draw them any size.)
If you make 18" blocks you may want a 3" sashing giving you the layout above 66" x 87"
Add a 4" border to make a quilt 74" x 95"

We'll show more set ideas as we go.


Fabric

We'll also be showing two-color blocks and three-color blocks. Becky & Denniele are both doing a red, white and blue color scheme.

For just the blocks for a Two-Color 12" Block Quilt you'd need 2-1/2 yards each of dark and light, probably a minimum of 3 yards of each for the 18" Blocks

For a Three-Color Quilt 12" Blocks
You'll need 3 shades
1/2 Yards 
1-1/2 Yards
1-3/4 Yards 

For 18" blocks:
1 Yard
3 Yards
3 Yards
These are rough ideas. You all follow your own muse anyway.

20 comments:

  1. I'm looking forward to this one!!

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  2. Thank you for the options for two sizes and color schemes - great idea!

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  3. Hope I can find the correct FB page. I will need to work on the fabrics. Looking forward as always.

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  4. Oh I well remember the make do and mend take on life. My mother showed me how to darn socks, at the same time any sheets that had holes in were fixed up with one of my dad's handkerchieves - very lumpy for wriggling little feet! She still had her ration book, plus a wartime recipe book and I remember her actually using it when times were hard.
    On the other hand everything was made really well and were intended for many years of usage. Can't say that for today's clothing - such poor quality, unless you are a seamstress and can make your own. I'm really hopeless at making clothes. :(

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  5. An overdue thank you for providing such wonderful projects that combine my love of quilting and history. I can’t wait to seet this new project!

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  6. I can't find the facebook page!

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  7. What is the Facebook page can you post a link?

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  8. Please post a link to your Facebook page

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  9. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  10. this looks like fun... but which is which... for the applique the larger must be the one, for the smaller must be pieced?

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  11. Definitely joining in on this one - looking forward to it!

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  12. Facebook page isn't up there yet. Will spend next week working on graphics.

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  13. Oh boy oh boy oh boy. Now to choose fabrics. You know, because I have time to make 15 different choices before we start!

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  14. Does anyone know how I can get BlockBase ?

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  15. Nancy Cummings I purchased the software BlockBase many years ago. It was put out by The Electric Quilt Company. Hope that helps!

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  16. Does anyone know if the Facebook page is up yet?

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