Next Block of the Week

At Quilt Market I did a presentation on what I was going to be doing next. I enjoyed doing the 2011 Block of the Week so much I will do another one on the topic of the fight for women's rights.

1913, the year before World War I broke out, was an important year in that campaign. I will start a block-of-the-week similar to the one I did here on the Civil War, traditional blocks with stories about the people, battles, themes and victories.

I'll focus on the English-speaking countries (since that's where I can read the histories) with emphasis on England and the United States.

American women won the vote in 1920.

New Zealand in 1893.

 I'll post the first blocks in the fall.

I'll let you know here when the posts will appear here. I'm reading the histories and Becky is making the blocks now.

Metropolitan Fair Reproduction for Fall 2012

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No time to blog this week. I am at Quilt Market where Moda is introducing my latest Civil War reproduction fabrics.

The line is called Metropolitan Fair in honor of the fundraising fairs the Ladies' Aid Societies put on during the Civil War.

It will be in quilt shops in October. Above are three of the prints.

And the project quilt.

What If You Only Did 12 Blocks

Idea # 1 -

Put something really big in the center.

Keeping up is hard work. I am very impressed that so many of you got through the whole year. But in reading blogs, Flickr comments, etc. I realize many did not. (And some of you have misplaced a few blocks---I'm not naming names.)

So here are some suggestions for samplers done with fewer blocks ---ideas taken from antique quilts.

2) Use really big sashing

3) And/or a Really Big Border

From Franklin & Marshall College's collection

4) Mix in a lot of something else

A whole lot of something else

There are four patches, bow ties and other blocks in this quilt.
It's a sampler of sorts.

Organization!

Sheila at her blog PetitePieceofthePrairie made 4" versions of the weekly blocks.
She is great at using digital imaging to keep track of her work.

http://petitepieceoftheprairie.blogspot.com/

As someone whose studio looks like this right now

 I can only say congratulations!

(That's actually not my dog and not my studio---but it could be---except that Dot stays out of the studio. Things keep falling. Too scary.)

Rosemary's New Book

If you haven't enough Civil War blocks to keep you busy for a while you'd better buy Rosemary Young's new book The Civil War Anniversary Quilts. She says she should have copies to ship on Tuesday, May 1st.

See how to order from her here:

http://rosemaryyoungs.wordpress.com/2012/03/30/pre-ordering-the-civil-war-anniversary-quilt-book/

She was kind enough to do a quilt for MY book of the blocks from this blog while she was in the midst of making the quilts for hers.

And on her web page you will see she is working on other blocks, other books and other wars.

Side By Side Sampler

Sandy F from Oregon sent a picture of her finished sampler.

"I have to say I loved doing the civil war block each Saturday.  After some thought I decided to go with a very simple setting, something a lady in those times might do.  I had read an article about the Sanitation Com. requesting quilts that would fit cots.  They wanted them 48" x 96".  So this is the size I made mine."

Sandy's inspiration: samplers of blocks without any sashing made by Ladies Aid Societies. This one is from the collection of the New England Quilt Museum. What looks like sashing is actually the binding of individually bound and quilted blocks whipped together.

 "I added three additional blocks to get the right amount. "
So her sampler is 11 blocks long by 5 wide = 55 blocks.

"I found this patch thru an online store and fit right in with my plan."

She also added a block from a quilt Nancy Hornback made for my book Civil War Women. We called it Jeff Davis's Daughter. See a blog post about that design here:

http://barbarabrackman.blogspot.com/2011/05/civil-war-memory-quilts.html

See Debbie's block here:
http://woolnsails.blogspot.com/2012/04/davis-daughter-block-two.html

The side-by-side sampler is a set you see from the mid-19th-century on. It became quite popular towards the end of the century when published quilt patterns were widely available, giving quilters ready access to new designs. The quilt above with its greens fading to a pale olive looks to be about 1890-1910

Here's another side-by-side sampler with blocks of different sizes from the same time period. The side-by-side set, especially when the blocks are sized differently, creates an energetic, informal look.

Thanks for the pictures, Sandy. It's a great look!

Strip Sets

Susi-ra

6 strips x 7 blocks = 42 blocks

Größenänderungcivil war quilt top

Strip sets were an option in the mid-19th century and here are two ways to do it. Susi-ra stacked her blocks up making 8" strips and alternated with narrower strips.

Mamifleur (who lives in France---

can you tell from the tile roof?)

She turned the blocks on point and used 60 blocks. 10 to a strip x 6 = 60.
You need triangles to fill out the strip.

For an 8" finished block you will want to cut squares 12-5/8" and cut each into four triangles as shown so you have a straight grain against the strips.

Keep those pictures coming.