Saturday, November 17, 2012

More Finished Samplers

Wedding Dress Blue
Alternated a framed four-patch block with her on-point sampler blocks.
Here are a few more completed tops and quilts I've found on our Flickr page.

Ila grouped the blocks with a graphic dark and light set.


Impera Magna went for a classic red, white and blue color scheme.

Just Cruisn MBK
figured out a way to get an extra Flying Geese border in there.

Morgan Girl's olive greens, pinks and golds create a vintage look
 
as do Bettina Meier's pinks and neutrals.
 
Lynn's at Bluebirds Quilts is totally finished.
I can see the quilting in the photo.
 
DorsetSpinner has finished her top with a triple sash.
You may remember she uses a treadle machine.

And Mary at Namawsbuzy created a red and white look with pinwheel stars in the sashing and a red paisley border.
Sandy sent a photo of her finished top. She alternated a framed shoofly block and added others. It's quite different from the blog blocks but a classic sampler.
 
Congratulations to all!
 
 
 

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Finished!

Cookie's Creek has her Civil War Sampler quilted, bound and displayed at a show.
The bright blue border really picks up the blues in the center.
 
Here's a shot of a medallion top from Domy R.

I photoshopped it a little, stretching it out, so you can see the center better.
Again, the narrow white border focuses your eye on the white in the center.


Sanguine Stitcher pieced small light frames around each block...a great way to make up for size differences.
 
Stella Bella

 
 And Celine think alike---same stripe for the border: the stripe from Civil War Homefront from 2011--in different colorways.
They did the same set too but reversed the coloring.


Mary Vail's top is ready on the quilting machine.
Notice her alternate block of an X.

It adds a second layer of pattern.

Martine deC used a small nine-patch for her cornerstones...
 
A nice detail

 
And Little Quilts announces she has her masterpiece quilted.

You may recall she embroidered the Gettysburg Address in the alternate quilt blocks.


 

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Civil War Sampler Microfiber Cloth



I know it's an oxymoron---the words Civil War and Microfiber in the same sentence--- but it's a great stocking stuffer.

C&T Publishing, which is publishing the Civil War Sampler book, took Becky Brown's cover quilt and printed it on their

fast2clean™ Microfiber Cleaning Cloths
Swipe any screen clean!

 
Here's what you get in a package ($9.95):
1 Large Cloth, plus 1 Medium and 2 Mini Static-Cling Cleaners
 
Now, do not put too much reliance on the historical idea of a Civil War microfiber cloth.
Abe Lincoln here is probably asking Matthew Brady if he can borrow his handkerchief to clean his glasses. He undoubtedly used a handkerchief to clean his smartphone screen too.

Lincoln's Eyeglasses
 
We were looking for a lovely quilt image and Becky's is beautiful.
 
Click here for more information:
Here's what they say about the product:

"Each package contains four antimicrobial, lint-free cleaning cloths:
• One large (7” x 6”) Super Hi-Microfiber cloth
• One medium (3” square) Super Hi-Microfiber cloth with static cling backing
• Two mini (1.5” square) cloths with static cling backing


I stuck the medium-sized cloth to my monitor
where it will remind me to actually clean the screen.


Printed with gorgeous full-color details of a quilt featured in Barbara Brackman’s book, Civil War Quilts, these high-quality, reusable cloths are great for cleaning your computer or television screens, as well as smaller devices like cell phones, LCD displays, and cameras. Use them on your eyeglasses, mirrors, CDs, jewelry and more - just toss them in the wash as needed. With the special static cling backing on the medium and mini sizes, you can easily attach the cloth to your device, remove it to swipe your screen clean, then re-attach it and keep it handy for next time. "

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Civil War Sampler in December

 
At Quilt Market this week we are showing off the new Civil War Sampler book based on this blog.
It's scheduled to arrive in shops mid-December. The cover is based on Becky Brown's quilt.
 
 
There are fifty patterns inside with stories and two versions of each block, here Becky's and Valerie's. The blocks are in different order from the blog and I switched out ten blocks so there are ten new stories and blocks...

Like Courthouse Square by Roseanne Smith
You can see more about the book at the publisher's webpage.
 
 
Click on the Google Preview button there and it will show you a preview.

Or you can see a preview at Google Books.



 
You may notice that the book is scheduled for delivery on December 10th. This may be a little late for holiday giving so I've made a certificate here that you could print out and put in an envelope, promising delivery---just in case.
 
 
Click on the photo and print or click on the PDF:
You could also copy the image and email a gift notice.

If you have a block in the book---we wrote for permissions so you may remember who you are---you'll get a free copy, but when I get that box of books and when they will arrive at your doors is an unknown.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

A Civil War Quilt?

A few months ago I saw this quilt for sale in an online auction.
It didn't last very long but I copied the photos.
 

On the back you can see that each of the blocks was quilted and bound before being set together, what we today call potholder quilts. This technique was done during the Civil War by sewing groups making quilts for soldiers---but you also see it in other eras.

Could it be a Civil War quilt
made between 1861 and 1865?
A look at the overall quilt tells me no for a couple of reasons
1) That crazy quilt block in the lower corner below---not done till the 1880s.
2) That large scale black or navy blue print looks wrong for era too.


But this block makes me think there is some Civil War connection.
Here we have four Union shields

Very much like a quilt with repeat blocks of four Confederate shields. It's an unusual pattern.
Perhaps the blocks were begun during the War and finished later. One could just keep adding finished blocks....

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Homefront & Battlefield Catalog Available



At the AQSG seminar in the book sales area I found a copy of the catalog from the American Textile History Museum's show Homefront and Battlefield by Madelyn Shaw and Lynne Zacek Bassett. If you want the latest authoritative book on historical Civil War quilts you must have this one.

Union & Constitution Forever
Elizabeth Moffit Lyle, circa 1861
Smoky Hill Museum
Remember the show is only up until November 25, 2012 in Lowell, Massachusetts. The catalog features many iconic Civil War quilts---from Kansas to Maine.
 
Union & Liberty
Octavia Lewis, 1864
Maine State Museum
 
Many from museums...
like this Gunboat Quilt by Martha Jane Hatter in the collection
of the First White House of the Confederacy
 

And several from private collections.

Sanitary Commission Quilt
Caroline Bowen Fairbanks, 1862-3
Vermont Historical Society
See detail below.

The theme is Quilts and Context in the Civil War so there are many artifacts and much information. The book has 231 pages, paperback. $39.95.
 Here's what I know about buying the catalog. Call the ATHM to order it by phone:
978-441-0400 x 243 or 247
Their museum shop webpage:
 

You will have many chances to see the ATHM show as it will travel around the country in the next three years.
Future destinations:
New-York Historical Society, New York, NY, April 4 – August 31, 2014;
Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, VT, September 20, 2014 – January 1, 2015
Nebraska State Historical Society, Lincoln, NE, February 1, - June 30, 2015.