Something new for me

[Rob Wick]

Some of you might be aware that my wife, Cheryl is a quilter. Every year for a while now we have gone to the International Quilt Show in Paducah, Ky., which is the Super Bowl of quilt shows. It draws people from all over the world. They estimate that over 30,000 quilters attend.

As you might expect, this year's show was cancelled. It was a disappointment to us both, not only because we also get to see Gene C. and his lovely wife, Joy, but it's something we look forward to each year since we don't go anywhere while on vacation. It's a nice day trip, although I do admit to some trepidation when Cheryl enters Hancock's of Paducah, which is a huge fabric store there. Given the number of books I own, I don't say much to her, but just the other day we donated four 13-gallon trash bags of fabric that she was never going to use to Goodwill. We still have 15 plastic containers left. (Sidenote: you haven't lived until you've witnessed hundreds of otherwise rational women clawing their way through piles of fabric that has been marked down. It's better than watching shoppers on Black Friday).

My support for Cheryl's quilting could best be described in the way that Winston Churchill described his support for religion. He said he was a flying buttress, supporting it from the outside. I have no earthly idea how to sew, nor have I ever wanted to learn. I couldn't tell a feed dog from a basset hound (if you don't know what a feed dog is, google it). I've always told Cheryl that I felt she had the ability to produce a quilt of her own design and to enter it in a show. In order to help that along, I purchased a design software program called Electric Quilt 8. It's not a cheap program, but it is the best on the market.

Cheryl's reaction to it has been less than enthusiastic. She's never been one to embrace trying new things. In order that we might get some use out of it, I decided, now that I have a great deal of free time on my hands, to sit down and give it a whirl. It took me a few weeks to get the hang of the program, and I'm sure there's much more I have to learn, but I've actually been designing quilts. Cheryl is right now making one, which I'll share as soon as it's finished.

This is all one long introduction to a quilt I designed that might appeal to some here. Civil War quilting is a major sub-genre of the field, and there are entire fabric lines dedicated to the Civil War. I've been toying around with a design that I finally finished. I call it "Regiments on Parade". The first vertical row features a block called "Jacob's Ladder" and represents slavery and the desire to be free. The second block is called "Clay's Choice" and honors Henry Clay. The third block is called "Mr. Lincoln's Logs." I purposefully chose some very bold fabric for it, given the rug and wallpaper in Lincoln's Springfield home. Finally, the fourth block is called "Calico Puzzle" which I found in a book of CW blocks and was originally published in the 1930s in the Kansas City Star, which published quilt patterns from 1928 up to the 1960s.

Cheryl hasn't started it yet, but I can't wait to see how it turns out. I'm not sure that my designs would ever be good enough to be entered in a show like Paducah, but that's not the point for me. My writing has pretty much dried up to the point of non-existence, and this gives me something creative to do that I actually enjoy. If you want to see a larger picture of the design, just click on it and you will be directed to another site where you can see it enlarged.

Best
Rob

[LincolnMan]

A new adventure! Bravo! Love your writing style Rob!

[Susan Higginbotham]

It's lovely!

[LincolnMan]

Agree. It is quite beautiful.

[Eva Elisabeth]

Very cool, Rob - my favorite row is the one with the forget-me-nots. I share your sewing passion but admire and love what those who are skilled produce!

[Steve]

Very nice, Rob. Be sure to post a photo of the quilt once it's made.

[Rob Wick]

Thanks everyone for the kind words. I'm not sure how long it will be before Cheryl actually starts on that one, because she has one she wants to make for Christmas and a couple of others in the pipeline. I will definitely share it when it's finished.

This is the one she's working on now. It was the first design I ever did on the software. I even picked out the fabric for it. The interior block is called "Rail Fence" while the border block is called "Churn Dash." Both are blocks that those of Lincoln's time would have been familiar with. She is having to do it in sections because her design wall isn't big enough. In addition to the in-progress picture I also included the original design and what it will look like when finished.

Best
Rob

[Rob Wick]

As promised in another thread, here is the Lincoln quilt I designed. To give you some details, the quilt measures 108 inches by 108, which would fit a king-sized bed. There are two parts to the quilt, the outer border and the inner square. Here is a block by block description of the outer border. Looking at the top left and going clockwise, the first block is called Kentucky Star, which is representative of Lincoln's birth. The first block after is called Log Cabin, an obvious choice. After that are Churn Dash and Nine Patch blocks. Basically, they would have been familiar to Nancy Lincoln and any other pioneer woman. Next is called Corn and Beans and represents Thomas Lincoln as farmer.

The block in the right corner is the Indiana state block. After that is Rail Fence, representing Lincoln's use of the ax followed by Bear's Paw, which recalls Lincoln's poetry. I chose as a floral representation the Rose of Sharon, which as I stated earlier was very important to pioneer families because of its religious significance. That's followed by Clay's Choice, which represents Lincoln's growing interest in national politics and his admiration for Henry Clay.

The block in the lower right corner is the Illinois state block. I really tried to find something that was representative of the New Salem years, and I finally came across the Broken Heart block, which represents Lincoln's love, and loss, of Ann Rutledge. Next is Mr. Lincoln's Log, which marks Lincoln's leaving of the log cabin and moving to Springfield eventually living in a frame house. After that is a variation of the Log Cabin block called Courthouse Steps, which is self-explanatory. That is followed by Union Star, which marks the growing agitation of North vs. South.

In the lower left corner is a block called White House Steps, which marks Lincoln's election to the presidency. There is a lithograph of Lincoln that represents his move to the White House in the block's center. After that is Jacob's Ladder, representing Lincoln's battle, both internally and nationally, with slavery and the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation. The next block is called Gettysburg, and stands for all the Civil War battles. That's followed by a block called Lincoln's Platform, which marks the Gettysburg Address. Finally, representing the assassination is a block called Yankee Mourning.

The inner portion of the quilt will be comprised of pictures. The top row is early photos of Lincoln and Mary and a lithograph of the family in the White House. Starting down the right side are items from the 1860 election. At the bottom is a lithograph of the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation followed by Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. From there is the election of 1864 followed by Lincoln's murder. By the way, the center picture is actually a laser-cut die that I have in the quilt that Cheryl did several years ago. The lady who made it is still in business and so I got another one. I even found the background fabric for it, which is a reproduction of the Gettysburg Address. Thank goodness for the internet!

This is something that likely will not even be started this year. While I have much of the reproduction fabric in Cheryl's stash, there is a great deal more I have to get, and that will have to wait for a while. We went ahead and bought the quilt backing needed, which will be 7 yards of 108 inch backing fabric, because I found one I liked at a very good price. Once she gets started on it, it will likely take several weeks to do. As with the other pictures, you can click on it to get a larger image. Once you have it open, you can click on the picture on the website and it will get even larger.

Best
Rob

[Anita]

I'm enjoying reading about your creative endeavors both with design and history of quilting. My great Aunt lived in Georgia and was a gifted quilter. I loved visiting her and listening to her tell the story behind each quilt, much as you have done here.

While searching the internet for surviving quilts related to Lincoln I found this article. " Elizabeth Keckley and the Mary Todd Lincoln Quilt" by Susan Wildemuth.
https://www.quiltersworld.com/webbonuses...y_mary.pdf

[Rob Wick]

Just wanted to let Cheryl show off just a bit. She got the green quilt completely pieced, and I believe she did a bang-up job. The final top measures 86x86, so we had to drape it over the couch for most of it to be seen. Now we have to buy quilt batting and schedule an appointment with the longarm quilter, but that won't happen for another week or so. Still no word on when either the Civil War quilt or the Lincoln quilt will make it into the queue.

Best
Rob

[Eva Elisabeth]

It's awesome, Rob! And I enjoyed to learn there's a meaning behind quilt patterns!

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(07-23-2020 03:26 PM)Anita Wrote:  I'm enjoying reading about your creative endeavors both with design and history of quilting. My great Aunt lived in Georgia and was a gifted quilter. I loved visiting her and listening to her tell the story behind each quilt, much as you have done here.

While searching the internet for surviving quilts related to Lincoln I found this article. " Elizabeth Keckley and the Mary Todd Lincoln Quilt" by Susan Wildemuth.
https://www.quiltersworld.com/webbonuses...y_mary.pdf

Anita, that's awesome, too!

[Donna McCreary]

The quilt is absolute beautiful.

[Rob Wick]

Thanks Donna. Not sure when we will be able to make the Lincoln quilt, and we still have to get the green quilt quilted (we are in the queue, and will have to wait about three weeks).

Best
Rob