Pixies and Pinwheels

Pixies and Pinwheels


Last spring, I wanted to learn how to make pinwheels so I took a class at the local community college. The teacher has had many years of experience and made the process very understandable.

The process used is to create half-square triangles. I learned that a pinwheel block is simply made up of four half-square triangles sewn together. These blocks below are examples of the half-square triangles. I have put one right on top of the other. If you were to sew these together to begin the process of building a pinwheel block, you would simply flip the top down and sew the two together at the top.

Before sewing the two blocks together, make sure that the seams of the green pin wheel are sandwiched. 

In every step of the pinwheel creation, it is important to ensure that your seams are "sandwiched" at every step so that you "keep your points." In order to do the "sandwiching" of your seams you must press your seams in the same direction. In this example, the seams are pressed toward the dark green.

As you can see from the block above, two sewn half-triangle blocks have been sewn together and I am pointing to the "sandwiching" the the other two sewn half-triangle blocks on the bottom which have been sewn together.  

I prefer to gently pull the seams apart prior to pressing. Once I begin to press the seams all in the same direction as dictated by the seams of the half-square triangle blocks, the center begins to create a "mini-pinwheel." It is important to press this point to create this "mini-pinwheel" so that the seam lies as flat as possible. 

In this closeup shot, I am attempting to illustrate the alignment of the pinwheel points which was achieved by sandwiching the seams together and maintaining a quarter-inch seam.

 Pinwheels are fun to work with because you can intersperse them throughout your quilt, align them to create a variety of designs.

When I selected this fabric, I knew who I was making the quilt for so I wanted it to be bright and filled with color--pinks specifically. While it is difficult to see in the pictures, the blue coordinates with blues used in the rose floral print for highlights in the roses, leaves, and stems.  After playing with the fabrics, I decided to go ahead and use the blue for pinwheels. I knew I wanted to make the pinwheels but I didn't know how I was going to add the pixie fabric that I wanted to use. After trying a number of layouts I decided to arrange the pinwheels in a straight line and to incorporate the pixies along the side borders.

I chose to machine quilt this quilt, stippling the floral print fabric, outlining the flowers and pixies in the pixie blocks. I backed the quilt with a fluffy cotton backing and it turned out beautifully. When presented to my great niece, she loved it. A few months later I gave her a pixie chapter book which seemed to give her good reason to cuddle up in her blanket and read.

Pineapples and Pansies

So it has been a long time since my last blog--but with so much summer fun, it was simply a very busy time so--while time was spent quilting, I did no blogging. No worries though, I took a lot of pictures and did journaling notes about what I wanted to write about for this blog and others. This is my second attempt to create this blog--for some reason, I lost what I had. So here I go again!

In my last blog I gave some helpful hints for creating the four-patch square which is the foundation for the Pineapple Quilt that is the topic of this piece. I don't know about my friends out there but, didn't last winter seem extra LONG???!!!!! It is without a doubt that the extended winter had an impact on my selection of fabric design and color for creating this quilt! I had decided in March that I was going to make a quilt for myself since I had made a quilt for each member of my nuclear family---and then some! So a summer quilt it was going to be!

From this photo it is easy to see how the center is comprised of the "four-patch" square as presented in my March blog.  To build the pineapple quilt blocks from the four-patch, a row of yellow was added to

each side of the "four-patch" square, then it was trimmed "off-square" from the four patch. A row of the pink pansy print was sewn then to the "off-square" cut which then was followed  by a row of yellow fabric.

 In this photo to the right, the "pineapple" appearance is beginning to emerge as a result of the repeated addition of subsequently longer pieces of colored fabric to build the design.

 In this photo of a completed pineapple quilt block, the "half-pineapples" are easily discerned. I completed 64, 12" pineapple squares to make a king size quilt consisting of eight blocks across and eight blocks down. Once the squares were completed, I laid two squares next to each other so that the patterns matched up, then sewed the pairs, laid all of the pairs in rows with the pattern true to their matching counterparts and sewed the pairs into rows of four, matched the rows of four to create eight rows of eight blocks. Once the rows were completed, I sewed them together to create the quilt top center shown below.

As you can see, the pieces and the colors contributed to a beautiful quilt top, which to me, created the right mood for a summer filled with brilliant color and flowers!  I did worry about it the quilt being a bit brilliant so I looked for a border fabric, something that would not only "stop" the pattern but serve as a "quite compliment" to the color scheme. To accomplish this I added a complimentary polkadot blue border that read as a solid.

This blue border added a nice compliment and effectively "stopped" the pattern.

I then followed the blue with the white pansy print followed by a blue binding which was a beautiful edge/finish for the quilt.

 I chose to have the quilt machine quilted with a yellow harvest variegated quilting thread and a mottled yellow backing which came out very well. The machine quilting was done by Elko Floral and Fabric.







What I learned was that the pineapple quilt pattern is tedious in that for each row in building the blocks one must measure, sew, and cut for each row otherwise, the blocks do not come out correctly. The cut is "off" the square in each round, thus creating the increased length of fabric in each row. If one is not paying attention, it is easy to cut the squares wrong. Interestingly enough, once I had completed the entire set of 64 squares and had sewn them together to make the quilt top, I spread the quilt top on my bed and realized that one of my four-patch squares was not aligned with the rest of the design! So I carefully ripped out the square and resewed each seam affected resetting the four-patch.  Interesting how one can look at a block and not see the mistake until the quilt top is completed!

Another point to mention is that much fabric is wasted when trimming at each measured square. If you worry about that, save the pieces and and donate to other quilting scraps to make beds for animals at shelters of your choice! Cotton fabric is a nice fill for pet beds.

I have enjoyed making this quilt and learned a lot about patience!. I am going to blog about making a "Bears in the Woods" quilt next which is currently under construction for a friend of mine. The "Bears in the Woods" will be made with his favorite colors and will serve as a house warming gift for his new home.
Happy quilting my friends!

Helpful Hints on the Four Patch Square

 

I have taken a number of quilting classes over the past two years and have been fortunate to have wonderful teachers who always surprise me with new "tricks of the trade." A few weeks ago I signed up for a Pineapple Quilt Class and the foundation for the blocks used to create the Pineapple Quilt is the appropriately named "Four Patch Square" pictured above. To construct a Four Patch Square, one typically sews two strips of fabric together to create two patches of the square. Below you will see two sets of strips sewn together. These strips measure 2 1/2" strips. One would typically cut a 2 1/2" segment from the strips to then place the segments together and sew them opposite of each other to form the Four Patch Square unit. This is time consuming and tedious.

Our class instructor, Jan, showed us a shortcut that saves time and, for the most part, ensures that your seams remain secure resulting in a nice, accurate center. Here's the trick. Simply lay two sewn strips on top of each other with opposite colors facing each other and right sides together as displayed below.

Once you have the fabric "right sides" together and the center seams "feel" like they are smoothly sandwiched or butted up against each other (see below)...

 ...simply press the entire length of the strips together, one on top of the other. The pressing seems to hold the seams in place.

Once you have allowed the pressed strips to cool, transfer them to your cutting mat. Allow your pressed strips to cool as transferring them to your cutting mat while they are still hot from ironing may damage your "self-healing" cutting mats.

Double check the entire length of the strip to ensure that the seams didn't shift as you transferred the strips to the cutting mat. In my brief experience in utilizing this process, shifting has not happened, but I am not saying it cannot happen, so take just a moment to ensure that the seams are sandwiched up against each other along the length of the entire strip by running your finger tips along the sandwiched seams to check your fabric alignment.

With a quick check, you can see here (photo above) that there was no shift--the center seams are still sandwiched--or butted up against each other. Proceed with cutting your segments--in this case each set will be cut at 2 1/2".

I typically have stacked my cut segments and "chain" sewn them. In this demonstration, I have only shown sewing the first in a series of Four Patch Square sets.

Once you have sewn the unit together, set your seam by gently pressing the seam follow the instructions below.

To help your Four Patch lay flat, there is a very simple process that allows one to press the center so that the middle appears as pictured below:

The difficult part is getting your seams in the center to "pop" open to allow this center press.

Here's another helpful hint passed on to me by one of my classmates, Jennie. To get the center to "pop" open--check this out---simply hold your Four Patch Square along the seam as shown below:

...and gently rotate your fingers and thumbs up so that the seam will literally "blossom" between your fingertips.

Once you have "popped the seam," press your Four Patch so that the back looks like this--with all of the seams going in the same direction.

If you haven't noticed by now--I am a true "south paw" or "lefty." If you are right handed--well, you would probably be cutting differently and ironing in a different direction--don't let my "handedness" confuse you--just replicate the steps in a mirrored fashion and you should be fine.

Once you have completed your Four Patch Square unit--don't forget to "square it up" according to your pattern requirements.

Good luck with your Four Patch Squares--and I hope this was a nice illustration of some helpful hints!

A huge "Thank You" to Jan and Jennie!!!!

Coffee Anyone?

I realize that I haven't blogged for a few weeks, but I have to admit--I have been consumed with quilting, quilting classes and life--as I am sure many of you are! Currently I am working on five quilts if you include this quilt pictured above which was just finished.

I am very happy about this most recent quilting accomplishment because this featured quilt was made for a very close friend who will be moving to a new land for a few years. This quilt was designed with a purpose in mind: to gift a very special quilt to someone who has been in my life for almost twenty years. So, you may have want to ask, "But this quilt, depicts coffee. Why, what is the significance of coffee?" Behind every quilt, there is a story, so, here's the story...

In 1993 I became a member of a group--or as Sherman Alexie refers to in one of his books, "a member of a tribe," a tribe comprised, in large part, of people who used to get together to work. At that time, we opened a new school together--it was a fantastic endeavor which was a huge success. From that "tribe" evolved a smaller, more select group of women who, over time, developed a friendship--and an appreciation for each other's company. For fun and exercise we used to play volleyball and basketball on the weekends and often we would bring our family members. Somewhere along the way we began a "women's basketball league" for the local community--so other women could enjoy the type of  companionship we had experienced through exercise, but also, because we could. Over time the volleyball and basketball fell to the wayside and some of our friends left our little group while others joined. Today, our little "tribe" still gets together, not on the hardwood with a basketball in hand, but rather in the comfort of a local coffee shop or at each other's homes to enjoy the company of our friends, to chit chat, as well as to drink coffee (there's the coffee bit) or tea with a book in hand. This is a very informal affair--filled with laughter, sharing, and fun--because we talk about our lives, people in our lives, current affairs, books, friends, and family--occasionally, we even discuss work--but very quietly, mind you. Every member of the book club selects a book for the year and as the year progresses each of us reads the book to be discussed at upcoming book club gatherings. Our book club gets together in the morning--and at today's book club, I was welcomed with a steaming cup of coffee.

So what is so special about this quilt as it relates to the book club? As I said, earlier one of our "bookies" will be leaving for awhile--to another country, so we wanted to send something with her to remind her of us--I thought it would be appropriate to present her with a quilt and the rest of our members agreed! But the question remained--what kind of fabric? What kind of design?

It just so happens that while on a road trip in December, I was thumbing through a "Love of Quilting" magazine (Fons & Porter, November/December 2010) when I happened upon an advertisement for fabric entitled "Daily Grind" by Barb Tourtillotte (available at www.ClothworksTextiles.com). That is where the inspiration for creating this quilt design began.

Now some advice here, one should never order the fabric until you have designed the quilt so that you know how much fabric to purchase--unless, that is, if you are willing to buy extra fabric! Every avid quilter will attest to the fact that one must have fabric in a stash for a future "scrappy" quilt, or two----maybe even three! I did not have a design in mind when I ordered the fabric, but I knew that given the type of fabrics involved, I should order less of the "motif" fabric and more of the fabric that I could use for other projects. I also knew that I wanted to have coordinating fabric that could be cut into blocks upon which personal messages could be written that would be later incorporated into the quilt.  I did purchase extra because extra could be relegated to my fabric cache (pun intended).

If you look very closely, the immediate center piece is a panel design surrounded by swatches of fabric. I used the embroidery feature on my sewing machine (a new learning experience for me) to print out a line from a song written by and about the book club members (very talented women) so that the messages from the "ladies of the book club" are "all gathered 'round" is positioned at the top and bottom of the center design.  I then "fussy cut" some of elements out of the the extra panels I had purchased so that I could incorporate the pieces into my center design for balance. Typically a panel design is equivalent to a yard of fabric. The "Daily Grind" panel is bordered by the innermost maroon fabric, while the personalized messages from the book club members is within the borders of the white and maroon lacy print fabric.

One of the challenges in working with a pre-designed fabric panel is it always dictates the size you have to work with, more or less, unless you are willing to cut into the panel itself--which basically defeats the purpose of purchasing it for use in the first place. My choice to use this panel, for the most part was largely due to the fact that it was very well done, provided a nice motif, and served as a starting point for this quilt.

Given the dimensions of the panel, I began to draft out several ideas, but was at a complete loss as to what I wanted to do--until the opportunity arose for yet another road trip. As the navigator of the trip, I had learned long ago that taking books or magazines makes the miles fly by--and trips are also opportunities for new discoveries. For this particular trip, I brought along a recently acquired book entitled Big Book of Scrap Quilts (Oxmoor House, Inc., 2005) wherein I found this pattern for a quilt block.




I decided that this quilt block could be easily and quickly done (thought wrong--I'll explain shortly), and would add nicely to the quilt. I had a plan and began designing the 4x4 blocks shown below:

(Can you see the coffee cup and swirls of coffee aroma decorative stitching in the sashing of the 4 x 4 block?)

Each of the appliqued coffee cup blocks is constructed of eight distinct pieces of fabric--five pieces for the background and three for the coffee cup. The background pieces were easily cut and sewn together, however before cutting the pieces that align with the saucer pieces the fabric had to be facing up so that the cuts were at the correct angle to align with the saucer fabric piece. Of course the building of the coffee cups took significantly more time. Each piece for the cup itself needed to be individually cut. The saucer pieces could be "stacked and whacked" which was fast and easy, but the cup and handle had to be individually cut, then once cut, I had to cut fusible mesh for each corresponding coffee cup piece. I had sewn a fusible mesh onto the correct side of the coffee cup fabric pieces and turned them right-side out so that the fusing could be on the back of each cup piece with the correct side of the fabric facing up with the wrong side of the fabric to be pressed onto the background center piece. Working with the fusing took the longest. So here's a simplification tip from one of my sewing teachers, Jan. She suggested the following: "Since you were going to add the decorative stitch to outline the cup, rather than sewing the fusible mesh to the handle, simply cut the handle and fusing out, press, then sew the decorative stitch around the coffee cup. This would have been enough to keep the fabric in place and prevent it from fraying." Wise words from a wise woman!  Following her idea would have saved me untold hours. Fumbling with the handles was difficult and time consuming because they were small and curved.

An additional helpful note. When following someone else's pattern for a quilt block, redesign the block to meet your own needs. In constructing the "Cups and Saucers" block out of the Big Book of Scrap Quilts (2005, pgs. 14-16) wherein the pattern calls for a finished block of 6 3/4" x 7," had I known better, I would have adjusted the pattern to generate a 7"x 7 1/2" block which, in the end, would have been much easier to work with when calculating my design for a finished queen size quilt. To fiddle around with a 6 3/4" finished block measurement rather than a 7" finished block took additional math that, in the end was relatively unnecessary work.

Finally, you will notice that I "fussy" cut several coffee cups to make up for some space between the 4X4 blocks where I needed to make up for additional space. This was a very simple process as long as I didn't let "finished" and "unfinished" dimensions confuse me. As long as I stayed with finished sizes when I was looking at the quilt, and worked with "unfinished" measurements when I was looking at my design and cutting the fabric, I was okay!

With my cup of coffee in hand, "Here's you you!"

The Underground Railroad Sampler Quilt

Underground Railroad Sampler Quilt

Made by Antoinette Cavanaugh, February 2011

The Story and Research Behind the Quilt:

It has long been known that quilts provided a glimpse into our collective or personal history and in turn when a quilt is created, one must tell the story, symbolic or otherwise, behind the quilt so as to document the story behind its creation.

In short, the inspiration for this Underground Railroad Sampler Quilt was to learn more about slavery and the struggle for freedom, a tumultuous and critical point in American history marking the Civil War. According to Larry Schweikart, author of 7 Events that Made America America (2010), states that, “Lincoln’s election in 1860 constituted the final, inevitable swing of the pendulum against slave property rights.” He further states that, “Despite the new president’s assurances, it was bountifully evident to all, that slavery’s clock was ticking, and that the time would soon come when the concept of people as property would no longer be tolerated” (p.57).  He goes on to build an argument substantiating that the Dred Scott decision by the Supreme Court in 1857, wherein a slave named Dred Scott filed a suit to be set free in the slave state of Missouri in 1846, wrecked the economy and expedited the country into civil war. I ask, to what end would we have come had this country continued to subjugate a people to a life of human suffrage? What would our country’s status be, had people not worked to usher slaves to freedom, or voiced opposition to slavery, or worked to ensure basic human freedoms?

The creation of this quilt is neither to validate or debunk the theory of quilts being used as a method for communication between slaves and conductors in the Underground Railroad (and yes there is controversy about this), but rather was used as a method to learn more about this piece of history and to also pay tribute to particular individuals who made an impact through their words and deeds, which continue to serve as a foundation for ensuring basic human rights in this country. To delve into the background of historical figures and events rather than simply noting by way of cursory tribute on special, calendared days that particular events make up our historical timelines and have contributed to what America is today; discovering, or better yet, “un-covering” the stories–be they true or mythological—behind the labels of periods in our country’s timetable gives a piquancy to our history which offers greater understanding of the sacrifices individuals made in the building of this country. Therein lies the inspiration for making this quilt.

America, known as, “The land of the Free,” historically has paid a perfunctory overview of the price that many paid in their struggle for true freedom. The suffrage of those who experienced the horrors while living in personal bondage through slavery and other forms of subjugation can never be completely and utterly “known” in the truest sense. However, what can serve as a testament to the importance that personal resiliency, tenacity, and triumph plays in our country is to rediscover the accounts that make up our history—stories like the Underground Railroad, the important contributions particular women made during that time period (not to negate the importance of men in history), the importance of President Lincoln in signing the Emancipation Proclamation, and the fundamental belief by many that a human being should not be “owned” as property which contributed to the successful operation of the Underground Railroad.

The Quilt

The quilt blocks that make up this quilt are designs which originate from three quilting book sources: Underground Railroad Sampler (2003), by E. Burns & S. Bouchard; Stars Across America (1996), by E. Burns; Facts & Fabrications: Unraveling the History of Quilts and Slavery (2006), by B. Brackman. In addition, research has been done about slavery through my own personal reading. I should also note that I have taken my poetic license in reflecting and/or developing the symbolic story line in creating this quilt—which is the right of any artist. Originally, this quilt was going to consist of a set of fifteen blocks that typically make up an Underground Railroad Sampler Quilt. However, I wanted to make the symbolism stronger by adding several that would pay tribute to important people who fought against human suffrage ultimately resulting in a unique quilt consisting of twenty blocks.

This quilt begins with a well-known and documented block entitled “Jacob’s Ladder” or one that is also known as the “Underground Railroad.” In this quilt, block #1 is set with the railroad positioned so the ladder appears to go up, from left to right to symbolize the beginning of the journey. You will notice that the story line of this quilt, also ends with an “Underground Railroad” block but it positioned so that the ladder slants down to the right at the end of the quilt to signify the end of the journey. The Underground Railroad block is used to recall the network of secret help in transporting people north to live in “free” states. It should be noted that Quakers lived in large numbers in the free states. Quakers were known to live by their religious principles that prohibited human bondage. Quakers often provided safe haven for escapees and/or for “conductors” like Harriet Tubman, who actually had a price on her head in the southern slave states.

Block #2 is called the “Harriet Tubman Star” (E. Burns, 1996). Harriet Tubman was born in March 1822 and died on March 10, 1913. She was born into slavery and escaped to become an abolitionist, humanitarian and Union spy during the American Civil War. Some historical accounts indicate she made 9-19 missions to rescue in upwards of 90-300 people in, “bringing fugitives to freedom,” using the Underground Railroad network. “It is estimated that as many as 100,000 people escaped slavery between the American Revolution and the Civil War” (E. Burns, 2003, pg. 32). There were over 4 million slaves during this time period.

Block #3 is called the “Monkey Wrench” and is said that a Monkey Wrench quilt was to be displayed when it was time for slaves seeking freedom to “gather their tools” in preparation for the journey.  This particular block is a monkey wrench inside a monkey wrench. The blacksmith of a typical plantation was also known symbolically as the “Monkey Wrench” and could use the hammering of the anvil to signal a time for departure in a journey to freedom. As an additional note, in Brackman’s book (pg.91), this block is use to symbolize the Emancipation Proclamation—when looking at the design one could say that it does resemble a tablet or scroll.  President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation by Executive Order, on January 1, 1863, a document that freed an estimated 3.1 million slaves by July of that year.  Interestingly however, while the proclamation set slaves free, it did not outlaw slavery.

Block #4 is the Wagon Wheel. “Wagon Wheel quilt was the second quilt to be displayed on the fence,” (E. Burns, 2003, pg. 46) as an indication that preparation was underway for a journey on the Underground Railroad. The wagon oftentimes had hidden compartments to transport people to freedom, and was used in spirituals as “the chariot to carry me [them] home [freedom].”  The “Monkey Wrench” turns the “Wagon Wheel” toward Canada.

Block #5, “The Carpenter’s Wheel,” was a code pattern to “follow the Carpenter’s Wheel to the west-northwest” (E. Burns, 2003, pg. 54).

Block #6, the “Bear’s Paw” block, is part of the direction for fugitives to cross the Appalachian Mountain Range using the bear tracks or animal trails to get to food and water sources while journeying through the mountain range.

“The Basket” (block #7), was indicative of the provisions needed to make the long northern journey and/or was symbolic of the supplies that abolitionists would provide to help fugitives make safe passage to the “Crossroads,” (block #8). Cleveland, Ohio was the main crossroads or terminal. “Four or five overland trails connected with Cleveland and numerous water routes, crossing Lake Erie into Canada and freedom,” (E. Burns, 2003, pg. 78).

I have added a quilt block  (block #9) that was designed and dedicated to Harriet Beecher Stowe (E. Burns, 1996, pg. 26), who wrote a weekly series in an antislavery paper which numbered 45 episodes during a ten-month period—writings which later were published as a book in 1852 entitled, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Schweikart (2010) credits Harriet Beecher Stowe’s publication with encouraging the northern sentiments to be rid of slavery. He states, “The South’s great victory within the Compromise of 1850, the Fugitive Slave Law, was undone by the publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and the mass civil disobedience of Northerners unwilling to enforce the law” (pg. 57).

Block #10 “Log Cabin” is said to indicate safe houses in Cleveland or to communicate to runaway slaves that they needed to build a log cabin to establish their residency in a free state. “Gladys-Marie Fry, in Stitched from the Soul, suggested a log cabin quilt with a black center hanging in front of a house indicated it was a “safe” house,” (E. Burns, 2003, pg. 84).

The “Shoo-Fly” block,  #11, is said to represent an actual person who had the responsibility to shelter fugitive slaves or to aid them in their escape along the Underground Railroad. “Shoo-Fly told us to dress up in cotton and satin Bow Ties.” The twelfth block is the “Bow Tie” block.

In the spring and early summer most people know geese fly to the north, the “Flying Geese” block (#13) followed by the “Birds in the Air” block (#14) are symbols to provide direction to escapees to continue their journey North. They were to stay on the “Drunkard’s Path” (block #15) which was a clue or reminder for all fugitives to make their way to freedom using a zigzag, to and fro, path so as to confuse potential slave trackers. They were even encouraged to back track to elude their captors on their journey North to the free states or to Canada.

I have added a star block created and dedicated to Sojourner Truth (E. Burns, 1996, pg. 48) as block #16.  Sojourner, or Isabella (her slave name) was born into slavery and was emancipated when she was forty years of age. Sojourner was a fearless and gifted orator and was known for speaking at revival meetings in the New England area. Her most famous speech, “Ain’t I a Woman,” delivered at a Women’s Rights Convention in 1851, rightfully established her as one of America’s influential women in our country’s developmental history.

The “Sail Boat” block (#17) indicates passage via water by following the “North Star” block (18) to lead people safely to Canada. 

I have added another block that is referenced as “Charm” Block (#19). Brackman (2006) states, “Charm quilts seem to link African and mainstream American traditions. The style, quite popular from 1870 to 1920 with quilt makers of various ethnic origins, was described in a 1911 woman’s magazine, advising that a triangle design was a desirable pattern for a charm-quilt, in which no two pieces are alike.” Further, Brackman indicates that, “hexagons, triangles, and 60 degree diamonds are commonly found in a charm quilt. Because of the significance of charms that bring good luck, I thought it appropriate to incorporate this block into the Underground Railroad Quilt storyline to bestow good luck along their journey to freedom.

The final block (#20) is once again, the “Jacob’s Ladder” or “Underground Railroad” Block which is positioned so that the ladder slants down to the right, signifying the end of the journey—or perhaps, for those who were the “conductors,” and end to a successful mission.

While the debate continues about the theory of using quilts to communicate with those who sought freedom, it seems plausible for a number of reasons including the fact that slaves were not given the benefit of an education, thus could not read or write necessitating an alternative method for communication; no citizen in their right mind would want to write out a plan to help slaves to the free states for fear of death should they be discovered; and finally, writing out a plan would ultimately result in the undoing of the success of the Underground Railroad by making every step in the journey discoverable. 

I had not intended this blog to be so lengthy--oh well! Hope you enjoyed the story and the history!

Learning the Language of Quilting

Now that I had almost two decades of quilter's almanacs and the conviction that I could learn to quilt thanks to the two aunts who inspired me, I decided in the spring of 2008 to enroll in a quilting class. I felt it necessary to learn how to do things correctly and knew that I had much to learn. Every time I looked at the pictures of the beautiful quilts in the books I had, I was overwhelmed and really didn't know where to begin. It was blatantly apparent that in order for someone to use the books, one needed to have some cursory knowledge about quilting--I had not really been exposed to this art form in a formal sense of the word.

In retrospect, I was very fortunate to have signed up for the class at the local Community College and was equally lucky to have signed up under a wonderful teacher.  It just so happens that the Community College offers "Community Service" classes under which this beginner quilting class was made available--and I would strongly suggest this as a strategy for learning to quilt. As an additional suggestion, local fabric shops or sewing machine shops typically offer beginner classes where one can learn to quilt, sew, or generate projects.

My initiation into quilting was through this community service class which was offered as a "beginner" class and the project was to complete a "Star and Chain" quilt.  The teacher brought samples of her quilts and a quilt top that provided a nice example of what was expected of our resulting project. Appropriately, the teacher did not begin with sewing. Rather, she provided us with four sheets of paper on which the directions were written and wherein certain quilting terms were delineated.  The class was small and we read through the directions while looking at the quilting block samples the teacher had brought to class. One of the most valuable, but sometimes difficult skill she taught us at the first class was how to "read" a quilt, which I will discuss later. By beginning the class in this fashion, I believe we were not distracted or intimidated with having to read a book, look at a book, or look at the pictures in a book in the first class. Rather we read several paragraphs from the sheets of paper she provided, looked at the samples she brought to class and discussed quilting vocabulary--terms like, "keeping your points," "sashing," or "lattice." During our second class we were to bring our assigned books and our sewing machines. She demonstrated how we were to fold our fabric to "stack and whack" so as to economize our time in the preparation of our quilt block pieces. Once we began to sew, she helped us perfect the "quarter inch" seam, demonstrated"pressing," and "squaring up" the blocks and many other time saving shortcuts when working.

Only one student in the class had experience in knowing how to "read" a quilt and for the rest of us, it was a mystery--but not for long! By the end of that first class we knew how to not only "read" a quilt, but also calculate the amount of fabric we would need to construct a quilt of a given size by knowing the dimension of each block, the size of the pieces that made up the block and then calculating the fabric. Of course this is more difficult for quilts that are not simple blocks but by teaching us this skill, each one of us could determine the yardage needed of given fabric to make a quilt.

Some things the teacher did correctly. She:
1. Taught us how to read a block, thereby taking out the mystery of construction as well as helping each of us to see that small pieces make the big quilt, thus making it "doable." She made it appear that we could do this project from the beginning simply by beginning with one block.
2. Did not overwhelm us by referencing a book, but rather had samples of what we were to generate.
3. Exposed us to the Language of Quilting and used actual quilt pieces to demonstrate what she was talking about.
4. Was patient in discussing any questions that each of us had with regard to each term presented.
5. Selected a pattern that only had three colors, thus eliminating the potential for intimidation when walking into a fabric store to select fabric.
6. Went with the class to the fabric store to discuss and assist in the discernment of fabric coordination.
7. The teacher did not have us sew at the first class.

There were other things this teacher did well, the list could go on, but I will end it here for now. The most important point is each person who began the class ended the class with a quilt top that was satisfactory and to their liking. Most importantly, we were encouraged to work with fabric colors for which we each had an appreciation.

Here is a picture of the final product once the quilt had been machine quilted.

Inspiration to Quilt

Inspiration is defined as, "the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative." 

When I began thinking about taking up quilting, I asked, "Why quilting?" Why not stick with what you know, after all isn't beading a creative, crafty and challenging pastime? I have also made cradleboards for each of my grandchildren and several of my great nieces and nephews--so why not stay with that? The simple answer, I think I needed to work with a different medium--but more importantly, there were people in my life that had inspired me by their quilting handiwork and know how. Here's the story...and it begins with my mom who was not a quilter.

My grandmother, Lucille, died from Tuberculosis when my mother was at the tender age of two. My grandfather, Bert, gave my mom to Lucille's mother, Annie Shepard Valley Prior. According to my mom's stories about her grandmother, she affectionately called my mom, "Baby Girl." My mom was treasured by her grandmother and was well cared for, that is, until her grandmother passed away from a possible heart condition when my mom was just six years old. From that point on, my mom was raised by her older sisters in the house that was left to the family by Grandma Annie. By all accounts from my mom and her siblings, life was a struggle. While Grandpa Bert lived to be a young 98 years of age, work was scarce when his family was young and he was challenged to provide for seven of his nine children (Tom died when he was a toddler and Linda, the youngest of the family was three months old at the passing of her mom, and was given to Bert's sister Elsie). At some point in my mom's adolescent years, she was adopted--"Sioux adopted" that is, by a Rosebud Sioux family that had moved to the reservation. Anne Roubideaux and her two children Jackie and Roger took my mom into their home and Anne raised my mom through her tumultuous adolecent/teenage years. Jackie Roubideaux became my mom's "sister" in all descriptions of the word.  My mom and Aunt Jackie were the same age. They liked to dress up, share secrets, cry together, laugh together, try on different shades of lipstick, talk about boys, and dance to the "lively" music of Elvis! They were baton twirlers and majorettes in the high school band as well. They did everything together--including getting into trouble! When my aunt Jackie and my mom got together, a twinkle in their eyes told the stories of that which was left unsaid--secrets that stayed between them under their sisterly seal. Aunt Jackie had a contagious, engaging, "out there" kind of laugh and my mom's eyes would light up and their stories would begin. I would venture to bet that these were the happiest years of my mom's entire life. Had my mom not lived with the Roubideaux family, I would have never known about or experienced the sewing skills of my Aunt Jackie--she was phenomenal! She could look at a picture, take a tape measure, make a pattern out of newspaper or butcher paper, calculate the yardage, and make whatever it was that she wanted--as long has she had the fabric. I moved to Lake Andes South Dakota one year to attend school--the winter was unbelievably cold! I stayed with Grandpa Chuck and Grandma Ollie Roubideaux (Anne's parents). It was during that time that Aunt Jackie and I were looking through the Sears & Roebuck Catalog. She queried me on which winter coats I liked the best. Even now that was the most treasured and magical year of my childhood. Grandma Ollie had made me a mug of hot chocolate and Aunt Jackie and I sat on the sofa and thumbed through the catalog. She pointed out which coats she liked and I pointed out which ones I liked. Finally, I pointed out a three-quarter length, cream colored coat that was my absolute favorite!!! After school the next day the catalog was gone--Grandma Ollie didn't know where it was. I really wanted to look through it again--I had ideas on how to raise the money to try to buy that coat. On Sunday night of the following week, Aunt Jackie stopped by and had me unwrap a package wrapped in brown wrapping paper--she had made me the most wonderful winter coat and hat--it was unbelievable! It was an exact replica of what I had wished for out of the Sears & Roebuck Catalog!!! The buttons were exactly the same! The only difference--it had a matching hat!! Aunt Jackie was amazing! When she wasn't furiously working on a specific project, Aunt Jackie would go to her stash and sort through her "scraps" and get a color scheme going and come up with the most wonderful quilt tops. It should also be noted here that Aunt Jackie had no patience for idle hands, so when we were on a road trip, I recalled hand sewing quilt pieces as I sat in the car--pieces that she had cut with a scissor from a cardboard template. To feed the eager, youthful mind she never, ever criticized my stitching--she was always encouraging me to do my best at "keeping the seam" and having a consistent stitch--I was probably more the critic of my own work than she had ever thought to be. Aunt Jackie was the seed for it was throughout my life that I had always wanted to make quilts like hers, but never had the time.

This story would not be complete without adding this piece, as inspiration came from one other person in my life--Aunt Lydia. Aunt Lydia was one of my mom's older sisters--she had learned to be a seamstress. Aunt Lydia learned how to sew garments while she attended an Indian boarding school as it was required that all Indian boarding school students were to learn a trade and sewing was what was expected of young ladies. Students sold their creations for money that would be kept in their personal accounts while residing at the school. Students could then withdraw their money and use it for personal expenses while at school or for travel home. After getting out of the boarding school, Aunt Lydia lived in San Francisco for most of her adult life and returned to live on the reservation in the late 1980's.  On several occasions in my teenage years, I had traveled by bus to the "city" to visit my two aunts (Lydia and Charlene) and several of my cousins. Aunt Lydia never had any children, but became the mom of Charlene's older kids as she took great pleasure in spending time caring for them. After a tragic event, Aunt Lydia moved back to the reservation, where I had the opportunity to spend more time with her.  During the summer of 2003, Aunt Lydia surprised me one day by traveling to my home and presenting me with all of her sewing and quilting almanacs--a treasure that was completely unexpected. I graciously accepted them and explained, "But, Aunt Lydia, I don't quilt." Her reply, "Well you are the only one in our family who does stuff like this, so now you have the books to learn."

Aunt Jackie and Aunt Lydia were my inspiration to venture into the world of quilting. Aunt Jackie was the seed, Aunt Lydia was the soil, and with that, each fabric or pattern generates a new idea which blossoms into a whole new creation! Inspiration comes from many places--sometimes inspiration comes from the self. So, who or what inspires you?

The Courage to Blog about my Quilting

Today I had time for coffee with a treasured friend ( a rare treat) and she began talking about a new blog she had begun re: her future relocation to a continent on the other side of the world. I had to admit to myself that I had given some consideration to blogging as well--about my new found love of quilting. From our discussion today, she gave me the inspiration to go ahead and blog--after all, she did say it was, "easy." So here I go. While I am no blog aficionado by any means, I do intend to learn. So with that, here goes!

The intention of this blog will be to document my journey into the world ( and I do mean "world") of quilting. When I ventured, a short two years ago, into my first quilting class, little did I know I would learn about the 1/4" seam, rotary cutting, stackin' and whackin', movement, quality, the "popping" of fabric, points and losing points--it almost sounded like a board game! I also learned that one can put a "full-court press" on a block to get the full play! On the fabric, that is! Having been a basketball ref for 18 years in my previous life--you can see how I made a different connection! So here you will find what I think to be "discoveries" for the "new-be" which are probably "old hat" for others who have been engaged in this craft/art for a life time.

If you are new to quilting, I am certain you will be able to share in my discoveries. On the other hand, if you are a life-time quilter--you may find some of my "discoveries" to be more along the lines of nostalgic road markers of your own quilting journey rather than something new.

I have to admit here that I have had experience in Native American beadwork--decades worth--so the seemingly tedious tasks in quilting seems like a fast-paced "freeway" compared to what I have been used to in my experience of working with size 13 cut beads. Quilting is a whole new world with its own history and its own place in our history--I am excited to share.