Monday, June 27, 2011

Back on the Wagon - More Civil War Blocks

I have been so tempted to join in the Farmer's Wife Quilt Along, but there is no way I can start another project right now without going loopy.  I also realized that I already had a project like the FWQA, my totally neglected Civil War Blocks.  

Barbara Brackman posts a block of the week, complete with a historical Civil War story every Saturday at http://civilwarquilts.blogspot.com/.  I don't think I had made any since March!  So I went back through the old posts and jotted down instructions for the star/pinwheel inspired blocks.  (Here is my plan for the blocks.)  I got four (!!!!!) made on Saturday and cut out 2 more today.  I love sewing!  Here are the completed blocks:

The Barbara Frietchie Star - named after a heroic if not historically real woman.  I liked how this one turned out -nice colors and contrast.  It reminds me of the curtains in The Sound of Music.  :)

Illinois Road - This block was suppose to be made with a stripe, but since I didn't have a stripe, I free pieced the strips with small scraps.  It's not bad, but not my favorite.  It isn't quite as wonky looking in real life.

Calico Puzzle - I was sure as I was cutting and sewing that this would be my favorite block ever.  It had the awesome fussy cut flower and my favorite strawberry fabric, but something just isn't right...  What is it?  Should I have used pink for the triangles?  But that might have made the yellow print look odd....  So hard to know without making and remaking the blocks.  I'm not saying it is a disaster, it still looks good, just not as good as I had imagined.

White House Block - A lot like Illinois Road, but with a pinwheel in the middle.

There you go.  I am back on the Civil War QA wagon!  Hopefully, you will be seeing more of these blocks soon.  And if I hurry and finish the quilt maybe I can join in the Farmer's Wife Quilt Along.  :)
Posted by Leila at 11:32 PM
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11 comments:

  1. JenniffierJune 27, 2011 at 11:57 PM

    Those are going so well. I can't wait to see it all finished.

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  2. AnonymousJune 28, 2011 at 12:03 AM

    I follow that blog too and have dreams of doing the blocks in modern fabrics. Love what you've done!

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  3. SiobhanJune 28, 2011 at 4:44 AM

    They are beautiful and the fabrics are so pretty:)

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  4. MelindaJune 28, 2011 at 5:10 AM

    I like the White House block and the star the best. You're doing a great job!

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  5. BrendaJune 28, 2011 at 8:13 AM

    I have been following Barbara's site too. Love the history lesson with each of the blocks. She is an amazing quilt historian. Hope to have the skills to do these one day!

    PS Your blocks are beautiful! :)

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  6. KarynJune 28, 2011 at 8:28 AM

    Love the White House....and do hurry! I've just started my FW blocks, so there is plenty of time for you to catch up!

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  7. LeanneJune 28, 2011 at 8:34 AM

    Those are wonderful, and you are right, much like the FW blocks. I love the fabrics you are using for them.

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  8. EmJune 28, 2011 at 1:28 PM

    I recently caught wind of the FWQA and went to look up the book. Because of that, I found another book called the Civil War Love Letters Quilt. Similar idea to the Farmer's Wife quilt, it has 121 blocks, each with an associated letter. This is going to be the PERFECT wedding gift for my sister and her new husband when they get married next summer. They are civil war reenactors and go to several reenactments per year and are really interested in history from that time period.

    My mom and I will collaborate on the quilt. Then we will give them the quilt and the book for their wedding next June. I'm so excited I had to tell someone and I can't tell on my own blog because my sister will read it and it's a surprise!!

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  9. Gina E.June 29, 2011 at 8:42 AM

    I heard about the FWQA through a friend who borrowed the book from her library. It was so beautiful - the stories and the quilts both. Will you be including any of these in your Skill sampler blocks? I guess not,if you have already decided what you are going to teach us...it would be great to learn a few extras!

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  10. tusenJuly 1, 2011 at 1:04 PM

    oh, this is really tempting, thank you so much for sharing the link.
    I have to confess that I like the blocks even more than the FWQA ones (shhh). I think I'm going to try my first HST on these.

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  11. VanillaJuly 4, 2011 at 8:01 PM

    Hi Leila,
    I just found your blog and I love your work.
    I especially like the fabrics you choose.
    I fell in love with your calico block. Yellow looks perfect, and how cute are these strawberries!!!!!!!!!!
    Thanks for the inspiration.

    ReplyDelete

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