Technically, we quilters have been copying from the past
for as long as there have been needle and thread.
Think about it.
The very first item that we would regard as a quilt (top, middle,
backing), was recorded as being from Ancient Egypt. From there it spread to Russia, Asia, Europe,
and eventually to North America. We Americans
kind of like to think of quilting as “our” art, but in all reality, it’s
not. We may have perfected it and put it
in a place of a recognized art form, but it’s not uniquely ours.
So it just goes to say that since quilts and quilting
have been around for a long time, it’s only natural that we quilters have
repeated blocks, renamed blocks, and revived blocks that have fallen out of
quilting fashion. We’ve done them in
reproduction fabric, Kaffe Facette fabrics, by hand and by machine.
However, I don’t remember a time when we reproduced quilts like we have now. And I’m not sure why. I don’t know if it’s an unconscious effort to
tie our fast moving present to a slower past or if it’s simply to see if our
skills equal our grandmothers’. I just
seem to think we’re doing it with a record number of quilters and with a record
number of quilts.
The first reproduction quilt that came into my life was
Dear Jane. I remember that a group of
women introduced me to this quilt during a Tuesday night Sit and Sew I belong
to. I was intrigued. “Where do I get the pattern?” I asked.
Dear, dear Jane...
Only to find out there was no pattern. There was a book by Brenda Papadakis and it only
had line drawings of the blocks.
“You have got to be kidding me,” I thought. Quickly followed by “Thanks, but no thanks. I have this other quilt,” I told them,
holding up my Southern Album Quilt, “that I’m really trying to finish.”
However, I am a sucker for group quilts. I went home and looked up the book on Amazon
and purchased a used one for a few bucks.
When it came in the mail, I opened it, traced out the first block, and
struggled to assemble it.
Only to find it came together backwards.
I took it back to Sit and Sew completely perplexed.
The ladies there looked at it and one immediately piped
up and told me, “That’s one that has to be mirror imaged.”
Mirror imaged?
Seriously?”
I carefully regarded my carefully stitched block. The one that I had spent three hours of my
life on, and thought there was no way this 4 ½-inch disaster was going in the
trash. If nothing else, it would make a
cute coaster for my wine glass that I desperately wanted at that very moment.
“H-how did you know that?” I asked, wondering if this
woman was channeling Jane or if she knew a lot more than I did.
“The blog,” was
the reply.
The Blog was a reference to thatquilt.blogspot.com. If
you’re making Jane, you have to have access to this blog. It is the directions to all of the blocks and
triangles. Anina tells you which blocks
need to be mirrored. She is also quite
honest about the amount of time some of the blocks take. And she’s made upteen dozen Janes, so this
lady knows what she’s talking about and she supplies you with a ton of
pictures.
“And you may want to consider the software,” someone
else chimed in.
This quilt has software?
Turns out it does indeed and it’s worth the $40
investment. It will print the blocks
mirror imaged if needed and print them for paper piecing, rotary cutting, or
template piecing. Jane also has two
Facebook pages and a whole section on Pinterest. Not bad for a quilt that has lived most of
its life very quietly in the Bennington Museum in Vermont.
I’ve completed the center and two of the triangle
borders. It is a labor intensive quilt
and I’ve found that I can work on her for several weeks and then have to have a
break from Jane. However, I can also
honestly say I’ve learned more from this quilt than I have any other
quilt. Each block is different and I
think I’ve used every technique under the sun to construct the top.
Another reproduction-type of quilt that’s being made in mass
quantities is the Farmer’s Wife Quilts designed by Laurie Aaron Hird. In 1922, a publication called The Farmer’s Wife had a contest. They asked women to write in to the magazine
and tell why they would like their daughter to marry a farmer.
The results were overwhelming. Over 7,000 readers wrote essays and letters
explaining why they’d love for their daughter to marry a farmer. Sixty-eight of these 7,000-plus entries were
published in a small booklet. Laurie
Hird drew from the inspiration of these essays to come up with her quilt. Typically, these are older quilt blocks, such
as Birds in the Air, Contrary Wife, Ocean Wave, Corn and Beans, etc. She has two
Farmer’s Wife Sampler Quilt books out.
These books have a CD with them that will open the templates up in the
Adobe program and print the templates out.
I’m in the middle of making this quilt and have found that the templates
go together quickly and easily. The
blocks have a consistent 6 ½-inch size (which seems gigantic after working on
the 4 ½-inch Jane blocks). There is a
separate CD that can be downloaded into the Electric Quilt program and then rotary
cutting or paper piecing directions can also be used. This quilt also has its own section under
Pinterest and a couple of Facebook pages, too.
Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt
More recently, I was introduced to Lucy Boston’s Patchwork
of the Crosses by a really good quilting buddy of mine.
I think of the three reproduction quilts I’m working on,
this is by far the most beautiful. It’s
English paper pieced and although the work is labor-intensive, the results are
gorgeous.
Lucy Boston's Patchwork of the Crosses
The Patchwork of the Crosses is made with two shapes –
the honeycomb or elongated hexagon and the square. It was designed by Lucy Boston
(1882-1990). This lady became a
well-known author of children’s book and novels when she was in her sixties and
her most impressive patchwork was made when she was in her eighties. Linda Franz published her book Lucy Boston Patchwork of the Crosses in
2009 and I imagine from there the quilt took off and scored major
popularity. Several quilt shops have
block of the month clubs for this quilt.
Currently I am enrolled in the one with Pieceful Gatherings. I am both charmed and intimidated by this
quilt. The fussy cutting is extensive,
but the result is just awesome. Below
are some of the blocks that I’ve been sent from Pieceful Gatherings.
Why am I working on these quilts? For several reasons. First and foremost, in this era of quilting
when everything seems to be rotary cut, kitted, and put together quickly, these
quilts can’t be. I have to slow down and
breathe when I’m working on
these. It allows me to think creatively.
Secondly, it tests my quilting skills. I firmly believe if a quilter can make a Dear
Jane, he or she can make any
quilt. Upon finishing that quilt, nothing intimidates you anymore.
Then it puts me in tune with the past. In my mind, quilting and women’s history are
intertwined. Add to the fact that I come
from a family of quilters on my mother’s side and these quilts just warm my
heart.
There are a couple other quilts that have been making a comeback
that are on my quilting bucket list.
There’s this one:
Love Entertwined
It’s called Love Entertwined. Esther Aliu was allowed to copy this quilt
(it is privately owned by a family, not a museum and was originally a marriage
coverlet). She put out the directions on
her blog a couple of years ago. I
downloaded them and have been collecting fabrics. It is all hand applique. Unless you have the machine applique skills
of Sue Nickels or Kim Diehl, I’d be wary about using that method on this
quilt. It’s a fabulous quilt and the pattern
breaks the quilt into sections so that you can carry it with you to work on.
Two other fairly popular reproduction quilts are the
1718 Coverlet and the Caswell Quilt 1835.
The 1718 Coverlet is based on the oldest surviving English Patchwork
Quilt. I purchased this book (used) out
of sheer curiosity, but have no plans to make it. It looks too busy and doesn’t appeal to me at
all.
1718 Coverlet
The Caswell Quilt 1835 is not based on a quilt at all,
but is inspired by a carpet of the
same name in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It is 30 blocks of applique heaven. I could really, really enjoy making this
quilt, but currently the cost is a little too steep for me to consider with a
good conscious. The pattern is well over
$70, however it is in color and has full sized templates and placement
guides. I’m watching Amazon like a hawk
to find out if I can get it used at a slightly better price.
Caswell Quilt 1835
During your quilting journey, I’d encourage you to try
one of these quilts – especially Dear Jane.
You don’t have to make all the blocks, but even making a few of these
blocks would test your mettle as a quilter.
And if you do, let me know. I’d
love to see your progress and cheer you on in your journey.
Love and Stitches,
Sherri
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