I came across this :

sbailes876.googlepages.com/Ann_Rinaldi_The_Coffin_Quilt.ppt

(copy and paste that in your browser, when you do a box pops up, click "open")while doing a google search. It's a powerpoint about the book "The Coffin Quilt", by Ann Rinaldi. It has a lot about the Hatfield and McCoy fued, which happened in the area I live in. The only public hanging in the fued was in my town!

The "coffin quilt" was done with a dark center block, that was the "graveyard" surrounded by patchwork blocks. The border contained coffin shaped applique embroidered with family member's names. As each person passed, their coffin was taken from the border and sewed in the center, in the "graveyard"!

I am amazed by this! I've heard the Hatfield/McCoy fued stories my whole life, but never about this. I'm going to get the book, here it is on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Coffin-Quilt-b...p/0152164502#_

And here's some info on coffin quilts:

http://www.shadowmanor.com/blog/?p=169

I'm attaching a picture of a coffin quilt (***deleted because of copyrights***), and here's the flickr page it came from with more pics:

http://www.shadowmanor.com/blog/?p=169

I also found this about them:

***deleted***

please provide links directly to articles on the internet, or the information we'd need to find things at a library.

no matter how well intended, the copy/paste method of sharing can get you into hot water. ;-)

*Insert nervous laughter here*

So, if your "coffin" is starting to hang a little loose on the outside border, does that mean your time is near?

I have *never* heard of this before. I'm gonna have to mull it over...at first glance, it's a little creepy...

Interesting. . . . 8-)

I know, right? It's freaked me out. I've lived here my whole life and have never heard of this. I'm going to call my Mom and see if she's heard of them.

Interesting .... I wonder if it was a way to keep track of family back before all the communication devices came along ?

It just kinda creeps me out. I've never seen anything like that.

I saw one of them last year on display at the Maine Quilt show. It really took me by surprise lol.

That's a little bit to morbid for me..I wonder where they kept it??
Hanging in the parlor?? :shock:

Oh wow! This is so cool. I will definitely be making one of these for my family. Of course, we are a family that LOVES to watch horror movies together. This is fascinating from a historical prespective and a creepy prespective. (Insert woo-haa-haa creepy laugh!)