Well, I am at work and bored again, so I thought I would look at quilt stuff on line, and that got me interested in quilt block names and their history!

http://www.earlywomenmasters.net/quilts/index.html this website features lots of antique geometric quilt blocks! It lists what other names they are known by, the history of the block, and even shows you the piecing animation if you click the link in each block page!

I also found a site called www.grammybea.com that has BOMs and good shortcuts for making blocks like the "54-40 or Fight block" I was researching. The 54-40 or Fight block is named for a political conflict over the boundary of the US and Canada. And it seems that many other blocks were made to express political views too.

http://www.quiltersmuse.com/political_quilt_blocks.htm This website covers some of those blocks and their history too.

http://www.fabrics.net/LaurettePatterns.asp this website has quilt block history too. And if you look at the left side of the screen you will find links to lots of quilting questions too.

Hope you love learning where the blocks originated and how they got their names as much as I do!

We could do a block of the month of our own for historic blocks, like that Dear Jane quilt....for history lovers everywhere, including the Underground Railroad blocks and such. One a month. Who is game??

There are several scholarly website articles refuting the whole idea of the Underground Railroad quilts.

http://www.ugrrquilt.hartcottagequilts.com/

http://www.antiquequiltdating.com/ugrrwrightcritiqueHIPV.html

http://www.womenfolk.com/historyofquilts/myth2.htm

in addition to the two per month we're doing already? :shock:

what the heck ... i'm game. i can just as easily be behind on two sets of blocks as one. :lol:

I think it's fun when it's done as a "commemorative" project, but not when they are claiming that it is historical fact - that it HAPPENED. I think history is very important and don't like to see it revised to make it more interesting (or for any other reason.)

The owner of our local quilt shop did some talks in the public schools here, telling the URR quilt stories as "history", and that bothers me.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but this is important to me.

One very reputable quilt historian is Barbara Brackman. http://www.barbarabrackman.com/

Here is another - http://www.antiquequiltdating.com/

I agree sounds like fun Norah. I'm willing to give it try. More blocks to learn how to do.

Pam

What an interesting history lesson! Thanks for all the contributions. I really enjoyed all of these articles/websites.

I agree with you on the fabric part, however I live near the famous Susquehanna River and near the banks were underground tunnels that lead to caves were the slaves took cover till the trains passed through taking them to NY. there was a house with a secret room and they also hid them there till they could hop a train to another destination. Our little town is rich in history.Also we have the worlds best weather forcaster, i'm sure you have heard of Punxsutawney Phil. Just a few miles from me.
I think I had better get busy and make a quilt of all the history this little town of Burnside,Pennsylvania holds.

Are you near Columbia? I drove through there once, and it was the most picturesque, friendly looking town! I loved that it is right on the Susquahanna River! And they closed the Main Line down and detoured everyone because there was a high school football game and parade!

It was just perfect, and I wished I could live there too!

i don't know if URR quilts were real or mythical. i do know that enough people are convinced they were real that we should make extra sure we keep this debate friendly.

(this moderator gig can be a drag sometimes. :roll: )

I learned about the underground railroad in school. Different farmhouses around here were said to be part of the underground railroad system., although these are all mouth to mouth stories. If they came this far north to go to canada, they probably wrapped in quilts to keep warm. Canada was there finial destination as there was slavery in NY

We would, of course, only do the ones we want, and commemorative is a very good idea, as most of the history of certain blocks is speculative. Maybe, there could be a rule that these blocks have to be documentable as existing pre-1870 or something to that effect. Say, 8" squares?
Patrice, if it is okay with admin, can we start a list and hammer out the rules?
I'll be on the list. Maybe we can start the 1st of Feb, and have a different thread for the historical BOM.

It amazes me just how many resources are available to quilters via the net. Patterns, history, techniques, advice, source material, quilting groups, it goes on and on and never fails to entertain; truth told though, this is my favorite place for all that and more. You folks are great!

I would be interested in knowing more about this when you start and the rules. I should be clear of things I am doing by then. I do love history.

So lets hear more.

Thanks Elle

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