Quilt for October

This quilt is all about firsts. This was the first large (beyond dolls’ size) reproduction quilt I ever made, and the first with the square on point pattern. It was also the first I made with a documented line of materials from an historic quilt – the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History’s Rising Sun quilt* (1825-1835.) It was the inspiration for the first set of reproduction prints, namely, The Rising Sun * Smithsonian Institution, produced by RJR Fabrics in several different colourways. Lines based on other quilts would follow, and some have already been or will be seen in quilt form on this blog.

Green is my favourite colour, and the Rising Sun line had several greens to work with, including one to splash all over the quilt as the main square that contrasted with all of the other prints.

I had a terrible time with the knife edges, though, and learned to work more carefully when planning the dimensions and quilting so as to have enough material at the edges to make better folds.

The backing is also irregular with an uneven frame of green material around the mostly blue print. I ran out of both so I did the best I could which what was left and, perhaps, that is what someone would have done in the past. The idea that quilts were only made from scraps is a myth. Some certainly were but some were made of materials that were purchased for a specific quilt.

This quilt measures 58” by 48”, and is entirely hand pieced and hand quilted.

*More information about the quilt may be found at http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_556331