Thursday, February 28, 2013

Civil War Quilt finished!


Huzzah!  It feels so great to finish this quilt.  I hand sewed the last seam on Tuesday night while watching TV, and inked on the inscriptions yesterday afternoon.  It took a long time to decide what to write in each square.  I included things like names of battles, etc., quotes from the time period (especially from President Lincoln), and some lines from songs popular with the Union troops.  This is a Union quilt.  



As you can see, it's a small quilt.  The white area visible underneath it is another quilt with a purple binding.  I'd guess this size would be called a lap quilt.  If it was an antique, we might call it a hired man's quilt.  During the Civil War, this kind of quilt was made for the cots the soldiers used in camp and hospital.
I learned a lot making this quilt.  I was surprised that it feels like a "regular" quilt, even though it's actually 48 little quilts bound and sewn together.
Here's what I did on the back:

Each block is made separately, so I could choose whatever backing I wanted.  I chose to make each vertical row's backing the same.
Now for the real test--I need to wash it!  With all the antique fabric in the top, it will probably need to be washed by hand.
Some of my favorite quotes:
"Liberty and Union, Now and Forever, One and Inseparable!"  Daniel Webster, 1830.
"At the judgement day, I want to be with Wisconsin soldiers."  Gen. John Gibbon.
Now I get to pick a new project!  This day just gets better and better.




No comments:

Post a Comment

Thanks for reading! Post a comment--I want to know what you think!