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Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Fabric... Welcome to the Patriotic Quilter where I like to share all things quilty as well as red, white, and blue! Please feel free to look around and enjoy yourself! I would love to hear from you.

Friday, July 19, 2013

Lincoln and Fellow Compatriots

Hi Everyone,

I'm finally getting to show and tell about my Lincoln Schnibble.  I always read the pattern directions and sometimes read a whole quilt book from cover-to-cover.  You never know what tidbit might be in there.  I particularly enjoy Carrie Nelson's patterns because she always says something about how she names them.  In the case of Lincoln, she mentioned how there are 13 stars and striped blocks and Lincoln seemed to be perfect. 

As I mentioned before, I would have been really happy to make up a nice red, white, and blue patriotic version.  I may still!  However, I got a little hung up on the title.  I went to my stash and began to look through things.  I began thinking of many of our other Presidents--I guess since we had just visited 4  Presidential homes this month, I had them on my mind.  Then I remembered this fabric:


I bought this several years ago.  I fell in love with it.  It is supposed to reproduce the look of the old cigar silks featuring Presidents.  While I really like it, it isn't the easiest fabric to work with.  First of all, the portraits are rectangular.  It is really hard to use rectangles in quilting--especially something that looks traditional.  Second of all, the colors are a bit...  strange.  Some of the backgrounds of the portraits are cheddar, some just cream, some greenish, and even a few pink ones!  The red is a very dark wine.  I just couldn't figure out how to use it.

I considered using it for Lincoln.  I measured the portraits and compared them to the size I would need for the star squares.  My fabric was a bit too big.  I decided that wouldn't be too bad, I could make the blocks slightly larger.  In this case they finish at 5."  What about fabric to go with, though?

I took the fabric to one of my local fabric stores and found some red nearly exactly the same as the background of the portraits.  I got that for the star points.  I decided on a simple cream for the background of the stars.  The solid fabrics really let your eye focus on the portraits and helps the stars stand out.  Those blocks were easy.

The other block in the quilt is a rail fence.  What colors could I use for them?  Red, white, and blue?  I didn't really like anything I was pulling from my stash.  Then I remembered the new line of Historical Blenders Collections for a Cause.

 

The colors seemed like they would go great, except for the reds, so I got a jelly roll.  I was right!  They went really well with the Presidential fabric.  I pulled all the dark, winey red from my stash and cut strips from them, and then pulled out some blues and backgrounds from the jelly roll (along with a few more from my stash) and made the rail fence blocks.

As I fussy-cut the Presidents, I realized that I had every President up to the 1900s.  There were 24 of them.  Lincoln had 13 star blocks, so not only was I going to make my blocks a little larger, I was also going to have more of them.  I was able to use the same layout as Carrie did in Lincoln, only with more blocks.  The numbers even worked out perfectly!  This is how it came out:

It is really a masculine quilt!  Not only because it is full of men's pictures, either, but also because of the color palette.

Here is Mr. Lincoln himself.
 
 
Here is William Henry Harrison who took a chill during his Inauguration and died of pneumonia just a few weeks later.
 
 
This is James Monroe--the owner of one of the homes we visited in Charlottesville.  He  consistently comes out as one of the best Presidents after the top 5 or so.  I'm not sure what criteria is used, but that was one tidbit we learned from our guide. 
 
This is Grover Cleveland.  He was elected for one term, was defeated after it, and then won the next election, so he served two terms, but not consecutively.  Another interesting fact:  he ordered a baby carriage for the daughter of his good friend Oscar Folsom.  When Oscar died, Cleveland became guardian for the child when she was 11.  When she turned 21, she married Cleveland in the White House.  I believe it is one of a very few marriages by a President while in office.  It's a little creepy, if you ask me.  At 21 she is the youngest ever First Lady.  I'm actually featuring him because he was a very distant cousin of my Great, Great Grandfather--thus making him my cousin as well!
 

 
 
I took it back to my favorite fence for some photos.
 

I'm really pleased with the crisp cream in the background of the star blocks.  I'm afraid if I had used something darker, they would have blended right in to the rail fence blocks and the whole thing would have been a bit muddy. 

We are off on another trip--we are headed to Niagara Falls for a few days.  It is near the top of my bucket list to visit and ride on the Maid of the Mist.  I'm pretty excited.   I'm crossing my fingers that Kate has the royal baby while we are there.  Canada celebrates the birth by lighting the falls either pink or blue---I think it would be fun to be there to see!

Here's a question for you:  If you were the car phone charger that I just bought prior to our trip to North Dakota, and haven't seen since, where would you be?  Please don't say "still in the rental car in North Dakota!"

Have a great day!
JoAnne

24 comments:

  1. I won't say it but that would be my guess! Sort of like the travel guide with maps I borrowed at the local library to take and use in St. Lucia. Your quilt is lovely by the way!!!

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  2. Check side pockets of suitcase. DH just discovered sunglasses this week....he thought he lost them in a rental car a year ago!

    Lincoln is way different than I imagined and certainly is a man kind of quilt. It was good to hear you found a use for that panel piece.

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  3. Amazing... you found the perfect pattern for your presidents fabric and perfect fabrics to go with it. Just gorgeous... congratulations on a spectacular finish! You must be so very pleased with it!!!

    Heading north to Niagara Falls sound like a perfect trip with this heat & humidity. Safe travels!

    As for your phone charger: in the bottom of a bag that you carried stuff but didn't really unpack when you got back from ND?


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  4. I love seeing when quilters change up a pattern and make it their own. I think you did a fantastic job with this one! If I saw the presidential fabric in the store, I would have been stumped as to how to use it, but it looks great in your version of Lincoln. Have fun in Niagara Falls!

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  5. Perfect use of the Presidents fabric! I love how this turned out - you chose everything just right! As for the charger - go buy a new one and it will show up immediately!

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  6. Lincoln is a great use for that panel and certainly a very patriotic quilt. Good job! And enjoy your trip, hope it is cooler up there.

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  7. I love the way you made this all come together! Thanks for sharing your process, and also a little history along the way. (I agree about Grover Cleveland's marriage sounding a little creepy. Different times I guess.)

    Hope you enjoy your trip and get to see a Niagara color show.

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  8. I agree--the Cleveland story is a bit creepy! Your quilt is wonderful, however! Have a great trip and good luck on the royal birth happening--that would be a fun event to see at Niagara Falls.

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  9. Wow, your version of Lincoln is wonderful. Great use of the panel of Presidents.

    I remember learning about Grover Cleveland when I was in high school and thought it was very creepy. LOL

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  10. You really turned your Snibbles quilt into a charming piece of history! It was worth the extra math and troubles, wonderfully done.
    Let's see, maybe you'll find the phone charger, but one time we went to the timeshare and told them we had left it the summer before, and they pulled out a big ol' box from behind the counter and said "take your pick!" You at least know that you are not the only one ~
    :-}pokey

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  11. You are so clever how you used the panel in this quilt ! I love it ! I would buy another car charger then yours will show up :-D It is always nice to have a backup ;-)

    This is the second time I have heard about Historical blenders... I am going to have to check out this fabric

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  12. It is always fun to visit your blog to see what you have made and get a history lesson as well! Lincoln is just beautiful... hard to believe you didn't have fabrics to match the panel when you first bought it, because the Historical Blenders is perfect! Phone charger blues... I'm with Julie and Sue... buy another and the original will show up!

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  13. I'd at least call the car rental place to see if they have it in the Lost and Found.VBG

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  14. Awesome quilt! I love it! And.....don't wear any makeup on your Maid of the Mist voyage.....especially mascara! Ask me how I know!?! lol

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  15. Oh I love your Lincoln! Those president blocks are just perfect. I've beenon The Maid of the Mist 3 times and every single time was super exciting. You will love it. :-)

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  16. It's perfect! Interesting bit of history too! I hope you get to see the colored falls :-) That would be so fun!

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  17. What a great solution to those rectangle blocks, JoAnne! It's a fabulous quilt.

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  18. In the side pocket of your travel bag, if not in the glove box of the rental car! Grover Cleveland does sound creepy, I agree. I love your schnibble with the presidents centred. Great idea.

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  19. Your July Schnibbles was worth waiting for....I have never seen a Canadian version with our Prime Ministers...will have to keep my eyes peeled for one. Panels can be a great jumping off point for a quilt. As for your charger...my bets would be that it's in the rental car. I left mine at a hotel last winter and they very kindly forwarded it to me after I inquired about it [ and after I purchased a new one!].

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  20. Love LOVE your version of Lincoln!!! You are so smart!!! Very clever version. :-)

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  21. Absolutely wonderful version !

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  22. Your Lincoln is just awesome!

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  23. Congratulations you finished this piece and it looks amazing. Who would have thought that Lincoln would make for such a great quilt? You did a wonderful job at pairing up the colors. I do agree with you though, this does look more like a man’s quilt. Enjoy your trip to Niagara Falls, my fingers are crossed that the baby will arrive while you are there.


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