Time Slips Sideways

"Funny how time slips sideways in this place." Caroline (Poly Walker) says in my favorite movie. It seem anachronis to quote Enchanted April in reference to September. But it's true.

Time slips silently, flowing over us in swooping curves like birds flocking and swaying through the cooling mornings. The trees are full of winged evidence of time. Chattering followers of seasons silhouette themselves against the sunrise and arc through the morning -- sinuous reminders of the approaching autumn.

Indian Summer is upon us. The sun brings daily warmth, flip-flops and summer dresses; the crisping nights sing of apple ciders, bonfires and flannel quilts. Soon the leaves will begin to turn, to fall. Indeed, they are turning already.
The Burning Bush has begun to blush red; the licking flames of autumn climb it's branches. I capture this image, fleeting evidence of time, before the branches bare themselves to further seasons, to the thankfulness of November, the starkness of January, the resurrection of April. For right now, for this paused moment, this small eddy in the stream of time, the seasons mingle. The leaves are red and green, the weather warms and chills, the birds are here and there, and with them I follow curving lines washing back and forth across the mornings.

Quail's Nest Block

On page 89 of 849 Traditional Patchwork Patterns, A Pictorial Handbook by Susan Winter Mills this block is listed with eight different names -- and one of those eight names just happens to be "Quail's Nest." Which earns this easy block (formerly known to me only as "hole in the barn door") a spot in our bird-themed autumn scrappy sampler.

So to begin we need to cut our pieces:

• two light and two dark 4 inch squares (which we will use to make half square triangles)
• four light and four dark bars 3.5 inches by 2 inches
• and one 3.5 inch square
  

  Mark, sew, trim, cut, and press to make four half square triangle units out of the 4 inch squares.
  

  Next we'll sew together those 3.5" x 2" bars. (I use chain piecing methods even on small bits of blocks like this.)
  Okay, now we have nine (pieced) squares measuring 3.5 inches. Lay them out in the pattern of the block like this:
  Sew together in rows. I'm going to show you the back so you can see my pressing directions. I've pressed the seams in opposite directions to make the seam allowances nestle in when I sew the rows together. This method, I find, makes for a crisper neater corner (and is easier to sew).
  Now, just nestle and pin those seams, then sew those rows together. Press open and there you have it -- your nine inch (9.5") Quail's Nest Block.
  That's our second block finished, we're moving right along. If I'm going too fast for you and you want me to slow down a bit, perhaps put in more photos and explanations, just leave a comment to let me know.

Crow's Foot Block

We will begin with this simple block -- Crow's Foot. Cut two light and two dark squares measuring five and a half (5.5) inches.

Draw a diagonal pencil line, stitch a quarter inch from both sides of the line. Trim the dog ears, cut on the line and press open. More detailed instructions for making half square triangles can be found here. Okay, you should have four half square triangle squares now.
Lay the blocks out as shown (I always do so I don't get confused about which way they go) and sew together in "rows."
Now, when you put the rows together you don't want to chop off your points. So here's the trick:
Run a pin through both points like this: Leave that pin just like that (I stuck the pin into the ironing board so it would remain standing) and pin beside it. Don't shift the points pin at all.
Once you have the block pinned you can remove the standing pin and go to the sewing machine, confident that your points are properly matched.
But you could still chop off your points. So mind your quarter inch seam allowance but be sure to sew through the intersection of your seams (where that standing pin was) and not through the tips of your points.
Finish pressing and there you have it -- your Crow's Foot block.

This block is sized to be 9 inches when finished (sewn into a quilt). Our measurements include quarter inch seam allowances which means our block as shown measures 9.5 inches.

Gathering Thoughts and Fabrics

From my box (er, boxes) of leftover fabrics I pulled out a collection of autumn colors. Quite a few of these pieces are the remains of fat quarters used in other projects; but I did mix in a couple half yard pieces that have been languishing in my stash (they had come home to use in other quilts and were rejected). The roll on the right side of the picture are bias strips -- I experimented with a bias-cut apron pattern, it didn't quite turn out right but the mistakes cut up into strips that will be perfect for binding.

How many leftovers do you have? Don't be afraid to combine leftovers from one project with leftovers from another. All these leftovers blend well together and will make a lovely scrappy quilt.

Since I promised several blocks measuring 9 inches (9.5" unfinished) let's make it a scrappy sampler quilt. A very Autumnal Scrappy Sampler Quilt. Leaves and trees? No, there's not really enough variety in the blocks. Birds perhaps? Hmmm... the geese flocking, the birds headed south, that's a very autumn thing. Plus, one of my scraps has feathers on it -- perfect.

Here are my sketches for the sampler (click on the photo to enlarge). According to my reference books, all of these blocks have names -- granted some are alternate names -- that relate to birds and flying.
Do you know which ones are which? See if you can match these block names to the block sketches. In random order they are:
Flying Bird
Wild Goose Chase
Crow's Foot
Geese in Flight
Ducks and Ducklings
Birds in the Air
Quail's Nest
Goose Tracks
Flying Crow
Winged Square

A Butterfly Sort Of Day

Texture for Tuesday

Politics and Quilting

The Whig Rose Wreath:Examples of feminine political influence hide among the historic names of quilt patterns showing that long before we had the vote we were interested in who our elected officials would be. For example numerous quilt patterns feature the Whig Rose. What is a Whig?

The American Whig Party was active in the political elections of 1836 through 1856, and was formed in opposition to the heavy-handed policies of President Andrew Jackson but eventually dissolved over the issues of slavery. William Henry Harrison, and Zachary Taylor, (as well as his VP who assumed office then) Millard Fillmore were the successful Whig presidential candidates.

When the Whigs split, the "Cotton Whigs" who supported slavery joined the Democrats and the "Conscience Whigs" who sought to curtail/end slavery formed the Republican party. Abraham Lincoln, who had been a Whig before joining the newly formed Republican party, could arguably be said to be the last Whig President and the first Republican President.

Interesting to note Harrison's 1840's campaign was "log cabins and hard cider." There has been much debate over the existence of non-existence of the Log Cabin Block previous to the Civil War, as the creation of the block has often been attributed to the inspiration of the log cabin campaign of Abraham Lincoln. Not to muddy the water, but (without any proof and as supposition only) I suggest that Harrison's campaign may have inspired the log cabin block, leading to it's existence pre-States War. It seems logical that women inspired by one Whig President's log cabin campaign might revive and further spread their pattern during a similar campaign. For me, this would explain the confusion over the origins of the block, and also the long association of the Log Cabin Block with anti-slavery ideals. Just a thought.