Civil War quilts

The New York Historical Society's museum on Central Park West has a fabulous show organized by the American Textile Museum on exhibit now called Homefront & Battlefield: Quilts & Context in the Civil War. The show will continue into August, and includes some great quilts.

I grabbed the photo above off the museum's website, and the photos below I shot with my cell phone when the guards weren't looking. (I went through the exhibit 3 times, so I could get a really good look at the quilts and so I could snap the photos. Sorry they aren't a little better quality!)

I was especially impressed by the quilting in the one pictured above, and by the colors, which had remained really vivid over so many years. If I'm not mistaken, the sign next to this quilt said it had been made by a quilter in Georgia who'd had to bury her quilts  to keep them safe before the Union soldiers came through. Apparently the soldiers took whatever they wanted, and at least one quilter watched soldiers cut up one of her prized quilts to make saddle blankets for his horses.

The quilt above,  Reconciliation Quilt, was made by Lucinda Ward Honstein in Brooklyn in 1867. This quilt is stunning! Each block contains an appliquéd scene or floral arrangement that I assume was designed and then created by the quilter. It's a real work of art. 

I'm sorry that I don't have any information about this last quilt, which was very charming and had some lovely details. But if you like it, the museum's gift shop sold a kit for $125 containing the pattern and templates for the horses and flowers that would allow you to recreate the quilt. I was a bit tempted, but I've got so many UFOs going already that I decided to hold off, for now at least.

Amazing hexagon quilt!

I just received an email containing a link to a video about an outrageous bed quilt made from 10,509 1/2 inch-hexagons by a Linda Neal, which won 1st place in a Paducah contest sponsored by Statler Stitcher. And she uses diamonds! To see the quilt click here.

My foray into hexi-land

I've been fooling around with hexagons for the past several weeks---my mother's been in and out of the hospital, and I love having a hand-dewing project to work on while I'm visiting. I decided early I didn't want to make a Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt, because I thought it would be more fun to make something that looked more contemporary. So I'm making hexi-diamonds, with white hexi-sashing in between, and I'm trying to use "modern" fabric in bright blues and greens.
I'm really having fun with this, and have become sort of obsessed with hexagon quilts, so if you've made one or have a photo of one you like I'd be so happy if you'd send me a link.
Thanks, Ginny

5 blocks for Kevin the Quilter

Have you heard about the quilt project that's gone viral? A quilter named Kevin launched an effort earlier this year to get quilters to make 12-in blocks he could use to make quilts for returning veterans, part of the Quilts of Valor project.
 I made these 5, and it only took me 30 minutes:

They are so simple, but won't they make a great quilt? Kevin's first post suggested that he hoped to get enough blocks to make 3 quilts, but he's already gotten 2,348 at last count, enough for 75 quilts.  I think the fact that Bonnie Hunter  reposted it may have had something to do with it.
He's taking blocks through the end of June. For a link to the directions, and Kevin's address, click HERE.