Civil War Blocks...

Was starting to get a tad nervous at being 3, no make that 4 blocks, behind on Barbara Brackman's weekly Civil War Quilt blocks. If I start losing momentum, projects tend to get pushed off to the side...not good when you consider we are at Block #48 and there are only a couple left.

So, since this post Thanksgiving weekend has been very Novemberish...cold rain, very dark sky and drifts of fog weaving back and forth across the fields...I warmed up a mug of Honeycrisp apple cider, plopped a cinnamon stick in it and headed to the sewing cave studio.

Hours later, I emerged, blocks in hand and this is what was accomplished...

 Yeh!!!! Caught up....
 On one of the blocks - #48 West Virginia (blue and brown) I decided to do an inked inscription. Our paternal side of the family has roots in that State and so I got out our copy of the History of Martinsburg (Dad's hometown.)

 ...and picked out Company C, 3rd Regiment, Berkeley County to include in the center of the block. 
Written in 1888 - only 23 years after the Civil War - the book refers to the War as "War of the Rebellion."

I like to incorporate inked inscriptions on some of my quilts - this was a little Album quilt I did earlier this year in connection with a short talk I gave in our Quilt History Study Group (Liberty Ladies).

It is a tiny version of the quilt that was presented to Clara Barton by a group of soldiers in recognition of her tireless nursing service during the war.  Each block was inscribed with signatures.


Back during our November quilting retreat, I worked on this tablerunner - a birthday gift for Jena. Since she has received it, the completed project can go up for Show and Tell....it ended up as a very large tablerunner....about 52" long!

Included with the tablerunner were two little linen towels I had added simple borders to.

Happy to say, Jena really liked her gifts! And I really enjoy making things for her!!


That's about it for now...a busy week coming up with stitching friends coming for lunch on Wednesday and then on Thursday, our Liberty Ladies gift and cookie exchange...the holiday pace is picking up speed.


Wishing everyone a good week...I can hear those sewing machines humming around the world...