Well-Loved Ladies QAL: Whig Rose

                                 

Welcome to Block 2.

The photo above is a portion of 

a circa 1860 quilt in my collection.

The quilting is applique' outline,

leaves, rosettes, and a gorgeous 

plant of some kind in the border.

The blocks are huge so I had

to reduce for my oversized blocks:)

Yes that is a blue polka dot

in the stems!!!

This is why there is blue in this

block only and I was just 

as surprised as you may be.

My Well-Loved Ladies lecture is

where I showcase the 

variations of designs and 

it is exciting to announce that 

this lecture will become available

in ZOOM format in 2021

for so many more guilds to access

and see all the lovely details.

So let's talk Whig Rose variations!

This design is highly recognized and

I personally own 6 Rose of Sharon

quilts from which this variation derives.

There are a lot of similarities

and then the fun bits that

make them different.

Most of the variations

are the number of leaves/roses.

Then there is the positioning 

of the stems/vines.

I have one with an eagle/stars

and a pieced one with stuff work

that is beyond amazing!!

Rose of Sharon comes

from the Song of Solomon

in the bible and was early inspiration 

for many designs.

Barbara Brackman, Queen of

design indexing, has no fewer

than 28 Rose of Sharon variations 

and an additional 20 Whig/Dem

variations in her Encyclopedia

of Applique' book.

The Whig party was the Republican

party at the time so how does one

differentiate?

See the Additional Reading below...

BARBARA BRACKMAN OFFERS some explanation 

of the difference between a Whig Rose and a 

Democrat Rose from a catalog she wrote for the 

Spencer Museum of Art: Flora Botanica.

ASSEMBLY TIPS

This will be a great block to 

use that Teflon pressing sheet

if you are doing fusible applique'.

You have that center rose of

4 layers along with the accent

on the stems.

These can all be premade 

before placement onto 

the background.

Using this method would 

allow you to assemble

all stems with accents

and rosettes before placement.

No pressing sheet?

How about parchment paper?

 

Come quilt along with us

as we learn about the quilts

that inspired my 

WELL-LOVED LADIES 

SAMPLER PATTERN

FULL PATTERN

Available HERE

Whig Rose TEMPLATES ONLY

HERE

ADDITIONAL READING:

The links below go into more depth about 

either the history of the plants if you are a 

gardener OR the history of the quilt block. 

Barbara Brackman will blow you away

with all the variations she has accumulated!!

ENJOY~

Wikipedia

Barbara Brackman

Whig Rose or Democrat Rose

Well-Loved Ladies QAL: Currants

                                                  

Welcome to Block 1.

The photo above is from the 

center of a circa 1860 

quilt in my collection.

The quilting is a cross hatch done

in 1/4" grid which gives it a 

fabulous look and feel!

My Well-Loved Ladies lecture was

where I wanted to showcase the 

variations of designs because

I am fascinated by how designs

have evolved over time.

Most of the time this block

is seen with berries added but

I do like the simplicity of this layout.

This plant was being grown here in

the US during the mid 19th century time 

allowing quilters to be inspired 

and it easily lends itself to 

quilt design. 

Courtesy of Wikipedia:

"...introduced by English settlers at the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 

1629 and was cultivated on some scale, particularly in New York. 

The plant acts as a host for the white pine blister rust that

 threatened the timber industry. In 1911, the Federal government banned 

the cultivation, sale and transport of blackcurrants to protect the white pine."

Since then the Federal ban was lifted but

some states still have the ban in place.

NY just lifted theirs in 2003.

Look at the leaf shape of a currant 

plant and you can definitely see that in 

the applique' and why berry clusters

would be added to the layout.

Below we have the poke weed 

which is poisonous and used

as a fast dye.

It came to the quilting world through

the widespread study of botany,

 obvious beauty, and was

also used by some women of the day

as a political statement.

Easy to see how these two could

have been used interchangeably 

depending on where you lived.

Come quilt along with us

as we learn about the quilts

that inspired my 

WELL-LOVED LADIES 

SAMPLER PATTERN

FULL PATTERN

Available HERE

First block: Currants

(Includes quilt instruction)

Available HERE

Currants TEMPLATES ONLY

HERE

ADDITIONAL READING:

The links below go into more depth about 

either the history of the plants if you are a 

gardener OR the history of the quilt block. 

Barbara Brackman will blow you away

with all the variations she has accumulated!!

ENJOY~

Wikipedia

Who still has a ban

Barbara Brackman 

Currants and Cockscombs

Barbara Brackman 

Poke weed and Politics