Colleen recently shared her completed Civil War reproduction quilt with the Stashing Sisters.  It was impressive in beauty, quality, and detail.

Civil War Reproduction Quilt by Colleen

When asked about the making of the quilt, Colleen said,

 “I went back and looked at my pattern and all the documentation that I saved while I was doing it. I realized how fun it was to go back and look at the process and the story behind the quilt. I think I need to journal more of my quilts.” 

“The thing that makes the quilt interesting is the story, and stories are what bind your family together. I have been trying to record more of my family stories, and now I realize that I need to record more of my quilt stories also.”

Here are Colleen’s reflections on making the quilt:

Civil War Quilt

1-2011 to 1-2015

I thought it only fitting that I finish my Civil War Quilt with my own history of making it. I started it in January of 2011 as a block of the month club from LittleQuilts. It was designed by Dolores Smith and Sarah Maxwell, from Homestead Hearth and used fabrics designed by Judie Rothermel. I had been visiting family in 2010 in Utah and saw the Civil War quilts made by my sisters. I have a grandson who loves the Civil War and is constantly reading and watching documentaries about it. Since I do live in the South, and it was close to the 150^th year celebration, I decided to make a Civil War quilt. The block of the month format provided all the fabrics and pattern. Along with the instructions each month, was a history of one of the ladies who were involved with the Civil War. It was interesting to read about their lives, and how they were affected by the war.

When I started working on the second month, I decided to write a brief note of what was going on in my life as I completed the block. I wrote the date completed, and a paragraph about my experience of making the quilt. As I looked back, it was interesting to see how long it took me to make it, and what I was doing during that time. Unfortunately, I didn’t record my feelings at the end – I guess that I was just too glad to be finished. However, I did post a picture of the completed top, May 24, 2012 on Facebook. I am happy that it only took me a year and a half to finish it. It was a complicated quilt, but I enjoyed the challenge.

My sister Elaine is a professional long-arm quilter, and I wanted her to quilt it for me. I finally got it to her in October of 2013. I told her that there was no rush, and we talked many times about how she should quilt it. I told her not to spend too much time on it, just do an over all pattern. Elaine, however, is a wonderful sister, and I was delighted to get it back with lots of fancy quilting. I really liked the feathers, because I have been trying to perfect feathers in quilting.

I plan on decorating my guest bedroom around the quilt, and eventually, passing it on to my grandson. I mentioned to his mom that I hope his future wife likes the Civil War, and she said she couldn’t imagine him marrying anyone who didn’t. I am grateful for his interest because it has challenged me to learn more about the history of the South, which is now my home.

The requirements for making the Americana quilt block group exchange were:

• Size – 12.5 inch unfinished
• Color – muted red, white (cream), and blue.  Color swatches were given showing the range of color with a variety of value (dark & light).
• Design chosen by the maker with an emphasis on American symbols.

Although not specified as a requirement, the blocks were all made of 100% cotton.   (Note: Stashers,  if you recognize your block, please let me know which ones are yours and include the pattern name.)