On this day in 1785, two men, Jean-Pierre Blanchard from France and John Jeffries from America, crossed the English Channel in a gas balloon, becoming the first people to cross by air. They almost crashed into the Channel along the way and had to throw out nearly all of their supplies and cargo, including Blanchard’s trousers.
Bonnie B. Wiley Wobken of Dodge, Nebraska made this original, pieced and hand quilted design, titled “Hot Air Balloon,” in 1988. The quilt was documented as part of the Nebraska Quilt Project, coordinated by the Lincoln Quilters Guild.
View this quilt on The Quilt Index to find out! Read more about its history, design and construction. Be sure to use the zoom tool for a detailed view or click the “See full record” link to see a larger image and all the data entered about that quilt.
Source:
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/across-the-english-channel-in-a-balloon
Posted by Amy E. Milne
Executive Director, Quilt Alliance
amy.milne@quiltalliance.org