Today’s Q.S.O.S. Spotlight features two quiltmakers, Sharon K. Naegle Eshlaman and Theresa Boock, answering the same question: In what ways do you think your quilts reflect your community or your region? Though these women live over 2,280 miles away from each other, they each feel their quilts say something about themselves, and where they live.  Read on as they share more about their quilts and their communities.

First, Sharon K. Naegle Eshlaman, of Michigan:

It’s a quilt I made some years ago, probably around the year 2000. I was always interested in stars. It came out of a magazine, which I’ve since discarded, can’t tell you what year, what designer, really anything about it. I love plaids and stars, so I chose that pattern.

JR: What do you think someone viewing your quilt might conclude about you?

SE: It’s Americana. I love my country. I love simplicity and it speaks country to me, country life.

JR: In what ways do you think your quilts reflect your community or your region?

SE: Well, as far as the Americana that I really enjoy, the stars, with the wars in the world now and our people coming back from overseas, I think it relates to that. I like appliqué floral quilts, thinking of my garden, that I occasionally tear myself away from quilting to work on. I work with a lot of homespuns and basically I’m just a down-to-earth girl. I’ve got my chickens and my garden and I think my quilts kind of show that’s the type of person I am.

 Next, Theresa Boock of Eugene, Oregon:

I can tell you this quilt is a king size quilt. It’s 103″ square. It’s a very traditional style quilt, although I designed it. So it is a traditional style pattern with more modern fabrics. A combination of old and new. It’s got roses on it, and leaves, traditional rose wreath patterns and blue ribbons. Green leaves and burgundy roses, and pink.

LP: Who made it?

TB: Well it is a friendship quilt. I belong to an organization called the Pioneer Quilters, and we had a friendship block exchange. There were twenty-four of us involved and every month we distributed our patterns and whatever fabric we wanted people to use and they had a month to make our block and return it, and it took two years altogether from start to finish, the friendship exchange. And then, I pieced the blocks, and added a little bit more to the boarder, and then the group Pioneer Quilters quilted it. And it took eight months. We quilted on it about four hours a day, for eight months. I mean, once a week for eight months.

LP: In what ways do your quilts reflect your community or region?

TB: Pacific Northwest is sort of cutting edge for quilting. It’s really fascinating to have watched it evolve over the last thirty years. I sometimes feel like I’m a step behind because I’m not into the bright colors a lot of the quilters around here are in the Pacific Northwest… Being a fourth generation Oregonian, what you see in my quilts is a reflection of my region. And anything else I’ve brought into it by traveling, but truly, I’m about as dyed-in-the-wool Oregonian as you can get…

LP: In what ways would we see that in your quilts?

TB: A lot of the folks that came to Oregon in the 1800’s, some of them came from New England, and there is a lot of traditional New England beliefs hidden in design. Some of the folks came from Northern Europe, and you see a lot of, for instance, my father’s family is Dutch, German and Belgique and they were very fine craftsmen. And I see that eye for detail.

How do your quilts reflect your region? You can read more quilt stories–from all over!–on the Quilters’ S.O.S.- Save Our Stories page on the Quilt Alliance website.

EmmaParker

Posted by Emma Parker
Project Manager, Quilters’ S.O.S.- Save Our Stories
qsos@quiltalliance.org

 

 

How To Trim Flying Geese Without A Specialty Ruler

If you don’t have a Bloc-Loc ruler, you may find trimming these flying geese challenging. But by following these steps, you should be able to get four accurate geese in each color!

First, line up your ruler so the point of the flying geese unit will be trimmed exactly ¼” above the point. Try to line the unit up as straight as possible on the other three sides.

Next, flip the unit over. Line up the edge you just cut on the 2” line of the ruler as shown below, and trim the excess from the top.

Flip the unit right side up again. Line the lower left corner up with the 3 ½” mark on your ruler as shown above. Trim the excess on the right.

Finally, flip the unit over again so the point is pointing towards the 2” line. Align the left edge of the unit with the 3 ½” ruler mark as shown above and trim the excess on the right. Your flying goose unit is now ready to be pieced into your block!

Quilt Documentation Tip

 Andrea’s block story is all about the importance of quilt guilds. Quilting can feel solitary, but guilds bring us together. It’s a topic of conversation that was discussed with two Birthday Block of the Month Designers in a recent Textile Talk where the participants all shared emotional stories about their love for their guilds. 

Did you know that your guild can document your quilts as a group? Consider hosting a quilt documentation day in your guild! Follow these instructions and have members share three minute stories about one meaningful quilt in the Quilt Alliance’s signature Go Tell It documentation program. You could even host a screening so all of your members can see the videos! Get in touch at: qsos@quiltalliance.org

See You in October for Month Seven!

Thank you so much to everyone who has participated in the Quilt Alliance’s Birthday Block of the Month so far! Our designer for next month, the seventh block we’re making together, is Bonnie Hunter herself! 

Be sure to tag @quiltalliance and @3rdstoryworkshop on Instagram with your block photos this month, and use the hashtag #QuiltAllianceBOM. And leave any questions about this month’s block in the comments below!

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