Illinois Quilt
Friday, November 19, 2010 
Above is a diagram I made for my next quilting project. I’m calling it the “Illinois Quilt” because the inspiration for it comes from a drive I made west from Chicago’s O’Hare airport to my grandmother’s house during our Summer 2009 vacation. The sun was shining, the sky was very blue and filled with lots of billowy clouds and the fields, crops, grass and trees were all varying shades of yellow and green. This landscape is a familiar one for me, as we made several cross-state trips to visit with family as I was growing up. I was born and raised in the state of Illinois, USA, as were both of my parents. Today most of my family is still scattered throughout the state, and even though I left quite some time ago, initially for my studies, I am still very much attached to it.
I’ve chosen the log cabin pattern, partly because I’ve wanted to do quilt in this style for some time but also because I see in it a small connection. Growing up in the “Land of Lincoln”, all Illinois schoolchildren are familiar with the story of former US President Abraham Lincoln and how he was born and grew up in a log cabin. The link is weak, I know, especially since the Lincoln family log cabin was not actually in Illinois, but since Lincoln is inextricably linked with both Illinois and log cabins, I thought this pattern would be fitting for the project.
I’m considering doing the entire quilt by hand this time around -- all of my past quilting has been either partially or fully done by machine. Last summer I was reading through a book written by one of my great uncles about the genealogy of my maternal grandmother’s line and discovered that my great-grandmother would only quilt by hand, never by machine. She’s inspired me to do the same.
I’ve recently signed this process pledge, so from time to time I will do short postings on my progress. I’ve already determined the fabric arrangements for the 5 squares that will make up the quilt -- right now I just need to decide which of the above patterns I'll be working with. Next time I’ll reveal the fabrics I’ve selected for the quilt.
Reader Comments (1)
That is quite an undertaking, can not wait to see your progress.