Learn to make a Whirlwind quilt block or choose another our Free Quilt Block Patterns library. Instructions for multiple sizes

Photo above © Sew Can She This quilting pattern / tutorial is available for free... Full post: The Whirlwind

The Whirlwind Quilt Block goes by a bunch of other names - Modern Envelope, Twin Sisters, Water Wheel, etc, etc. The traditional Whirlwind quilt block uses only 2 colors but I saw one on Facebook that had 4 fabrics and wanted to figure it out for you.

I am so excited to share the last pattern of 2020 - Whirlwind! This pattern was designed during a doodling session in the middle of the (first) coronavirus lockdown. The structured chaos reminded me of what 2020 has been a bit like - like being caught in a windstorm, being pull this way and that. After doing some quick

Learn to make a Whirlwind quilt block or choose another our Free Quilt Block Patterns library. Instructions for multiple sizes

These blocks are kind of the same and different at the same time. See what you think. Blocks finished sizes are at the end of the video.

The Whirlwind Quilt Block goes by a bunch of other names - Modern Envelope, Twin Sisters, Water Wheel, etc, etc. The traditional Whirlwind quilt block uses only 2 colors but I saw one on Facebook that had 4 fabrics and wanted to figure it out for you.

This Whirlwind Quilt was made with a kit and pattern purchased from Fat Quarter Shop.

Sew a fast and easy (and fat quarter friendly) quilt with my free Fat Quarter Whirlwind Quilt Pattern. This pattern is perfect for beginners or anyone who needs to sew a quilt quickly because the bloc

Washington Whirlwind # 7: Whirling Star for the First Lady by Elsie Ridgley Despite the war Washington's social life whirled around frequent White House receptions. Above: Mary Lincoln in a typical off-the-shoulder dress showing off her "poitrine" as they say in France. During the first year of White House life Mary Todd Lincoln must have enjoyed herself mightily as the nation's First Lady. She set about refurnishing the Executive Mansion, acting as hostess and buying a wardrobe that "befitted her position," as Julia Taft recalled. Mary's idea of that position was a bit lofty for a democracy. She and some newspaper editors viewed her as a "Republican Queen." She modeled her wardrobe on the French Empress Eugenie's. Eugenie, Emperor Napoleon III's consort from 1853 to 1870, set western fashion with her elaborate bell-shaped skirts. Mary Lincoln clipped sketches of the Empress's gowns and asked seamstress Elizabeth Keckly for copies. Whirling Star by Becky Brown Mary Clemmer Ames (1839-1884) During the Civil War journalist Mary Ames sent dispatches to various newspapers including one widely copied story telling of the "Late Slaves," meaning once-enslaved Washingtonians now free. This 1862 article about Lizzie may be the first published reference to Elizabeth Keckly's skills. Elizabeth Hobbs Keckly (1818-1907) Whirling Star by Elsie Ridgley Jean H. Baker in her 1987 biography of Mary Lincoln tells us of the French Empress's influence. Baker thought Mary Lincoln's personality problems and her need to outshine others were due to her mother's early death and resulting trauma, a somewhat Freudian explanation. "Nobody suffered as she suffered." Mary Clemmer Ames seems to have been more perceptive. In her 1873 book Ten Years in Washington: Life & Scenes in the National Capital, she describes the First Lady: "Incapable of lofty, impersonal impulse. She was self-centered, and never in any experience rose above herself. According to circumstances, her own ambitions, her own pleasures, her own sufferings ...consumed every other. As a President's wife she could not rise above the level of her nature....." Freud had not yet borrowed the term Narcissist for the extremely self-centered but Mary Lincoln seems to have been a classic example. National Museums of Liverpool Greek myth painted in 1903 by John William Waterhouse. The rejected Echo looks on as Narcissus loses himself in his own reflection. He cannot pull himself away and eventually dies, his handsome corpse turned into the daffodils named for him. Writing in 1914 Freud would have linked Mary Lincoln's personality disorders to sexual repression or some such thing but today that inability to view the world through any other prism but one's own feelings is considered an innate personality disorder, crippling in many cases. The Narcissist is often "her own worst enemy." New Year's Eve at the White House, December 1861, London Illustrated News Whirling Star by Elsie Ridgley Like many Narcissists Mary was attractive and even compelling. Her husband did love her despite her tantrums. At her sparkling best she was quick-witted, amusing and up-to-date on the latest conversational topics, something he seems to have valued. Mary's social whirl may have gotten her and the White House budget into financial trouble but this first year as First Lady was the only bright year in her Washington life. The year 1862 would bring her the first of the losses she was constitutionally unable to overcome. Whirling Star by Denniele Bohanon The Block The pattern is Blockbase+ #3295, attributed to the Nancy Cabot column in the Chicago Tribune. Fifty years ago when I was compiling my Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns I relied on other indexers as sources and this is one I cannot back up today. But it's a pretty block in shades of mauve & magenta, representing the Republican Queen well. Further Reading: Read Mary Clemmer Ames's 1873 book Ten Years in Washington: https://books.google.com/books?id=0EAIGA6XQ-4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=Ames+Ten+Years+in+Washington:+Life+and+Scenes+in+the+National+Capital&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiYpZmYoof-AhUsoWoFHaSVDxYQ6AF6BAgPEAI#v=onepage&q=Ames%20Ten%20Years%20in%20Washington%3A%20Life%20and%20Scenes%20in%20the%20National%20Capital&f=false Psychology Today on Narcissism: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/conditions/narcissistic-personality-disorder And information about Mary Lincoln's questionable associates: http://www.mrlincolnswhitehouse.org/residents-visitors/marys-charlatans/marys-charlatans-chevalier-henry-wikoff-1813-1884/

The Whirlwind Quilt Block goes by a bunch of other names - Modern Envelope, Twin Sisters, Water Wheel, etc, etc. The traditional Whirlwind quilt block uses only 2 colors but I saw one on Facebook that had 4 fabrics and wanted to figure it out for you.

So I met my friend Laurie in Dulles Airport and we took off on our whirlwind trip right away! Look! Look! Turn around! I need a photo! lol We spent a lot of time doing that!! This old building was in Strasburg. Union church circa 1825 We made it! Harrisonburg is where the Virginia Quilt Museum is located. The original quilt- circa 1855 Such a terrific variety of quilts were chosen for the museum exhibit. I have to admit that it was pretty special seeing my quilt hanging there! (on the right) I hope you enjoyed that exhibit! Have a great weekend.

Washington Whirlwind #5: Road to the White House by Jeanne Arnieri After Abraham Lincoln was elected the family closed their Illinois house and made plans to travel to Washington in the spring of 1861. Their Road to the White House was complicated by hate-filled rhetoric from Southern "Fire-Eaters" threatening to kill the president-elect on his trip east. Several body guards and Pinkerton's detectives accompanied the Lincolns on the train ride as did a few young men whom Lincoln had befriended in his legal and political life. Three close friends were on the train. 1863 Alexander Gardner Photograph John Nicolay & John Hay were Illinois newspapermen appointed Lincoln's secretaries. Moustaches and beards became the fashion in the early 1860s and Lincoln showed up in Washington with a new beard. "To Gardner's Gallery & were soon joined by Nico and the Prest . ... Nico & I immortalized ourselves by having ourselves done in a group with the Prest." John Hay, November, 1863. Ephraim Elmer Ellsworth 1837-1861 Also in the entourage was New Yorker Elmer Ellsworth, about 24, who'd been studying law with Lincoln in Springfield. Ellsworth was a charismatic character who'd created a military drill team in Chicago. Appointed (self-appointed?) a Colonel, he popularized the Zouave uniform developed by African/French troops, consisting of a fez, baggy trousers and a good deal of soutache or flat braid trim. Ellsworth's Zouave Drill Book, published in 1861. New York Zouaves When the war began Ellsworth established the 11th New York Fire Zouaves. Medhurst & Company 17-year-old James Rockwell of Duryéa's Zouaves in the distinctive outfit. The Zouave jacket became female fashion. Detail of a wool Zouave quilt in the Museum of Fine Arts/Boston collection https://collections.mfa.org/objects/653652 Road to the White House by Becky Brown Harper's Weekly During the spring of 1861 as Virginians argued secession, hotel keeper James W. Jackson flew a large Confederate flag from atop Alexandria's Marshall House, so large it was visible from the White House. John Hay recorded an April 29th visit to Nicolay's bedroom from Kansas Senator James Lane who "was at the window filling his soul with gall by steady telescopic contemplating of a Secession flag impudently flaunting over a roof in Alexandria." Lane suggested the flag be shot away. James William Jackson (1823-1861) of Virginia Ellsworth, a frequent White House guest and a "great pet in the family," was also angered by the Secessionist taunt from across the Potomac. May 24th, the day after Virginians voted to secede, Union troops occupied Alexandria, which was too close to the Union capitol to let it slip into the Confederacy. Alexandria Elmer Ellsworth was among the occupiers who encountered little resistance. Feeling cocky he decided to take the Marshall House flag with backup from a few fellow soldiers. As he descended the stairs with the trophy in his hands, James Jackson shot and killed him. A fellow Zouave killed Jackson. This confrontation resulting in mutual destruction so early in the war became a rallying point for both Union and Confederates and a metaphor for what was to come. Jackson left a wife and children. Ellsworth left his parents in New York and a bereft Lincoln family. The Harper's Weekly image became a propaganda icon.... Library of Congress Ellsworth was given a memorial service at the White House with the Lincolns in tears. Julia Taft remembered that she with the Taft and Lincoln boys had visited Ellsworth to watch the Zouaves drill just the day before his death: "I felt an impulse to tell the President about our pleasant visit to Colonel Ellsworth the day before he was ordered to Alexandria but I was told that the President wept at the mention of Ellsworth and I was afraid it would make him grieve.” Road to the White House by Denniele Bohannon The Block This block composed of triangles and four-patches was popular in many shading arrangements. Made by Cora Myrtle Graham Boatwright, documented by the Arizona Project. https://quiltindex.org//view/?type=fullrec&kid=38-36-4389 I was out of town last week so did not get Elsie Ridgley's two versions up here.

So I met my friend Laurie in Dulles Airport and we took off on our whirlwind trip right away! Look! Look! Turn around! I need a photo! lol We spent a lot of time doing that!! This old building was in Strasburg. Union church circa 1825 We made it! Harrisonburg is where the Virginia Quilt Museum is located. The original quilt- circa 1855 Such a terrific variety of quilts were chosen for the museum exhibit. I have to admit that it was pretty special seeing my quilt hanging there! (on the right) I hope you enjoyed that exhibit! Have a great weekend.

Washington Whirlwind #8: White House Steps by Elsie Ridgely Living in the White House, the Executive Mansion, in the mid-19th century might be considered a luxury but for some residents it was a death sentence. The sanitation system before urban sewage infrastructure is now blamed for the deaths of three presidents (William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor and James K. Polk.) The building's elevation was lower than its water supply (the blue star-a natural spring), which was contaminated by a higher field (the green star) in which Washington's servants tossed the contents of the city's chamber pots. It was a series of step downs with dangers no one understood at the time. William Henry Harrison (1773 - 1841) President Harrison died a month after his inauguration. For generations people believed it was his cavalier disregard of a head covering at that open-air ceremony that killed him in 1841---more likely the sanitation system. White House Steps by Jeanne Arnieri The presidents were noted but how many unnamed servants and visitors caught typhoid fever from the mansion's contaminated drinking water? The disease, fatal in over 30% percent of the cases during the Civil War, was characterized by fever, rashes, abdominal pain & diarrhea, It wasn't until 1880 that scientists realized typhoid fever was caused by a water-borne bacillus, Salmonella typhosa. Work continued on the new Capitol dome during the war. White House Steps by Denniele Bohannon The Lincoln boys came down with typhoid fever in February, 1862, 11 months after they moved into the Mansion. The long-term polluted sanitary system was made more dangerous by Army camps a few blocks from the White House with their open sewers. William Wallace Lincoln 1850-1862 Photo in early 1862 by the Brady Studios. Both Willie and Tad were very ill. Bud and Holly Taft were unaffected, although Bud visited his best friend daily while he was sick. "Bud" Horatio Nelson Taft Jr. (1847-1915) Bud was a few years older than Willie. White House Steps by Becky Brown Rebecca Rossignol Holiday Pomroy (1817-1884) Abraham Lincoln asked Dorothy Dix, who supervised Union nurses, to recommend a nurse to help out. Dix had kept an eye on Rebecca Pomroy, who'd been treating typhoid patients in the Union hospitals in Washington. She was an empathetic, calm and consoling woman with a strong Protestant faith who had suffered too many illnesses and deaths in her own family shortly before the war. No nursing could save 11-year-old Willie Lincoln who died on February 20, 1862. Tad survived the disease but his brother's death was a terrible trauma, as it was for the Taft boys. Lincoln & Willie in Springfield Willie is recalled as Abraham Lincoln's favorite child, much like him in his level demeanor and precise intelligence. Bud Taft's father Horatio N. Taft thought Willie a wise and amiable boy. Julia Taft remembered him as the "most lovable boy I ever knew." "I stood at the foot of the bed, my eyes full of tears, looking at the man in silent, awe-stricken wonder,” recalled Elizabeth Keckley, a formerly enslaved woman who became Mary Lincoln’s seamstress and confident during the Civil War. “His grief unnerved him, and made him a weak, passive child. I did not dream that his rugged nature could be so moved." Lincoln historian Michael Burlingame's chapter on Willie's death in When Life Strikes the President Lincoln told Rebecca that Willie's death was his hardest trial. He found comfort in talking to a woman who'd lost two children and her husband yet had found peace and strength in Protestant principles. Lincoln's religion did not offer him the same comfort but he found talking to Rebecca therapeutic. Nurse Pomroy Library of Congress Rebecca Pomroy's enameled earrings The Library of Congress has several objects that once were Rebecca's: https://www.loc.gov/search/?fa=subject:pomroy,+rebecca Once Tad recovered and his parents adjusted in their own ways to their loss Rebecca went back to her hospital but periodically visited the White House when they needed her or she needed a rest. In 1873 Mary Clemmer Ames wrote of the changing capitol city: "The green pools that used to distill malaria beneath your windows are now all sucked into the great sewers, planted at last in the foundations of the city." White House Steps by Jeanne Arnieri White House Steps by Elsie Ridgely The Block White House Steps Log Cabin variations were extremely popular after 1870 or so with different shading patterns. This one using concentric light and dark logs was published by the Ladies Art Company about 1890 as White House Steps. Their pattern was a little off. It's redrawn here to have consistent-sized side logs. Detail of a top from about 1900 Further Reading: Read a preview of Michael Burlingame's chapter here: https://books.google.com/books?id=0Nc-DgAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=willie+lincoln+death+president&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjKsp25nK_-AhWjlWoFHSbxAKMQ6AF6BAgGEAI#v=onepage&q&f=false Today we might call this mid-20th-century quilt from an online auction Housetops. http://civilwarquilts.blogspot.com/2023/02/rebecca-holiday-pomroys-civil-war.html

Washington Whirlwind #4: Next Door Neighbor by Becky Collis We've been looking at the Lincoln White House from the view of the Taft family who lived close by. Julia recalled cutting through the grounds on her walk to school. The official gardener welcomed her shortcut through an unlocked gate. It seems a little hard to believe now but the grounds and building were open to the public. In the theory that the mansion was the "people's house" anyone could walk in day or night as they wished, too many picking up knick-knacks and cutting swatches out of the drapes for souvenirs. The "President's House" is below the purple star in the "President's Park."in this 1861 map from Margaret Leech's Reveille in Washington. (See more below.) Julia Taft Bayne (1845-1933) She was in her mid-teens when she met the Lincolns. When her younger brothers were invited to play with the Lincoln children Julia was encouraged to accompany them, perhaps to do some supervising. She enjoyed the visits, remembering how the Lincoln library was full of novels, reading material forbidden at home by her mother Mary Cook Taft. While the boys disrupted cabinet meetings with drums and horns Julia spent time chatting with Mary Todd Lincoln, whose kind company she appreciated. The President also encountered Julia in the library or parlor. " I was sitting on the sofa with some silk and velvet pieces on my lap, out of which I was trying to make a pin-cushion. The President came into the room. I rose at once, my pieces falling on the floor. When the President went out, I picked them up and was just getting them sorted out again when he came in the second time. True to my training, I again rose and the silk once more scattered to the floor. ‘You needn’t get up, Julia, every time Abram comes in the room,’ said Mrs. Lincoln. ‘Why, Julie,’ said the President, noticing my silk pieces on the floor, ‘that’s too bad.’ Before I knew what he was about, he had knelt on the floor and was picking up the pieces of silk for me." In her memoir Julia recalled attending Madame Smith's French School (west of the White House in the current map here) during the Civil War years but a little fact checking reveals that Madame Smith's school was closed by the time Julia joined her family in Washington. Her father's diary mentioned that the empty Smith school was housing soldiers and Julia had begun schooling with a Miss Douglas on H Street as the war began. National Museum of American History Dress worn by Mary Todd Lincoln Purple was a favorite color of the First Lady and other fashionable women at the time. In the 1850s Englishman William Perkin invented a colorfast aniline purple dye for silk and wool that revolutionized the textile industry. He named the purple Mauve. Other chemists developed Fuschia, Solferino and Magenta, the last two names commemorating European battles waged by French Emperor Napoleon III, whose wife Eugenie often wore the new shades. Empress Eugenie of France (1826-1920) by Franz Xaver Winterhalter Mary Lincoln considered herself the American version of the Empress and directed her seamstresses to copy Eugenie's style. Julia Taft remembered that Mary Todd Lincoln was wearing "lilac organdy" when they met. Next Door Neighbor by Becky Brown Despite her mother's conservative nature and refusal to wear a crinoline (an "abiding grievance" to Julia) Mrs. Taft also liked the new purples and bought a particularly elegant bonnet at Willian's on Pennsylvania Avenue. 1855 Her ensemble of bonnet with purple ribbons, a purple and white silk gown and lavender kid gloves attracted Mary Lincoln's attention, but rather than complimenting Mary Taft on her taste Mary Lincoln demanded the ribbons. Willian's was out of that particular "riband" (as they termed them) and the First Lady wanted some. Julia overheard her mother discussing the request. "I suppose I'll have to let her have it and it's provoking, for I really did like this bonnet." Next Door Neighbor by Denniele Bohannon William Howard Russell, British correspondent for the London Times, attended the theatre in November,1861 noting the first lady's attire in his diary: "Mrs. Lincoln in an awful bonnet." The next day he hadn't recovered, recalling her as "the most preposterous looking female I ever saw." The fashion for purple in wartime Washington may inspire color choices for your Next Door Neighbor block. The Block At the end of the 19th century the Ladies Art Company was calling this block of triangles Next Door Neighbor. Next Door Neighbor by Jeanne Arnieri Further Reading Margaret Leech (Pulitzer) won a Pulitzer Prize for history with her 1941 book in which the District of Columbia is the lead character. It's a great read 80 years later---just wish someone had said: "Peggy! Footnotes, please." Extensive preview: https://books.google.com/books?id=MmkZzJWv21MC&printsec=frontcover&dq=reveille+in+washington+1860-1865&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjUlaedgNGEAxW4lokEHWURAA8Q6AF6BAgNEAI#v=onepage&q&f=false

I’m just back from the first leg of my whirlwind of trips in October! I flew to Los Angeles last Thursday to visit the Westside Quilt Guild for an Artful Improv class and a lecture, then back…

Learn to make a Whirlwind quilt block or choose another our Free Quilt Block Patterns library. Instructions for multiple sizes

The Whirlwind Quilt Block goes by a bunch of other names - Modern Envelope, Twin Sisters, Water Wheel, etc, etc. The traditional Whirlwind quilt block uses only 2 colors but I saw one on Facebook that had 4 fabrics and wanted to figure it out for you.

So I met my friend Laurie in Dulles Airport and we took off on our whirlwind trip right away! Look! Look! Turn around! I need a photo! lol We spent a lot of time doing that!! This old building was in Strasburg. Union church circa 1825 We made it! Harrisonburg is where the Virginia Quilt Museum is located. The original quilt- circa 1855 Such a terrific variety of quilts were chosen for the museum exhibit. I have to admit that it was pretty special seeing my quilt hanging there! (on the right) I hope you enjoyed that exhibit! Have a great weekend.

Item: QM-153 Type: Quilt Patterns Designer: Quilt Moments

So I met my friend Laurie in Dulles Airport and we took off on our whirlwind trip right away! Look! Look! Turn around! I need a photo! lol We spent a lot of time doing that!! This old building was in Strasburg. Union church circa 1825 We made it! Harrisonburg is where the Virginia Quilt Museum is located. The original quilt- circa 1855 Such a terrific variety of quilts were chosen for the museum exhibit. I have to admit that it was pretty special seeing my quilt hanging there! (on the right) I hope you enjoyed that exhibit! Have a great weekend.

Washington Whirlwind #4: Next Door Neighbor by Becky Collis We've been looking at the Lincoln White House from the view of the Taft family who lived close by. Julia recalled cutting through the grounds on her walk to school. The official gardener welcomed her shortcut through an unlocked gate. It seems a little hard to believe now but the grounds and building were open to the public. In the theory that the mansion was the "people's house" anyone could walk in day or night as they wished, too many picking up knick-knacks and cutting swatches out of the drapes for souvenirs. The "President's House" is below the purple star in the "President's Park."in this 1861 map from Margaret Leech's Reveille in Washington. (See more below.) Julia Taft Bayne (1845-1933) She was in her mid-teens when she met the Lincolns. When her younger brothers were invited to play with the Lincoln children Julia was encouraged to accompany them, perhaps to do some supervising. She enjoyed the visits, remembering how the Lincoln library was full of novels, reading material forbidden at home by her mother Mary Cook Taft. While the boys disrupted cabinet meetings with drums and horns Julia spent time chatting with Mary Todd Lincoln, whose kind company she appreciated. The President also encountered Julia in the library or parlor. " I was sitting on the sofa with some silk and velvet pieces on my lap, out of which I was trying to make a pin-cushion. The President came into the room. I rose at once, my pieces falling on the floor. When the President went out, I picked them up and was just getting them sorted out again when he came in the second time. True to my training, I again rose and the silk once more scattered to the floor. ‘You needn’t get up, Julia, every time Abram comes in the room,’ said Mrs. Lincoln. ‘Why, Julie,’ said the President, noticing my silk pieces on the floor, ‘that’s too bad.’ Before I knew what he was about, he had knelt on the floor and was picking up the pieces of silk for me." In her memoir Julia recalled attending Madame Smith's French School (west of the White House in the current map here) during the Civil War years but a little fact checking reveals that Madame Smith's school was closed by the time Julia joined her family in Washington. Her father's diary mentioned that the empty Smith school was housing soldiers and Julia had begun schooling with a Miss Douglas on H Street as the war began. National Museum of American History Dress worn by Mary Todd Lincoln Purple was a favorite color of the First Lady and other fashionable women at the time. In the 1850s Englishman William Perkin invented a colorfast aniline purple dye for silk and wool that revolutionized the textile industry. He named the purple Mauve. Other chemists developed Fuschia, Solferino and Magenta, the last two names commemorating European battles waged by French Emperor Napoleon III, whose wife Eugenie often wore the new shades. Empress Eugenie of France (1826-1920) by Franz Xaver Winterhalter Mary Lincoln considered herself the American version of the Empress and directed her seamstresses to copy Eugenie's style. Julia Taft remembered that Mary Todd Lincoln was wearing "lilac organdy" when they met. Next Door Neighbor by Becky Brown Despite her mother's conservative nature and refusal to wear a crinoline (an "abiding grievance" to Julia) Mrs. Taft also liked the new purples and bought a particularly elegant bonnet at Willian's on Pennsylvania Avenue. 1855 Her ensemble of bonnet with purple ribbons, a purple and white silk gown and lavender kid gloves attracted Mary Lincoln's attention, but rather than complimenting Mary Taft on her taste Mary Lincoln demanded the ribbons. Willian's was out of that particular "riband" (as they termed them) and the First Lady wanted some. Julia overheard her mother discussing the request. "I suppose I'll have to let her have it and it's provoking, for I really did like this bonnet." Next Door Neighbor by Denniele Bohannon William Howard Russell, British correspondent for the London Times, attended the theatre in November,1861 noting the first lady's attire in his diary: "Mrs. Lincoln in an awful bonnet." The next day he hadn't recovered, recalling her as "the most preposterous looking female I ever saw." The fashion for purple in wartime Washington may inspire color choices for your Next Door Neighbor block. The Block At the end of the 19th century the Ladies Art Company was calling this block of triangles Next Door Neighbor. Next Door Neighbor by Jeanne Arnieri Further Reading Margaret Leech (Pulitzer) won a Pulitzer Prize for history with her 1941 book in which the District of Columbia is the lead character. It's a great read 80 years later---just wish someone had said: "Peggy! Footnotes, please." Extensive preview: https://books.google.com/books?id=MmkZzJWv21MC&printsec=frontcover&dq=reveille+in+washington+1860-1865&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjUlaedgNGEAxW4lokEHWURAA8Q6AF6BAgNEAI#v=onepage&q&f=false

Whirlwind - Border #1 - Stencil © 2007 Patricia E. Ritter Templates for marking quilts and projects that are constructed of flexible plastic. Our stencils have been designed for both longarm and domestic machine quilters. BORDER / ROW SIZE: 3 inch

Sew a fast and easy (and fat quarter friendly) quilt with my free Fat Quarter Whirlwind Quilt Pattern. This pattern is perfect for beginners or anyone who needs to sew a quilt quickly because the bloc

This delightful Winged Square block is simple to create with just eight Flying Geese blocks. Not your standard Winged Square, but lovely anyway! Let's get sewing!

Washington Whirlwind #2: Boy's Playmate by Becky Collis Mary Todd Lincoln Photo by William Mumler, 1865 During the social whirlwind of a new presidential administration in the spring of 1861 Mary Cook Taft, wife of the Patent Office's chief examiner, was introduced to First Lady Mary Lincoln. Once Mary Lincoln heard that the Tafts had two boys about the same age as her own sons she invited them over to play at the White House. Halsey Cook Taft "Holly" & Horatio Nelson Taft Jr. "Bud" The Lincolns had four boys. During the first years of the war Robert was at Harvard. Eddie had died of a disease at the age of 3 in 1850. The White House in the 1840s Boy's Playmate by Jeanne Arnieri Mary's impulsive move worked out well, at least in the beginning, although advisors might have told Mrs. Lincoln the Tafts, despite being New Yorkers, were appointees of the Democrat Buchanan with a reputation for Southern sympathies. The Tafts were "doughfaces" in the slang of the day. Once Lincoln was elected, however, and Southern states began seceding Taft became a strong Union man. "There has been no startling News today, but the right of Secession is contested by all northern men who with the president consider it Revolution. I have not hesitated to call it Treason." Horatio Taft's diary January 17, 1861 Horatio Nelson Taft (1806-1888) Horatio Taft and Mary Malvina Cook Taft had three boys and an older girl Julia together. Through his first marriage, Horatio had two sons Charles and Frank, grown by the time of the Lincoln White House. Mary Taft's youngest son Willie was too small and shy to keep up with his older brothers and the Lincoln boys but he was invited over occasionally. The Patent OfficeDuring the war as patent applications dwindled, the building was taken over for a hospital and Horatio was laid off in late 1861. Halls and storage rooms at the Patent Building were filled with bunk beds for wounded and sick soldiers, but Horatio visited the old office often, according to his diary. Horatio was bored, puttering around their rented house, discussing war news at the Willard Hotel and thinking up inventions to patent when there wouldn't be a conflict of interest. Mary Taft didn't like living in Washington and neither did he so in the fall of 1861 he decided to move back to New York and perhaps resume his career as a lawyer. The view in war-time Washington was dominated by the unfinished Capitol building where work continued on a new dome. "This has been a delightful day and our sale of furniture has passed off. It mostly sold at a low rate, but it was mostly purchased at Auction two or three years since. We sold nothing but the bulkey articles amounting to only $140.00." September 24, 1861 Vintage Boy's Playmate block, about 1900 After selling their furniture, the Tafts crated up possessions to ship home and bade the Lincolns farewell. "My wife went today to pay her respects to Mrs Lincoln before leaving the City. Was very graciously received by Mrs L. and assured that if she could do anything to keep our Family here she would do it as she was anxious to have our boys come there as companions & playmates for hers." September 25, 1861We then get a glimpse of Mary Lincoln's typical manipulations. She did not want to lose the Taft boys. Horatio went to see a Major Watt who told him: "Mrs L. always succeeds, and is enlisted in my behalf." Before a week was out the Tafts had been persuaded to rent a house about 5 blocks east of the White House: "On 9th St No. 346, having 9 rooms and back buildings, rent $200.00 pr year. House in tolerable repair and convenient, shall move in tomorrow." "I called upon Mrs Lincoln this evening with Julia and had quite a long conversation with her. She was quite indignant that I had not been restored to office." October 10, 1861 Boy's Playmate by Denniele Bohannon October and November passed with no new occupation for Horatio but Mary Lincoln was at work. "Wife went up to the Presidents to see Mrs Lincoln, did not see her. She however got a strong letter from the President to the Sec'y of the Interior in my favor." November 21, 1861The next day his old boss at the Patent Office reluctantly offered him "a 2nd Class Clerkship in the Land Office for the present if I would accept of it. It is $1400 pr year. That is certainly better than no business in this extravagant City and I shall take it till I can do better." Julia Taft: "It was an outstanding characteristic of Mary Todd Lincoln that she wanted what she wanted when she wanted it." Mary Lincoln earned a reputation for shady manipulations of government appointments for her friends, patrons and creditors. An elegant carriage given to the First Lady might insure an appointment as an agent in the New York custom house, a potentially profitable job if one wasn't too strict about ethics. Here we see her at work on a smaller scale, engineering playmates for her boys. The idealized Lincoln family was the subject of many lithographs, this one by a rather untalented portrait artist. Julia's book goes into pleasant detail about the Tafts and the Lincolns. She often escorted her younger brothers on visits and was happy to chat with Mary Lincoln who treated her with a leniency and familiarity her own mother could not. Julia read novels in the White House library, novels being forbidden by Mary Malvina Taft. In his diary, Horatio is pleased to mention the boys' visiting their home, which took place often in the winter of 1861-1862. "The Lincoln Boys have been here twice today after our boys to go there. (December 12) ...Both the Lincoln boys were here this afternoon looking over the pictures with Bud & Holly. They are evidently not kept on Sundays with puritan Strictness. They like to come here and feel quite 'free and easy' with our boys." (December 15, 1861) "This has been 'Christmas day'... I have spent the day at home fixing up things....It has been quite a noisey day about the house. Our three boys and the Two Lincoln boys have been very busy fireing off Crackers & Pistols. Willie & Thomas Lincoln staid to Dinner at 4 o'clock." Boy's Playmate by Becky Brown with a black & white sashing. Tad Lincoln was the leader of the pack. When he and Holly disappeared into the many basements of the Capitol building, causing a crisis, sister Julia recalled Holly telling her: "Tad dared me to explore around and we did and got lost." The Block The block has several names, all relating to the mischievous children in the Lincoln White House's first year. Cutting a 12" Pattern Model Maker Becky Brown is a precision piecer and she advises me: Horatio Taft's Washington diary was donated to the Library of Congress in 1970, a gift from Mrs. Willoughby Davis, a family member. Read the transcript of his diary entries here: https://www.loc.gov/resource/mtaft.mtaft1/?st=text https://www.loc.gov/collections/diary-of-horatio-taft/articles-and-essays/the-washington-diary-of-horatio-taft/ See the transcription here here: https://www.loc.gov/resource/mtaft.mtaft1/?number=149?sp=4 And one more Taft link: The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City owns this chintz applique quilt attributed to Mary Malvina Cook Taft. See a post on this quilt---unlikely to be by her hand: https://civilwarquilts.blogspot.com/2023/03/mary-malvina-cook-tafts-civil-war.html Did she obtain it during her wartime residence in Washington? Perhaps a stolen Southern quilt?

I’m excited to share my completed Selvage Whirlwind Quilt top! Thank you to all my friends and fellow guild members who contributed selvages. I was so pleased to share this top today but today we are

So I met my friend Laurie in Dulles Airport and we took off on our whirlwind trip right away! Look! Look! Turn around! I need a photo! lol We spent a lot of time doing that!! This old building was in Strasburg. Union church circa 1825 We made it! Harrisonburg is where the Virginia Quilt Museum is located. The original quilt- circa 1855 Such a terrific variety of quilts were chosen for the museum exhibit. I have to admit that it was pretty special seeing my quilt hanging there! (on the right) I hope you enjoyed that exhibit! Have a great weekend.

Warm and cool prints create contrast in this throw-size quilt pattern. Use batik fabrics for an exciting finish and a scrappy binding to complete the look.

With these 12-inch quilt block patterns, you can easily mix and match to create stunning original quilt patterns. Probably the most common size of quilt block (and definitely the most preferred of the FaveQuilts audience), the 12-inch size is great because it's so versatile, and you've got plenty of space to show off your clever use of HSTs or fussy cut fabrics. If you've come to this page, we're guessing it's because you need something specific. Whatever your spectacular patchwork needs are, we've got the block to fill that gap in your next quilt project! We've collected beautiful blocks from your favorite quilters and are presenting them to you in this simple format! Simply scroll and choose the pattern(s) you want to see, then click the pink "Get This Pattern" button. Join Our 100,000+ Fans And Sign Up to Receive Your FREE eNewsletter!

Like many of you, I have been making lots of masks lately. One of the things that has kept me going, is saving my selvages as I made masks, and watching my selvage collection grow! I took a break a…

Whirlwind Petite PAPER longarm quilting pantograph design by Patricia Ritter of Urban Elementz More Details A single row is 4.75" wide - printed with 1 row - 144" long Click here to go to our main Panto Directory Page. Click here to see more items of interest to machine quilters. Don't know what a "panto" is?  Click here to find out what the heck a "panto" is.

Sew a fast and easy (and fat quarter friendly) quilt with my free Fat Quarter Whirlwind Quilt Pattern. This pattern is perfect for beginners or anyone who needs to sew a quilt quickly because the bloc

This block is made with just 2 strips of fabric. Use highly contrasting fabrics for best results. Some very bright fabrics like the ones I used by Michael Miller would make a wonderful quilt for a …

So I met my friend Laurie in Dulles Airport and we took off on our whirlwind trip right away! Look! Look! Turn around! I need a photo! lol We spent a lot of time doing that!! This old building was in Strasburg. Union church circa 1825 We made it! Harrisonburg is where the Virginia Quilt Museum is located. The original quilt- circa 1855 Such a terrific variety of quilts were chosen for the museum exhibit. I have to admit that it was pretty special seeing my quilt hanging there! (on the right) I hope you enjoyed that exhibit! Have a great weekend.

I am so excited to share my completed Selvage Whirlwind quilt today. It turned out just the way I had hoped and I love it! I think shots of quilts blowing in the wind are pleasing so I had to inc…