Recently I have aquired three of the wonderful quilt books by Rosemary Youngs. She's written other books and these are not her most recent. I was gifted one, found another used, and bought one on sale...so it was a win,win,win.
The books are not traditional or typical quilt books. These are smaller and thicker and feature stories from the civil war, journal entries or letters written by real people at the time. The letters or journal entries are paired with a quilt block. The quilt block is shown in a color diagram which can be traced or measured or even copied for piecing. Some are very simple and some are much more complex.
Sample quilts are given in each of the books but I haven't made the first block from any of them. I do plan to take my time reading the stories and trying to imagine the strength and courage it required to live and survive during such a difficult time and dreadful war. The simple acts of daily life and the gratitude for the tiniest of blessings is so inspiring.
I hope that if you see these books you will pick them up and take a peek. They are some of my favorite types of reading because they combine my love of history and my love of quilting. Finding a story written by a woman from long ago is a special treasure.
Enjoy every page!
Diane
I love Rosemary's books - and, you can also buy a CD and print all of the cutting instructions for the blocks. I have most of the Civil War Love Letter blocks finished - I really should make the rest!
ReplyDeleteI did not know about the Civil War Anniversary Quilts book. I'll have to check it out!
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