Civil War Quilt - Reproduction Directions:
"Home of the Brave" Quilt
for Machine Piecers
by Patricia and James Cummings
Founder of the "Home of the Brave" quilt project is Donald Beld
This file was originally established in 2005 to provide step-by-step directions for making quilts for the families of soldiers lost in Iraq and Afghanistan. The directions were written by Patricia L. Cummings, and the photos were taken by James Cummings. These directions have been utlized extensively by the Home of the Brave Charity Quilt program run by volunteers.
Finished "Home of the Brave Quilt" made by volunteers in the state of Maine
BLOCK MAKING INSTRUCTIONS
Example of one finished block made by Patricia Cummings
Directions for Rotary Cutting and Machine Piecing
The use of Civil War reproduction fabrics is suggested.
Seams are 1/4" throughout. Strive for accurate cutting and sewing.
Block should measure exactly 12 1/2" when assembled.
You will need: a rotary cutter, cutting mat, 6" x 12" ruler or 6" x 24" ruler, fabrics, thread, and enthusiasm!
DIRECTIONS
1) Choose fabric for the four large side triangles. Cut a 10 1/4" square into four equal triangles by slicing diagonally in both directions. (Some folks prefer to start with a 10 3/4" square).
2) Cut (4) 2 5/8" x 8 1/2" strips. This length is longer than needed but the excess will be trimmed from the corners, later.
3) For center square, cut one 2 5/8" x 2 5/8" muslin square.
ASSEMBLY
1) Lay out all the pieces and retrieve as needed, for sewing.
Block pieces laid out
Overview: Think of the layout as being composed of two sections, each of which has two triangles, attached to a center strip.
Once constructed, each section will be joined to a unit that consists of two strips with the signature muslin block in the center.
One section of this Civil War block
BEGINNING ASSEMBLY
1) Sew one triangle to a strip, right sides together.
Note: The strip will overhang the outer edge and will be trimmed later. Visualize that the longest side of the triangle will lay on the outer edge of the finished block.
2) Sew other triangle to the other side of the same strip.
3) Press this section.
4) Next, sew a strip to opposite sides of a center signature square, so that you have one long strip. Press seams toward the center (muslin) square. Set aside.
5) Repeat steps 1, 2 and 3 to make the other section. Press seams toward triangles.
Quilt made by Home of the Brave volunteers to honor New Hampshire's
Sargeant First Class Robert E. Rooney. The state coordinator is Linda Heminway.
ASSEMBLY OF THE SECTIONS AND CENTER STRIP
1) Right sides together, pin the long center strip onto one of the pieced sections, nestling the seams together. Where the seams meet, place a pin on either side of the seam, and in the middle of it, so that it does not slip on the sewing machine. SEW. Press toward triangles.
2) To this combines unit, complete the block by adding the second pieced section, sewing it to the other long edge of the center strip. Press as before, toward the triangles.
3) Lightly press the block again, avoiding use of steam. Let the heat and weight of the iron do all the work, pressing in an up and down motion rather than back and forth.
4) Press seams toward the center square so that there will be opposing seams when you add this strip to the two pieced triangle sections.
TRIM
The easiest way to trim this block so that it is perfectly square is to use an Omnigrid 12 1/2" square ruler. If you do not have one, you can use any other ruler for rotary cutting that helps you to achieve your goal.
Note: Before I owned a 12 1/2" ruler, I cut a plastic template that is measures exactly 12/ 1/2" and then stuck on sandpaper grips pre-assembled with adhesive circles, onto the back.
Then, with a pencil or marker, I traced around the block, or simply overlaid the ruler and used the plastic template as a cutting guide, placing my sturdy ruler on the edge and making sure that nothing slipped.
ADD YOUR NAME
Write your name, state of origin, or a brief message in the center of the block.
1) Stabilize the muslin by ironing on the shiny side of a small piece of freezer paper that will remain until after your writing is complete.
2) Various pens are sold for writing on fabric. My favorite is the Sakura Micron Pigma Pen, nib # 05. These pens are sold in art stores or in some quilt or fabric shops. Practice on a piece of scrap cloth, first.
HEAT SET YOUR SIGNATURE
Once you've heat set your signature, you are finished! Now, wasn't that fun and easy?
HOME OF THE BRAVE QUILT PROJECT
Donald Beld of California loves both history and quilting and is an avid hand piecer. I told him that I would be happy to prepare this file for machine quilters. My instructions have been downloaded to many other sites of people who are involved in making quilts for the Home of the Brave project, across the United States.
If you would like to make one block or more for this effort, contact the national coordinator, Sandi Carstensen, at: homeofthebravequilts@cis.net
TO MAKE A WHOLE QUILT
Fifteen quilt blocks are needed. Cut sashings 3 1/2" wide and add sashing squares (3 1/2" x 3 1/2"). Additional borders are optional. However, sashings on the outside edges are adequate. Quilts may be tied (and usually are tied). Binding treatments vary. A separate binding may be added, or the backing may be brought to the front and tacked down.
Many thanks to those who have made quilts in support of the families who have lost loved ones overseas.
There are other Civil War historical and song files on this website. Please use the site navigation bar on the front page to "get around."
Note: We had removed this file from July 18, 2009 until October 3, 2009, optimistically hoping that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq would wind down. With more troop deployments imminent, that does not seem to be the case, so we are reinstating these instructions.
Comments? Questions about this page? Please contact its owner, Patricia Cummings, at: pat@quiltersmuse.com
Copyright 2005/2009. Patricia Cummings, Quilter's Muse Publications. These instructions are not to be used for commercial (for sale) projects, class hand-outs, or book publications, without the express written permission of Patricia Lynne Grace Cummings.