Appetizer - Still on the Menu!

I started this eagle embroidery project at the end of July as a warm up for my main Quilt Like An Eagle project.  I thought this would be a quick project, but that was an optimistic assumption!  I finished the embroidery last week, but did not have a chance to start the piecing aspect of the project until this weekend.

The postage stamp squares finish at 1 inch.  I plan to add two strips of 1 inch blocks to either side, creating a postage stamp frame.  I was originally thinking of hand quilting this, but I don't like hand quilting through so many seams.  I'm just making this up as I go along, so I'll make that decision later!

Eagle Thoughts

One of the things that has kept me interested in quilting for the past 25 years is the relationship between quilts and history.  Not only do quilts have their own history, but they also reflect the life and times of the women who made them.

As I began to think about what type of eagle quilt I would make, I also started to wonder about the history and symbolism of eagle quilts.

I have been going through my quilt library, searching out eagle quilts with an eye for history and design.  One of my favorite resources is All Flags Flying, by Robert Bishop and Carter Houck.

 

The book was published in 1986 in conjunction with the Great American Quilt Contest.  The first half of the book is devoted to antique patriotic quilts while the second half features patriotic quilts that were created for a quilting contest sponsored by Scotchgard.  If you're interested in the backstory of the eagle quilts you've seen on Pinterest, many of them are here.

 

This eagle quilt is from the Shelburne Museum and is attributed to Lydia Stafford, who was thought to have made it during the first half of the 1800s.  According to the text in the book, there are other quilts similar to this one, so it is possible there was actually a pattern for the quilt.

 

Fast forward 150 years or so, and another generation of quilters are inspired by Lydia Stafford's quilt!  "Warrior Eagle" was made by Jean Pearson Stanclift and the pattern appears in Barbara Brackman's book, Civil War Women.

The eagle quilts that fascinate me the most are the four block quilts with mirror image eagles.  Barbara Brackman discusses them in a blog entry entitled Eagles and Eccentricities.   I am amazed by all the variations in the pattern - each quilter seemed to adapt the idea to her own tastes, interests and skills.  I created a Pinterest board dedicated to cataloging as many of the four block eagle quilts as possible.

 

My current favorite is from the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum.  I read about this particular version in All Flags Flying, where the description piqued my imagination:  "the eagles wear crowns and apparently smoke cigars".  The online catalog description of the quilt is not quite so fanciful!  

 

Quilters are still interested in making this pattern.  Karen is planning to make a version published by Barbara Brackman.  I found another version in one of my books, America's Heritage Quilts, from Better Homes and Gardens.  The "Eagles Union Quilt" is attributed to Sarah Winters, Pennsylvania, circa 1876. 

I think I have found my eagle quilt inspiration - now I just need to decide how I will personalize my quilt!

 

 

 

Getting Started on My Eagle Quilt

Okay, here it is, the rough draft of my eagle centerpiece! I have been drawing (and re-drawing again and again) until I got the basic 'feel' for what the center of my quilt will be. In applique of course!

My proposed eagle head...

 I made the mistake of asking my husband and daughters opinion, whether or not my drawing looked like an eagle. Whoa... Bad mistake. My wings weren't in proportion, the head looked like a seagull, too friendly looking and on and on. They were being SO helpful and I did need to change things up (boy did I ever--that's exactly why I asked), but wowsers. It's really hard to explain that I wanted something 'representational'! Why is that word so hard to explain when it comes to quilting? I took some of their advice though, wearing out an eraser or two and ended up with this.

And the proposed eagle body....

I'm not an artist and would never pretend to be. Pretty sure the art teacher actively disliked me in school! But eventually I'm going to be working with fabric, trying for a folk art look. The details won't be 'just right' or anywhere near perfect and I really wouldn't want even want them to be! The thing is, I know that if I draw up the picture myself, with pencil in hand (from an image I see in my head), then I'm much more likely to end up with a me quilt. That's a lot of I's and me's. Here's hoping it works.*wink

Amuse Bouche

I suppose it sounds a little strange to describe creating an eagle quilt in terms of food, but I think amuse bouche perfectly describes the small project I started last night.  An amuse bouche (literally "mouth amuser") is an individual hors d'oeuvre served to prepare guests for the meal to come and introduce the style of the chef.  My little project serves to initiate the creative process and help me focus on the project to come.

This project has been on my "to do" list for well over a year.  I was inspired by a small wallhanging at my local quilt shop, The Quilted Owl.  A customer gifted the store owner with a small, postage stamp type quilt with an embroidered owl in the center.  I wanted to make my own version with a bluework embroidered eagle and in a red, white and blue fabric colorway.  The Quilt Like an Eagle QAL was the perfect excuse to finally get this project started!

First, I found an eagle drawing that would lend itself to embroidery.  I used my photo editing program to shrink the drawing to the appropriate size.  Then I printed the drawing and darkened all the lines with a felt tip pen so the image would be easier to trace to fabric.

 

Using a small scrap of Kona Snow, I traced the eagle using a water-soluble quilt marking pencil.  I started embroidering with two strands of DMC floss (blue, although it looks much darker in the picture), but after finishing the first wing I wasn't happy with the result.   I switched to one strand of floss for part of the head and was much happier.  Instead of ripping out the earlier stitches, I'm just going to start over.  This time I'll get a decent-sized piece of fabric so I can use an embroidery hoop!

 

Red, white and blue scraps are no problem.  These are left-overs from a Minick and Simpson project.

 

When finished, the quilt will measure approximately 12 inches x 12 inches.

Just the little bit of work I did on this project last night really helped me focus my thoughts on the big eagle quilt project that will be unfolding over the next year.  I'm really tickled to have this amuse bouche to get me ready for the fun to come!

Quick note:  I got a little carried away yesterday trying to catalog the multitude of four block eagle quilts to be found via the 'net.  There's a new board dedicated to them in the Pinterest links section.  There are also several new links in the Other Inspiration section, so do check them out!

Quilt Like An Eagle: The Gauntlet is Thrown!

Welcome to the Quilt Like an Eagle Quilt Along! We intend to inspire and motivate you to make that eagle-themed quilt that's been on your quilting bucket list forever. Your QAL hosts are kindred eagle quilt dreamers - we dream about the quilts but have yet to start them!

We're not offering up a specific pattern for everyone to quilt as a group. Instead, our goal is to provide inspiration to get started and motivation to see the inspiration through to a finished project. We will all choose our own style and method of eagle implementation.

If you'd like to quilt along, you're welcome to share inspiration and progress here on the Quilt Like an Eagle (QLAE) blog. Just email one of us (see sidebar) and we'll get you set up to post here.

We'll also be keeping track of links to eagle quilt inspiration to be found on the web. Check out our Links tab above for Pinterest boards and other great sources of eagle quilt ideas. The list will grow as the QAL progresses, so be sure to check for new additions!

Some folks will happily plan and execute their own eagle quilt designs. Others may wish to use commercial patterns. Either choice is fine, but we do ask that you not promote commercial patterns here. Share a link back to the pattern site and dedicate your QLAE posts to the process of making your quilt.

July 4th, 2015 will be the official end date for the Quilt Like an Eagle QAL. We'll plan an online show and share for that date so we can all celebrate our amazing eagle quilts!

We hope you'll catch Eagle Fever and join us!!