Moira in N.E. England

I’m really going to show my ignorance - but here goes!

First let me explain that I am from the UK and my knowledge of America history is very patchy, to say the least.

I have a male relative who is in his 80s and is not in good health. He has always had an interest in the American Civil War.

I have had the idea of making him a lap quilt - and I think he would like the idea of a Civil War design. I have seen photos etc of Civil War quilts but I’m not sure what it is that makes a quilt a Civil War quilt - is it the colour of fabric used, a particular block pattern or a combination of both?

I hope USA members can help me - and forgive my ignorance of such an important part of your history.

P-BurgKay

Not sure, but I would think, that using a CW pattern along with CW reproduction fabrics would make a CW quilt. This is just MHO.

QuiltnNan

here is some interesting history on them https://trc-leiden.nl/trc-needles/or...mission-quilts
In my previous guild, we made these quilts for donations... here are some pics https://www.google.com/search?q=civi...bQQsAR6BAgAEAE
The fabrics colors available in that era go a long way to identify Civil War quilts.

Boston1954

All of the ones I have seen were traditional blocks that would have been available at the time, using dark or quiet colors. Hope this helps you in you in your quest.

Jordan

There are a few quilt books out there that give civil war patterns. The patterns are from that era and it is the darker fabrics that possibly note that it is civil war era. If you look on pinterest and type in Civil War Quilts, you may get some ideas. Also, Barbara Brackman (I believe that is her name) has very interesting info on the Civil War and fabrics and patterns. Good luck to you and I know you will get some wonderful ideas from the members on this QB.

Jane Quilter

To make it easy on you, get a pattern and a fat qtr bundle by Jo Morton or Barbara Brackman from a quilt store like http://piecingthepastquilts.com or https://www.heirloomquiltingcompany.com/ .. and use a thin, cotton batting like "Quilters Dream Request" Good Luck. This is my favorite type of quilt. You will love it too. Such a nice thoughtful gift.

feline fanatic

Probably one of the most famous examples of civil war quilts is the Jane Stickle quilt, aka Dear Jane. You can view the actual quilt here:
https://benningtonmuseum.org/portfol...stickle-quilt/

This will give you a good idea of blocks and colors. I agree with Jane Quilter, your best bet is to get some fabrics by Jo Morton or Barbara Brackman. Andover makes the fabrics designed by Jo Morton and there are free patterns available for download. You will have to scroll through them to find the ones they offer for this collection.
https://andoverfabrics.com/FreeQuiltPatterns.php

Moda is the manufacturer for Barbara Brackman's line. Here is a link to their free patterns and again you will need to scroll through them to see patterns created for her lines. http://blog.modafabrics.com/funfree/free-patterns/

If you do a web search for civil war quilt patterns there are loads of them out there that are free. If you are comfortable figuring out blocks from just a picture there are loads of ideas out on Pinterest too. https://www.pinterest.com/mamaskeeto...uilts/?lp=true

sewbizgirl

Wow, I didn't even need to answer! You've gotten some great advice. For ease and one-stop shopping I would look at Piecing the Past. Debbie is a super sweet person, and she has beautiful civil war patterns and fabrics ready to go. If she can't ship to the UK, I'm sure one of us would be willing to order for you and ship it on.

http://www.piecingthepastquilts.com/

oksewglad

During the war "cot quilts" were made for use in hospitals etc. Enjoy this piece of history with a pattern.

http://www.patternsfromhistory.com/c.../cot_quilt.htm

givio

Barbara Brackman posted just today on her blog comments about Jo Morton and a link to Jo's blog. :-) Both women have a wonderful sense of history with regard to US quilt making. You won't go wrong by taking a look at their blogs, fabrics, and patterns.
http://barbarabrackman.blogspot.com/
http://jomortonquilts.com/jos_journal/

The header on Jo's web site is a quick study on the type of fabrics that are Civil War reproduction type fabrics.

Barabara has done several quilt-alongs, and she leaves them posted, so you can start them even years after they are finished, if you want. She always fills her posts with lots of history and pictures. Here is the blog where she's now in the process of doing a Civil War style quilt: http://civilwarquilts.blogspot.com/

I'm sure there are plenty of us who know little about England's history. :-) It's nice your relative takes an interest in ours.