Pat and pups

My daughter loves to read so I made her a bookcase quilt with paper pieced books on the shelves. Very, very easy. That might be an idea for a quilt for a librarian if you decide not to do the Underground Railroad.

JJs

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quilts_...round_Railroad

people can 'believe' whatever they want to believe, but making up stories doesn't make them true, and writing books and articles about the made up stories do not make them true...
if you want to believe in the easter bunny and santa claus and quilt stories, you can do that....
have fun...

trupeach

THEY ARE TRUE............ if you go to the site I posted above you can read all about them. Also as I stated they were used in the Carolinas and there is written documentation pertaining to that. If people researched the right places they would know. I am a history nut as is my son what has his BS in history, and is now getting his 2nd masters stupid he is not, he could tell you how many men Picket had on his charge in Gettysburg. He will attest to what WE have read freedom quilt were used as were certain color curtains and candles or will anyone disbute that? When it comes to the CW we have read everything in print and oop on the subject. I have friends who reenact some portray runaway slaves and they have to have facts and they state that they are true.

trupeach

But if that be the case you can't see the wind but you know it is there along with the air you breath. If there is written documention dated from the mid 1800's in SC then that is not SOMEONE writing a book. Would a diary of yours be untrue?????????? Then why would writings from FREE slaves during that time be untrue???????? Also at wikpedia it says SOME textile historians say it is untrue it didn't say according to ALL textile historians. On top of which Freedon quilts were utility quilts, used everyday that is why there are none know to exist today and so none for textile historians to examine. Many quilts still in exisitance today were for show in the 1800's and they is why they are still around but those used all the time are also gone. I have read too much to dought there were freedom quilts. And if you are correct then I suggest you contact the Clermont County Ohio Freedon trail headquarters because they then are misinforming the public.


I am just curious JJ's why is YOUR information true??????????

JJs

as I said, believe what you want to believe - if it makes you happy to believe in the underground railroad quilts, do so...
some of the patterns attributed to use in such quilts weren't even around then but, I guess if you believe hard enough then it's true..
how about we agree to disagree - sounds good to me...
I personally don't believe in the underground railroad quilts touted in books as a total thing... there may have been particular quilts used a particular way - I don't know, I wasn't there, just as someone mentioned that hobos used to mark fence posts, it's possible that someone somewhere hung a quilt out and somebody else said, hey there's that quilt we're supposed to be looking for...
who knows...

kwhite

Ladies. None of us were there. No one that we know were there. It has been proven over and over that a good lot of "history" we know has been "embellished".
I choose to beleive it can be true. JJ chooses to beleive it is not. No one will ever be able to prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that it is or is not so let's agree to dissagree and discuss the actual point, beautiful quilts.

lacikat

My friend made the one from Eleanor Burns book and it turned out beautiful. There is a page that you can copy that explains the "supposed" code. As for me and my family we believe this
could be very valid. As was said, I wasn't there and don't know
anyone that was. There is a house about 6 miles from me that
was used to hide escaped slaves. My house was a "blind pig" back in the days of prohibition. I wish the walls could talk and tell me the history and happenings.

Gramof6

And BEAUTIFUL the quilts were or are! It is so interesting to see how diff. Eleanor Burns Pattern looks made using diff. fabrics. I love the CW reproduction fabrics.

earthwalker

Sounds like it will be a great idea, particularly for a Librarian (maybe some book inspired fabric thrown in!). I can't say I have read much about the Underground Railroad, but this has piqued my interest. I come from the deep south-west of England, legends and stories abound from beasts on the moors to tales my elders would tell of smugglers and later local exploits during WWII. I find often the truth is stranger than fiction and there have been many very inventive ways used for people to overcome the difficulties they face. Thanks everyone for contributing to this excellent thread.

sewcrafty

My husband's grandmothers house was equipped with a secret area for the slaves to hide after they came across the river. In fact, the last town I lived in have many many places that the slaves would start off and go from one place to another hiding. I think its absolutley wonderful how innovative people became to help each other and I really can't imagine someone along the line didn't give them a quilt for their freedom journey.