Ep 002: Prairie Queen
This episode is centered around discussion of a historical quilt design.
But first, a quick disclaimer - this podcast episode focuses on a historical aspect of quilting. I am a lifelong learner and I explore quilt history for the fun of it. I cannot, and I do not, presume to discuss or understand every nuance behind the complex history of quilting in America. References for how I formed my ideas are linked below:
Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns (3rd Edition) by Barbara Brackman
Old Patchwork Quilts and the Women Who Made Them by Ruth E. Finley
The Romance of the Patchwork Quilt in America by Carrie A. Hall and Rose G. Kretsinger
(These are affiliate links, meaning I will receive a small comission from sales generated by using the links. The price of the product is not affected.)
I love traditional quilt design.
It is always surprising to me how much traditional design motifs pop up in contemporary quilt pattern designs and seemingly go under recognized or under appreciated. My hope is that this episode will spark your interest in learning about traditional quilt designs, and that it will give you confidence to do your own research or engage in meaningful conversations, or maybe even inspire a design or two!
This particular design we’re discussing today was first documented as Prairie Queen, and has been known since the 1800s. It is documented in Ruth E. Finley's Old Patchwork Quilts and the Women Who Made Them as Prairie Queen, but was also published in Hearth and Home as True Blue.
The block itself is relatively simple to piece and it comes together quite quickly. When the blocks are placed directly next to one another, they form this really neat puzzle-like design over an entire quilt top.
I first learned about the Prairie Queen block in the late 1990s.
When I graduated from practicing my patchwork on small projects and decided that I was ready to make my first full sized quilt, my grandmother, Mama, chose the pattern for me from a book or a magazine that she owned. I was hoping the publication would be in her sewing room books that I now have, but I have not been able to find it.
If you would like to learn more about my Mama, Cora Lee. And how she contributed to my love of quilting, go check out episode one, because we talk all about what an amazing woman she was in that episode.
The quilt design from this pattern we chose was Prairie Queen blocks that finished at eight inches, and then were separated with sashing strips and set with cornerstones. I pieced my quilt blocks over several years, and I absolutely adore the finished design. To read more about this particular quilt, you can read my blog post about it here.
As the years passed, I decided that I really wanted to make a throw-sized version of a Prairie Queen quilt. This was when I decided to revisit the Prairie Queen design and just revamp it for myself. And to me, it was this incredibly special way to reconnect to my roots and my quilting origins. I never really thought about releasing a quilt pattern for many years after I worked through this pattern, and honestly, I was never really sure how it would be received to share traditional designs in a fresh way. But, I dove in and I went for it when I looked back on my experience of REALLY wanting to find this pattern out there that didn’t exist!
I have officially written a pattern for Prairie Queen that I am calling Prairie Queen Remix.
And I'm really proud of it! I have shared it with some of my quilting friends and they really enjoyed making a block, and shared with me how it brought up thoughts or memories of their moms or grandmas and their own personal quilting journeys. It's really special to connect to quilting tradition by doing what we really love the most - quilting!
I wrote the pattern to be a three color quilt. You can make it using yardage or you can make a scrappy design using a fat quarter bundle. I made sure to write the pattern in three sizes because I wanted it to have a little something for everyone. I wanted to make this approachable to everyone because, as you might have noticed, I'm on a mission to revive and reinvigorate classic patchwork. And I want everyone to know that there is something in it for them!
So if you've never even made a quilt, you could make this quilt! It's patchwork, and that means each unit you make is building your skill. It truly never has to be perfect. It just has to be fun.
If you’d like to make a Prairie Queen Remix quilt, it is available in my shop!
Remember, That the Patchwork Revival podcast is here to celebrate the connection made in the quilts we love.
