In honor of this (150th year) Sesquicentennial Anniversary of the Civil War, a special exhibit of Civil War Tribute Quilts were made and displayed by members of the Common Threads Quilt Guild at their 2011 quilt show in Morrisville, Vermont in October 2011. The exhibit consists of two parts. In the first section, the personal quilts of Carolyn Babcock, challenge quilt organizer, were displayed.

All of the quilts seen in this photo are the work of Carolyn Babcock
In the background, we see three large quilts. The one on the far left is named “For the Fallen 1861-1865″; the Nine Patch quilt next to it is a reproduction of a quilt made in Dublin, NH and given to the U.S. Sanitary Commission quilt for the use of a soldier. The original quilt was the subject of a paper presented by Lorie Chase at the American Quilt Study Group Seminar at Cherry Hill, NJ this past September. That quilt was found in an antiques store in California by Jan Coor-Pender Dodge (recently deceased). Hanging to the right is “Virginia Star” described on the “key” shared with viewers as a popular mid-nineteenth century quilt pattern also known as “Prairie Star” and “Ship’s Wheel.”
Various quilts are draped on a display table including a Mariner’s Compass quilt, a doll bed quilt in brown and pink based on a similar quilt from c. 1860; unfinished LeMoyne Star blocks, etc. A nice selection of reproduction fabrics were carefully chosen for their colors and types of printed designs which Carolyn Babcock identifies with tags. Carolyn made additional quilts not seen in this photo and was working on a quilt in a frame that she named “Fort Sumter.”
The Butternut and Blue Quilt Challenge she issued called for quilters to use a palette of light gold to deep warm brown fabrics and medium blue, indigo, or deep blue (almost black) fabrics. Quilts could be appliqued or pieced or employ a combination of the two techniques. Their size was to be at least 10 inches x 10 inches but could be as large as 30 inches x 30 inches, although they did not need to be square. A description of the quilt in one or two sentences, stating its connection to a person, event or battle of the Civil War was requested.
The following photos do not provide a total overview of the exhibit, a very popular one. Though not all of the 17 quilts that were entered into the challenge are featured here, these images will give you an idea of at least some of these lovely little gems.

Three challenge quilts
On the far left is “Log Cabin Fields and Furrows” by Andrea Blaisdell, a reminder of Abraham Lincoln, “The Rail Splitter.” The quilt in the center of the photo is “Blind Man’s Fancy” by Phyllis Fletcher made to honor the Civil War wounded. The third quilt by Sharon Perry is called “Four Score and Seven Years Ago” and is dedicated to her great-grandfather of her husband. Hiram Riley Perry (1842-1915) served in the 14th Regiment of Vermont Volunteers and was wounded at Gettysburg. The quilter states that the colors she chose, brown, blue and red, symbolize the battlefield of Gettysburg, the Union Army and the blood shed to preserve the Union.

More challenge quilts
The “Kansas Troubles” block was made by Barbara O’Toole and dedicated to Mahala C. Doyle, a widow whose husband and two of her sons were murdered in the Pottawatomie Massacre of 1856 in a raid led by the infamous John Brown, “saint” to some; “sinner” to others.
An untitled block by Julie Rohleder is dedicated to Frank K. Larabee, an ancestor who fought at Antietam, and as a Captain in the 27th Colored Troops saw action at the Crater at Petersburg.
“Harriet’s Baskets” by Caroline Hitchcock recalls the life and work of Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
The “Louisiana Block” by Hilda Tallman is made in remembrance of the fact that by 1860, Louisiana’s plantations grew indigo, rice and tobacco and its population had swelled to more than 700,000 people, its economy based on slave labor.
The final quilt seen in this photo is called “Duty Faithfully Performed: Robert E. Lee, 1807-1870″ by Carolyn Babcock. The quilt is dedicated to the memory of Robert E. Lee’s words at Appomattox, Virginia on April 10, 1865, the surrender that marked the end of the Civil War.
This exhibit represents a lot of “woman” hours, insight and creativity. We were so pleased to have had the opportunity to view all of these wonderful tribute quilts and the comments about their inspirations. Congratulations to all who participated in making the 2011 Common Threads Quilt Guild Show a very special event and a special thank you to Carolyn Babcock who seems to have been a major driving force in both organizing and quilting for this event!
Best wishes,
Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications