PRESS RELEASE: April 4, 2011
Contact: Seaway Trail, Inc. President and CEO Teresa Mitchell, 315-646-1000 x202
War of 1812 Reproduction Quilts Wanted for 2012 Bicentennial Competition
Great Lakes Seaway Trail, NY and PA - “A once-every-200-years” opportunity is how promoters of the Great Lakes Seaway Trail are inviting quilters to make authentic War of 1812-era reproduction-style quilts for the not-for-profit byway travel organization’s 2012 quilt show and competition. Guidelines for making authentic “cot to coffin”-size quilt using fabrics, including cotton, linen, silk, wool and linsey-woolsey; colors made with dyes available in that era; and patterns true to the 1812 time period are online at http://www.seawaytrail.com/quilting.html.
The guidelines suggest studying the research works and books of such noted quilt historians as Barbara Brackman, Pepper Cory, and Anne Orr. The cot to coffin sizing references the fact that the quilts would have been used to cover soldiers as they slept or were buried.
“We expect to attract quilters of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, from Native Americans and Americans to Canadians, British and others. For example, we have heard from American living history reenactors, and from a Canadian quilter excited to research how the Scottish people fit into this 1812 era of history,” says Seaway Trail Foundation President and CEO Teresa Mitchell.
The Seaway Trail Foundation is asking for quilters to submit an “Expression of Interest” form committing a quilt to the show by January 15, 2012; quilts must be completed by March 3rd for the March 17-18, 2012 show.
Quilt historian Barbara Brackman suggests that a quilt in medallion or strip format would be a good patchwork design. "Patterns that were popular at the time were simple stars and basic nine-patch and four-patch variations. If you are thinking about domestic prints the best colors might be indigo blues, browns and a touch of pink. The War cut into our imports but well-to-do women at the time had their stashes of imported French, English and Indian chintzes and calicoes in a variety of colors. They loved to mix large-scale and small-scale prints."
Brackman has a reproduction collection of prints from the era. Moda's "Lately Arrived from London" should be in quilt shops at the end of the summer 2011.
The special quilting challenge is sponsored by the Seaway Trail Foundation to commemorate the War of 1812 Bicentennial.
“The Great Lake Seaway Trail 2012 Quilt Show will mark our 12th year of shows that celebrate the themes that attract domestic and international visitors to our National Scenic Byway. The 1812 Bicentennial Quilt Challenge showcases the byway region’s cultural heritage and military history travel experiences,” says Seaway Trail Foundation Chairman Pope Vickers.
The Great Lakes Seaway Trail stretches 518 miles along the freshwater coastline of the St. Lawrence River, Lake Ontario, Niagara River and Lake Erie in New York and Pennsylvania. The route is a National Scenic Byway offering authentic American travel experiences. #