Porch Quilts

Corner Nine Patch Sponsored by: Marengo Fire & Rescue Artist: Lt. Noel Gaines, who does what the Fire Chief asks. His wife, Kim, is a quilter. The Nine Patch is an old and simple pattern that was often the first one learned by little girls at their mothers’ knees. This variation creates lovely patterns when assembled into a finished quilt.

Chained Star Sponsored by: Carol Sweet Artist: Woody & Pam Woodruff and Harmony Corvettes According to Unraveling the History of Quilts and Slavery, this historic pattern was designed as a reminder of what it was like when slaves were originally captured by traders in Africa. They would use bright red cloth as bait to attract young women.

Bear’s Paw Sponsored by: Hyperstitch Artist: Rebecca Brosch, a senior at MCHS starting in the fall of 2011, has been interested in art throughout her high school career. Her real passions are singing and drama, and she participates in as many plays as she can. In the middle of the country this block may be called “Bear’s Paw,” but where waterfowl outnumber bears on the East Coast, it’s known as “Duck’s Foot in the Mud.” There is also a story that in Quaker Territory (a.k.a. Pennsylvania), it goes by the name “Hand of Friendship.”

Flower Patch Sponsored by: Hubb’s Greenhouse Artist: Jen Cowan Cheerful flowers keep you smiling in the cold, dark days of winter.

Hunter’s Star Sponsored by: Flatlander Market Artist: Eve Shunick has lived in Marengo for two years. She draws her creativity from world travel, nature, and religion. She works in all types of painting and also enjoys clay work, fabric art, jewelry making, and other mixed media The Hunter’s Star is probably a variation on the pattern Indian Arrowhead. This deceptively complicated pattern is actually pretty easy to piece. The star is similar to those often found inlaid in rifle stocks and may refer to the North Star, popularly used for navigation.

Roses, Red and Blue Sponsored by: Marengo Women’s Club Artist: Brett Batchelder has been a painter, photographer, graphic designer and web designer who enjoys a challenge. She found our porch quilts to be an exciting opportunity to use her many talents to produce something original. This is one of the squares that will be in the Marengo Women’s Club full-sized quilt that is one of their major fundraisers for 2011. The quilt will be raffled off during Settlers’ Days in October. The Club will use the proceeds from the raffle to fund the many projects it undertakes to benefit others.

Twirling Star Sponsored by: Jay K. Filler, Jr. Artist: Woody Woodruff & Harmony Corvettes Various stars are among the most popular quilt patterns, and many of them create hypnotic visual effects when assembled into a finished quilt. This one is no exception.

Country Roads Sponsored by: Alan & Mary Jane Schuring Artist: Woody & Pam Woodruff and Harmony Corvettes Country Roads is a variation on the basic Nine-Patch quilt design. For the Schurings, it symbolizes farming & trucking.

Mariner’s Compass Sponsored by: Marilyn Beggs Artist: Allison Schirmer One of the most difficult quilt blocks, Mariner’s Compass makes a knockout quilt, especially worked in bright colors that would have been hard to come by in the 19th century. It is one of the oldest named patterns in American quilting.

Triple Saw Tooth Star Sponsored by: Wisted’s Supermarket Artist: Woody & Pam Woodruff and Harmony Corvettes Inspired by an 1861 diary entry describing the work of the “Solder’s Ladies’ Aid Society,” as they spent an afternoon rolling large quantities of lint bandages, as well as assembling 800 bags of sewing apparatus and 20 hospital shirts.

Twisting Star Sponsored by: Marengo Vision Center Artist: Woody & Pam Woodruff and Harmony Corvettes A popular design for Barn Quilts, the Twisting Star is a neat optical design, creating an almost-3D effect. It is a pinwheel-type block, often compared to a spinning fan.

Gardening Sponsored by: Marengo Society for Historic Preservation Artist: Debbie Carr Inspired by diary entries made in 1861, as recorded in The Civil War Diary Quilt.

Mariner’s Compass Sponsored by: Your Home Inspection Company Artist: Woody & Pam Woodruff and Harmony Corvettes It doesn’t take much imagination to figure out how this block got its name: it looks exactly like the star on the compasses used by sailors as they plied the seven seas.

Napa Burst Sponsored by: Marengo Artist: Woody & Pam Woodruff and Harmony Corvettes From “Crazy Quilts” back in the 1800s, to the striking art being produced by contemporary quilters, designs based on nothing but the quilter’s imagination are everywhere. This original design is based on the logo for the national Napa Art Parts Company, founded in 1925.

Sawtooth Star & Stripes (Union Soldiers) Sponsored by: Bobby’s Shoe Store Artist: Woody Woodruff and Harmony Corvettes Inspired by a diary entry from February 16, 1862, regarding a first encounter with Union soldiers.

Calming the Seas Sponsored by: Zion Lutheran Church Artist: Zion members An original design by the members of Zion Lutheran Church.

Wheel of Valor Sponsored by: Zion Lutheran School Artist: Zion Summer Daze Campers & Staff This patriotic design was a summer project for the kids at Zion Summer Daze Camp.

Wagon Wheel Sponsored by: The Wild Hare Salon Artist: Carrie Risse On the Underground Railroad, this was a signal to a slave to pack the items needed to travel by wagon or that could be used while travelling. It could also mean to pack the provisions necessary for survival, as if packing a wagon for a long journey, or to actually load the wagon in preparation for an escape. Some records indicate this symbol meant a wagon with hidden compartments in which slaves could conceal themselves, would soon be embarking on the trip to freedom.

North Star Sponsored by: Dino’s Artist: Woody & Pam Woodruff and Harmony Corvettes According to a 2001 exhibit at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, the January 2, 1837, issue of The Liberator, Boston's abolitionist newspaper, described articles that had been for sale at a recent Anti-Slavery Fair. Included was a description of a quilt in this pattern. The Anti-Slavery Fair, held in December 1836, was the third annual fair organized by the Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society, a group founded early in the 1830s to fight for immediate emancipation.

Star Blocks Sponsored by: Marengo Printing Artist: Rebecca Cleghorn has been a decorative artist for 15 years. She especially enjoys American and European Folk Art. This “Folk Art Sampler” is a collection of stars from the German-Bavarian, Norwegian, Swedish, American, French, and French Rococo traditions.

Broken Dishes Sponsored by: Café 20 Artist: Ellen Brunschon This is a popular traditional pattern much-loved by beginners, as it is made of just one piece: a triangle. Depending on how you combine the blocks, it can create other patterns, such as the Ohio Star. It doesn’t take much imagination to guess how this block got its name. What quilter hasn’t dropped a dish and watched it shatter into pointy shards?

Drunkard’s Path Sponsored by: Dr. Bankord Artist: Pam Gitta, 8-year Marengo resident and Marengo Main Street volunteer. This is a copy of a quilt made by the artist’s grandmother, Nellie Cloninger, in the late 1950’s. A lifelong resident of Hydro, Oklahoma (including those Dust Bowl years when everyone else left), Nellie made dozens of quilts in her lifetime. The original is still in the possession of her daughter, Katheryn Arminta.

Luck of the Irish Sponsored by: Lucky Charlie’s Consignment Shop Artist: Danielle Tegtman Shamrocks are often used in conjunction with the popular traditional pattern, “Irish Chain.” Done up in (what else?) green and white, they make a striking addition to any bedroom. Four-leafed clovers are lucky because they’re rare. The more typical three-leaf variety is popularly said to represent the Holy Trinity. The word “shamrock” comes from the Gaelic word for clover, seamróg.

Monkey Wrench Sponsored by: White Lion Real Estate Artist: Ellen Brunschon, a lifelong resident of Marengo. She is the Broker/Owner of White Lion Real Estate. On the Underground Railroad, the Monkey Wrench was a signal to gather all tools required for the fleeing slave’s journey—physical, mental, and spiritual. As for how it got its name, that’s pretty self-explanatory, isn’t it? This is a good example of a block that forms many fascinating patterns when made into a quilt.

Pinwheel Sponsored by: TSC North America Artist: The TSC Design Team Pinwheel, a very popular design for baby quilts, must be based on the toy of the same name. It’s considered a type of whirligig, which was what passed for an action toy back in the days before wind-up coin banks, foot-powered fire engines, and of course, plastic dolls that are supposed to look like movie stars. This block makes a fun quilt, and if the right colors are chosen, it will appear to spin right there on the on the bed.

Snowflake Sponsored by: Marengo Signs Artist: Glenn Ritchey What better way to pass the frigid days of winter (in a log cabin with little heat) than tucked under a cheerful quilt pieced in this beautiful pattern? In summertime, perhaps it helped in cooling off to think of snowy days....

Crossroads Sponsored by: Harmony Corvettes Artist: Ellen Brunschon In Underground Railroad lore, “Crossroads” was a symbol referring to Cleveland, Ohio, which was the main crossroads with several routes to freedom. On a less literal level, the term “crossroads” also means reaching a turning point in one’s life, where a choice must be made and then carry on.

Bear Paw Sponsored by: Stone Baker’s Pizza Artist: Hollie DeRose is a full-time paralegal, and mother of two fabulous kids! On the Underground Railroad, the Bear Paw was a visual reference telling the fugitives to follow the actual trail of a bear’s footprints. The footprints would indicate the best path to food & water.

Southern Star Sponsored by: Harley D’z Artist: Sarah Janes For some Native American tribes, the Milky Way is known as the "Pathway of Departed Souls." They believe that the spirit of the deceased follows this pathway to the Southern Star, the abiding place of the dead. In their beliefs, the Great Spirit gave stars the power to watch over us here on earth. The Star Quilt is given today as a reminder of this belief. Southwest tribes call this pattern "God's Eye.”

Triple Link Chain Sponsored by: Hidden Path Arts Artist: Woody & Pam Woodruff and Harmony Corvettes The Triple Link Chain symbolized the tightness of the family bond. People spent decades trying to find missing family members lost in the slavery system. --from Unraveling the History of Quilts and Slavery

North Star Sponsored by: Willow Tree Studios/ John Fleener Artist: Eve Shunick has lived in Marengo for two years. She draws her creativity from world travel, nature, and religion. She works in all types of painting and also enjoys clay work, fabric art, jewelry making, and other mixed media. On the Underground Railroad, everyone knew that North meant freedom. Some believe the design originated during the days of the Railroad. This pattern is very popular for Barn Quilts, and lends itself well to being made in bright colors.