Saturday, March 5, 2011

Civil War Blocks - MARCH

My choice of block for March is CABIN WINDOWS. This block represents the slave cabins on the plantations. When the government WPA project spoke to former slaves in the 1930's many consistencies came across in the interviews in the descriptions of clothing and housing. We all know the plantation owners lived in the great big, grand plantations. Their slaves were not given such luxuries. The slaves quarters were often built of poor construction usually built from pine, allowing the cold and rain to enter in. They really were not fit to live in but it was a roof over their heads and many times they did have a fireplace to use for heat and cooking. Depending on the plantation, depended on the size and number of families in one cabin. Many times it was one room, no more than two to two families. It was definitely cramped quarters.

I think this is my favorite so far and it's gonna be hard to beat. I just love the colors, the pattern....love it!



Doing some research I found a few photos of some slave quarters:

Slave house at Thornhill Planation, Greene County, Alabama
Slave quarters at Belmont Plantation, Colbert County, Alabama
Slave quarters at Doughoregran Manor, Howard County, Maryland

Here's a sneak peak of the fabrics for my April block.....stay tuned!



To read more about why and how I was inspired to do a Civil War quilt this year:CLICK HERE

No comments: