Fabric of Appalachia: Part 1

Quilt Blocks, Part 1

Below are blocks 1–7. You can use the table of contents or simply scroll to explore each pattern. If you're joining the Fabric of Appalachia Quilt-Along for the first time, we're glad you're here! You’ll find the introduction and all the starting materials on this page.

Ready to move on to blocks 8-12? Visit this page.

 

 

The Nine Patch: Block 1

Welcome to Fabric of Appalachia where American history is stitched together one quilt block at a time. This week’s block is the Nine Patch, which has straight seams and simple construction, making it a great first block for new stitchers; historically, many children would have learned to sew by stitching something similar.

 

Becky Cable spinning on porch with child.

NPS / Historic Photo

A cherokee woman.

NPS / Historic Photo

 

Nine Patch block.

NPS

On July 4, 1776, when the thirteen colonies boldly declared their independence from Britain and claimed their right to liberty and equality, the Great Smoky Mountains had already been home to the Cherokee people and their ancestors for thousands of years. Europeans didn’t move into the mountains until several years later when, in 1781, James Cosby became the first known European resident.

By the 1820s and 1830s, Europeans were steadily moving into the region, surviving with the help of the Cherokee neighbors they later nearly displaced. Although stories would have us believe that the new arrivals patched together quilts out of necessity, really, most relied on woven blankets, not quilts, for warmth. Commercial fabric was expensive and Appalachian families, like those in rural communities throughout the country, had little cash to spare. Families worked together to grow or make most of what they needed to survive and earn income to purchase the rest. Women helped with planting and harvesting, preserved food, spun their own yarns and wove their own fabrics. It made little sense to cut that fabric apart and sew it back together again, so quilts were rare and families relied on woven blankets for warmth until industrialization made fabric affordable and quilt-making became more popular.

In Appalachia, European immigrants and indigenous people lived in close proximity, so it’s no surprise that their design aesthetics began to influence one another. Native people had a long tradition of expressing themselves through textiles such as weaving, basket-making, and animal hides; while European immigrants brought quilting skills with them when they moved into the mountains. As cultures touched, knowledge was passed back and forth and quilters began to innovate, developing a distinctive block-style quilt. American quilters had made quilting their own.

If you’d like to learn more about the Smokies’ earliest residents, consider exploring the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail or visiting nearby attractions such as the Museum of the Cherokee People, the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum, the Cherokee County Arts Council, and the Cherokee County Historical Museum. You can also explore many National Park Service sites across the country that celebrate Native cultures or protect places sacred to Indigenous nations.

 

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The Nine Patch Instructions

Design Notes

This block is made up of nine squares in a 3 X 3 grid. Often it is laid out like a checkerboard with 5 dark squares forming an X and 4 lighter squares forming the background. You could, however, reverse the colors, make a gradient from one edge or corner to the other, or even randomly place colors.

Cutting and Marking

Using your preferred method, cut:

• Color 1: five 4.5” squares

• Color 2: four 4.5” squares

If you are hand piecing, add a ¼” seam allowance on all sides by marking a 4” square within each fabric square. These will be your stitching lines.

If you aren’t sure how to cut or mark your pieces, see this video

Assembly/Piecing

Remember, our directions are for hand-piecing. You can also assemble your quilt by machine if you prefer. If you aren’t sure how to assemble, piece, and press your block, see this video

Step-by-step

Step 1: Sew three squares together to make the top row. Repeat for the middle row and the bottom row.

Step 2: For the top and bottom rows, press seam allowances towards the corner blocks. For the middle row, press seam allowances towards the center block. This will help the block fit neatly together and will manage the bulk from the seams.

Step 3: Pin the top and middle rows together at the outside corners, at each seam line, and in the middle of each square being careful to pin precisely through the stitching line. Stitch rows together. Repeat to attach bottom row.

Step 4: Press the block, distributing the seam allowance to avoid thick areas that will make it hard to quilt later. See photo for recommended directions to press the seam allowance.

 

Step 1

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Step 3

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Step 3 completed

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Step 4 with seam allowance arrows

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The Churn Dash: Block 2

Welcome to Fabric of Appalachia where American history is stitched together one quilt block at a time. This week’s block is the Churn Dash.

 

Steam engine.

NPS

Ritter Lumber Mill and Pond.

NPS

Steam engine at Greenbrier.

NPS

 

Churn Dash block.

NPS

Many quilt blocks are named after everyday objects, providing clues about life in the past. Patterns like Anvil, Carpenter’s Rule, Monkey Wrench, Pincushion, and this week’s Churn Dash block remind us of the tools and skills necessary when rural families throughout the country supported themselves with a combination of subsistence farming and a trade or occupation that provided the cash needed to buy what they couldn’t produce at home. Blocks with names like Water Wheel, Windmill, Buzz Saw, Cog Wheel, and even Pyrotechnics and Ferris Wheel show us that residents were familiar with advanced technology.

Innovation and invention are hallmarks of the American identity. Even before the Declaration of Independence, Ben Franklin was inventing things like bifocals and the lightning rod. After the U.S. became a nation, that legacy continued through a long line of inventions that changed how we travel and communicate, made everyday chores easier, lowered the cost of goods, and saved lives by developing effective vaccines, making medications widely available, and inventing medical technology that enables everything from early detection to lifesaving treatments like heart surgery or chemotherapy.

While the stereotype is that mountain residents were isolated, the reality is that they travelled back and forth to regional towns and cities and had access to all the same goods as people living in cities like New York or Chicago. Mountain communities had water-powered mills and forges, telephones soon after their invention, and hydroelectric generators to provide themselves with electricity. Mountain stores carried necessities, but ledgers show that people also purchased things like bananas, oranges, and even firecrackers, which were somewhat of a Christmas tradition.

If you’d like to learn more about American inventers and the technology they invented, consider visiting some of these National Park Service sites: Lowell National Historical Park, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, Allegheny Portage National Historic Site, Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, Wright Brothers National Memorial, Thomas Edison National Historical Park, George Washington Carver National Monument.

 

NPS

The Churn Dash Instructions

Design Notes

Fabric choices can dramatically change how this block looks. Make all the pieces in the “dash” one color and all the background a second color and it looks like a simple floating shape. Change out the center or some of the background pieces and the block can look much more complex. Search for 'churn dash block' images online for inspiration before choosing your fabric layout.

Cutting and Marking

Cutting: For the simplest version, cut the following using your preferred method. But don’t be afraid to get creative with your fabric choices.

Color 1: (dash color)

• Cut two 4 7/8” squares, then cut them on the diagonal
• Cut four 2 ½”X4 ½” rectangles

Color 2: (background color)

• Cut two 4 7/8” squares, then cut them on the diagonal
• Cut one 4 ½” square
• Cut four 2 ½” X 4 ½” rectangles

Marking: If you are hand piecing, add a ¼” seam allowance on all sides

• Mark a 4” square within the 4 ½” square
• Mark a 2”X4” rectangle within each of the 2 ½”X4 ½” rectangles
• For the triangles, if you are using a template, cut a 4” square template and cut it on the diagonal and then trace around it on the fabric. If you are marking with a ruler, mark a stitching line ¼” from each of the short edges of the triangle, making each stitching line 4” long from the corner where the two stitching lines intersect to the end near the point. Then, connect the ends of the two lines to complete the triangle.

If you aren’t sure how to cut or mark your pieces, see this video and this video for cutting triangles.

Assembly/Piecing

Remember, our directions are for hand-piecing. You can also assemble your quilt by machine if you prefer. If you aren’t sure how to assemble, piece, and press your block, see this video

Step-by-step

Step 1: Place one light and one dark triangle right sides together and pin along the long edge being careful to pin precisely in the stitching line. Stitch together to form a square, then press the seam allowance towards the outside corner triangle. Repeat three more times.

Step 2: Place one light and one dark rectangle, right sides together and pin along the long side. Stitch together to form a square, then press the seam allowance towards the dark rectangle. Repeat 3 more times.

Step 3: From here, assemble as you did the Nine Patch Block, first stitching each row together, then stitching rows to one another.

Step 4: Press the block, distributing the seam allowance to avoid thick areas that will make it hard to quilt later. You can follow the same pressing suggestions as for the Nine Patch Block.

 

Step 1

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Step 2

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Step 3

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Step 3 completed.

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The Double Pinwheel: Block 3

Welcome to Fabric of Appalachia where American history is stitched together one quilt block at a time. This week’s block is the Double Pinwheel.

 

Painting of Daniel Boone escorting settlers through the Cumberland Gap, 1851

George Caleb Bingham / Paining / Open Parks Network

Painting, Wagon Train Near Wagon Mound, Fort Union National Monument, New Mexico.

Nick Eggenhoffer / Painting / Open Parks Network

 

Double Pinwheel block

NPS

The Double Pinwheel block became popular in the early 19th century and is believed to have been inspired by the windmills that pioneers saw while traveling west on the Oregon Trail. However, westward expansion happened in fits and starts. Before people could venture across the prairie, they first had to get past the Appalachian Mountains.

Stretching from Georgia up into Canada, the rugged terrain of the Appalachians prevented westward migration. Instead, the promise of cheap land and the freedom of frontier life lured Europeans southwest through Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley into the Carolinas, opening new opportunities but still keeping pioneers constrained east of the mountains.

It wasn’t until 1775, when Daniel Boone was hired to open a road through the Cumberland Gap, that pioneers had a way across the mountains into Kentucky, the Southwest Territory (which became The State of Tennessee in 1796), and beyond.

In 1862, westward migration rapidly accelerated when Congress passed the Homestead Act, which for the first time used the power of the federal government to create economic opportunities for ordinary Americans. Those eligible included men, women, immigrants, and freed African Americans. Many, including some mountain residents, used Tennessee as the jumping-off point for their journey west to a new life. But while the act extended the opportunity to achieve the American Dream to some people who had previously been excluded, it also accelerated the forced removal of native communities, severing or straining ties to the land that extended back thousands of years.

If you’d like to know more about the country’s expansion from sea to shining sea, consider visiting some of these National Park Service sites: Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, Homestead National Historical Park, Gateway Arch National Park, or Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site.

 

NPS

The Double Pinwheel Instructions

Design Notes

Contrast is key! Using dark, medium, and light-colored fabrics in this block creates an optical illusion.

Cutting and Marking

Cutting: Cut the following using your preferred method.

Color 1: (large pinwheel blades)

• Cut two 6 7/8” squares, then cut them on the diagonal

Color 2: (small pinwheel blades)

• Cut one 7 ¼” square, then cut it on both diagonals

Color 3 (background)

• Cut one 7 ¼” square, then cut it on both diagonals

Marking: If you are hand piecing, you will need to mark ¼” seam allowances. It will be helpful to lay out your pieces before you begin marking.

• For the large triangles, if you are using a template, cut a 6” square template and cut it on the diagonal and then trace around it on the fabric. If you are marking with a ruler, mark a stitching line ¼” from each of the short edges of the triangle, making each stitching line 6” long from the corner where the two stitching lines intersect to the end near the point. Then, connect the ends of the two lines to complete the triangle.

• For the small triangles, mark ¼” seam allowances on just the edge where color 2 and color 3 triangles will be stitched together. Skip to assembly and stitch these before continuing with marking seam allowances.

• After the pairs of small triangles have been stitched and pressed, mark them as you did the large triangles.

If you aren’t sure how to cut or mark your pieces, see this video and this video for cutting triangles.

Assembly/Piecing

Remember, our directions are for hand-piecing. You can also assemble your quilt by machine if you prefer. If you aren’t sure how to assemble, piece, and press your block, see this video

Step-by-step

Step 1: Place one color 2 and one color 3 triangle right sides together and pin along the short edge. You’ll want to have the full block laid out before you do this so you can see which short edges need to be stitched together. If you do the wrong short edges, you’ll end up with the colors reversed in the finished block. Be careful to pin precisely in the stitching line. Stitch, then press the seam allowance towards the center triangle. Repeat three more times. (Now mark these units as you did the large triangles).

Step 2: Place one color 1 triangle and one of the triangle units that you just stitched, right sides together and pin along the long side. Stitch together to form a square, then press the seam allowance towards the large triangle. Repeat 3 more times.

Step 3: Stitch the top 2 squares into a row. Repeat for the bottom 2 squares. Then, stitch the rows to one another.

Step 4: Press the block, distributing the seam allowance to avoid thick areas that will make it hard to quilt later. We recommend pressing each of the last four seams towards the large triangle.

 

Before sewing

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Step 1 completed

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Step 2 completed

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Step 3 completed

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The Schoolhouse: Block 4

Welcome to Fabric of Appalachia where American history is stitched together one quilt block at a time. This week’s block is the Schoolhouse.

 

Class photo at Walker Valley School.

NPS / Historical Photo

School children at Little Greenbrier School.

NPS / Historical Photo

 

Schoolhouse block

NPS

In the 19th and early 20th century the one room schoolhouse was an iconic symbol of rural communities in the United States. As the country expanded across the continent, churches and schools were often the first public buildings erected in newly established communities. In fact, the 1785 Land Ordinance and 1787 Northwest Ordinance set aside land specifically for a school in each western township, charting a course for universal public education, even before the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1788.

While a common misconception suggested mountain communities lacked education, the reality was quite different. Pioneering families began setting up schools soon after they arrived in the Smokies, working together to erect school buildings, hire teachers, and gather funds to pay them. Schools came and went as populations fluctuated and shifted, but between the early 19th century and the closing of the last school in 1944, there were 105 schools in what is now Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Early schools were typically one-room schoolhouses in which a single teacher taught students of all ages. This was common across the country because without public transportation, schools needed to be within easy walking distance of students’ homes. While the small class sizes meant that teachers knew their students well, it limited the resources that a school could afford, and it was challenging for teachers to instruct students in multiple grades at the same time. The quality of education varied dramatically between schools depending on the teachers’ abilities and the resources available.

By the early 1800s, mountain communities—like communities elsewhere—began shifting to larger schools with multiple teachers. These consolidated schools were more cost-efficient because they eliminated redundancies and concentrated resources, allowing them to afford facilities like gymnasiums, school libraries, and community halls, as well as provide more equipment, supplies, and texts, and offer a wider range of courses.

If you’d like to learn more about the history of schools, considering exploring Little Greenbrier Schoolhouse in the Smokies, or visit these National Park Service sites: Blackwell School National Historic Site, Brown v Board of Education National Historical Park, Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site.

 

Schoolhouse block

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The Schoolhouse Instructions

Design Notes

Making the background, walls and roof distinctly different colors and giving the front and side walls of the school different shades of the same color make this block appear three dimensional. With this one, pressing also helps reinforce the dimensionality. For example, roofs have an overhang. Pressing the seam allowance towards the roof fabric rolls the edge and makes it appear that the walls are tucked under the roof.

Cutting and Marking

Cutting: Using your preferred method…

Color 1: (Sky)

• Cut two 3 ½” squares
• Cut two 1 ½”X 2 ½” rectangles
• Cut one 2 ½” X 3 ½” rectangle
• Cut one 3 7/8” square, and then cut it on the diagonal

Color 2: (Walls and Chimneys)

• Cut four 2 ½” squares
• Cut one 3 7/8” square, and then cut it on the diagonal
• Cut two 2 ½” X 5 ½” rectangles
• Cut one 2 ½” X 6 ½” rectangle
• Cut one 1 ½” X 6 ½” rectangle

Color 3 (roof)

• Cut one 3 ½” square
• Cut one 3 7/8” square, and then cut it on the diagonal

Color 4 (door and window)

• Cut one 2 ½” X 5 ½” rectangle
• Cut one 2 ½” square

Color 5: (lawn or foundation)

• Cut one 1 ½” X 12 ½” rectangle

Marking: If you are hand piecing, add ¼” seam allowances

• Mark a 3” square within each 3 ½” square piece
• Mark a 2” square within each 2 ½” square piece
• Mark a 1” X 2” rectangle within the 1 ½” X 2 ½” rectangle
• Mark a 2” X 3” rectangle within the 2 ½” X 3 ½” rectangle piece
• Mark a 2” X 5” rectangle within each 2 ½” X 5 ½” rectangle piece
• Mark a 2” X 6” rectangle within the 2 ½” X 6 ½” rectangle piece
• Mark a 1” X 6” rectangle within the 1 ½” X 6 ½” rectangle piece
• Mark a 1” X 12” rectangle within the 1 ½” X 12 ½” rectangle piece
• For the triangles, if you are using a template, cut a 3” square template and cut it on the diagonal and then trace around it on each triangle piece. If you are marking with a ruler, mark a stitching line ¼” from each of the short edges of the triangle, making each stitching line 3” long from the corner where the two stitching lines intersect to the end near the point. Then, connect the ends of the two lines to complete the triangle.

If you aren’t sure how to cut or mark your pieces, see this video for cutting squares and this video for cutting triangles.

Assembly/Piecing

Remember, our directions are for hand-piecing. You can also assemble your quilt by machine if you prefer. If you aren’t sure how to assemble, piece, and press your block, see this video

Step-by-step

Step 1: Place one chimney square and the small rectangle of sky above it right sides together and pin along the long edge being careful to pin precisely in the stitching line. Stitch together, then press the seam allowance towards the chimney. Repeat once more.

Step 2: Stitch top row together as you did the Nine Patch block. Press all seam allowances towards the right side of the block.

Step 3: In second row, find triangle pairs that will together form a square. Place two triangles right sides together and pin along the long edge being careful to pin precisely in the stitching line. Stitch together to form a square, then press the seam allowance to give the block dimension. For the two pairs that include part of the roof, press towards the roof fabric. For the pair that is half end gable and half sky, press towards the end gable.

Step 4: Stitch the second row together as you did the Nine Patch block. Press the remaining seam allowances towards the right side of the block.

Step 5: Find the three squares that form the window and the wall on either side of it. Sew together this partial row. Press seen allowances towards the wall pieces.

Step 6: Stitch the window unit that you just made to the wall pieces above and below it. Press seam allowances towards the wall pieces.

Step 7: Find the three rectangles that form the door and the wall on either side of it. Sew together this partial row. Press seen allowances towards the wall pieces.

Step 8: Stitch the door unit to the window unit, completing the third row. Press seam allowance to the left to help with the dimensionality of the block.

Step 9: Stitch rows to one another. Press the block. We recommend pressing the seam allowance between the top row and the second row towards the second row, pressing the seam allowance between the second row and the third row towards the second row, and pressing the seam allowance between the third row and the fourth row towards the fourth row.

 

Step 1 completed

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Step 2 completed

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Step 3 completed

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Step 4 completed

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Step 5 completed

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Step 6 completed

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Step 7 completed

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Step 8 completed

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Step 9 completed

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The Log Cabin: Block 5

Welcome to Fabric of Appalachia where American history is stitched together one quilt block at a time. This week’s block is the Log Cabin.

 

James McCaulley in Civil War Uniform.

NPS Historic Photo c. 1863

 

Log Cabin block.

NPS

Reminiscent of the log structures found throughout the Smokies, the Log Cabin block was traditionally made with a red or yellow center to represent the hearth fire, with contrasting colors on either side representing the joys and sorrows of life. Perhaps the reminder that challenges help us appreciate the good in our lives is what led to this block’s popularity in the mid-19th century, right as the Civil War tore apart Appalachia and Appalachian families, as it did the country.

North Carolina and Tennessee were the last two states to join the confederacy and in both, the people living in the mountains opposed doing so. In Appalachia, communities were often split as wealthy residents, who often owned enslaved Africans, supported the confederacy, while farmers and tradesmen largely supported the Union. In mountain communities, most residents fell into the latter category. In western North Carolina, just over half opposed succession, but in Blount, Sevier, and Cocke counties in Tennessee, more than 75% of residents were Union supporters. In fact, when Tennessee seceded from the U.S., Blount County tried to secede from The State of Tennessee. Officials denied the request and sent confederate troops to occupy east Tennessee; in turn, locals obstructed confederate war efforts and appealed to President Lincoln for help.

Communities like Cades Cove are known to have aided escaping Union soldiers. While freedom-seeking and connections to the Underground Railroad in the park have not yet been documented, nearby communities, including Maryville, Friendsville, and Unitia were connected to the Underground Railroad, and censuses show that there were free blacks living in mountain communities even prior to the Civil War. Three nearby National Park sites are National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom members – Fort Donelson National Battlefield, Stones River National Battlefield, and Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. During the Battle of Chickamauga in 1863, thousands of African Americans, including Jack Hines, Hubbard Pryor, and Thomas Cole, risked their freedom to join the Union Army as laborers or U.S. Colored troop members.

While the Civil War is an obvious example of the struggle to expand the American Dream, progress happens unevenly. If you’d like to learn more about the Civil War, abolition, and civil rights consider visiting some of the National Park Service sites: Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park, Stones River National Battlefield, Gettysburg National Military Park, Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, Harriet Tubman National Historical Park. You can also learn more about the Underground Railroad or Civil Rights through National Park Service subject sites.

 

Log Cabin block

NPS

The Log Cabin Instructions

Design Notes

Log Cabin blocks traditionally have a red or yellow center to represent the hearth fire or a window. Strips are arranged around the center square to divide the block into two shades (light and dark) and often, though not always, two colors.

Cutting and Marking

Cutting: Using your preferred method…

Color 1: (center black, traditionally red or yellow)

• Cut one 3 ½” square

Color 2: (light color side)

• Cut one 2” X 3 ½” rectangle

• Cut one 2” X 5” rectangle

• Cut one 2” X 6 ½” rectangle

• Cut one 2” X 8” rectangle

• Cut one 2” X 9 ½” rectangle

• Cut one 2” X 11” rectangle

Color 3 (dark color side)

• Cut one 2” X 5” rectangle

• Cut one 2” X 6 ½” rectangle

• Cut one 2” X 8” rectangle

• Cut one 2” X 9 ½” rectangle

• Cut one 2” X 11” rectangle

• Cut one 2” X 12 ½” rectangle

Marking: If you are hand piecing, add ¼” seam allowance to each rectangle by marking within it a rectangle with a length and width that is ½” less than the cut fabric. For example, in the 2” X 3 ½” strip of fabric, you will mark a 1 ½” X 2 ½” rectangle.

If you aren’t sure how to cut or mark your pieces, see this video for cutting squares.

Assembly/Piecing

Remember, our directions are for hand-piecing. You can also assemble your quilt by machine if you prefer.

This block looks complicated, but really, you are just sewing one side at a time around the block.

Step-by-step

Step 1: Place the 2” X 3 ½” Color-2 rectangle face down on the 3 ½” center square so that the two fabrics are right sides together. Pin along the 3 ½” side being careful to pin precisely in the stitching line. Stitch, then press the seam allowance towards the center.

Step 2: Next, you will add the 2” X 5” Color-2 rectangle to the unit that you just stitched. You will be attaching it to a side adjacent to the one that you just stitched. It doesn’t matter whether you add it to the next side to the left or the right, but once you start, you need to continue adding strips to the next adjacent side in the same direction until the block is finished. In our photo example, we’re adding strips moving around the block in a counterclockwise direction. Place the 2” X 5” Color-2 rectangle (color 2) on top of the unit you just stitched, right sides together and pin down the long edge of the unit. Stitch, then press the seam allowance towards the outside of the block.

Step 3: Place the 2” X 5” Color-3 rectangle and the stitched unit right sides together. Pin in place, stitch, then press the seam allowance towards the outside edge of the block.

Step 4: Place the 2” X 6 ½” Color-3 rectangle and the stitched unit right sides together. Pin, stitch, then press the seam allowance towards the outside edge of the block.

 

Step 1 completed

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Step 2 completed

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Step 3 completed

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Step 4 completed

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Step 5+: Continue in this manner, alternating adding two color-2 strips and adding two color-3 strips until all strips have been added. Each time you add a strip, you will pin and stitch it to the next adjacent side of the block, then press towards the outer edge of the block.

 

Step 5 completed

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Step 5+ Sequence

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Step 5+ Sequence

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Step 5+ Sequence

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Step 5+ Sequence

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Step 5+ Sequence

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Step 5+ Sequence

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Step 5+ Completed

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The Virginia Reel: Block 6

Welcome to Fabric of Appalachia where American history is stitched together one quilt block at a time. This week’s block is the Virginia Reel.

 

Women making music.

NPS Historic Photo

 

Virginia Reel block.

NPS

As long as there have been people living in these mountains, there has been music. For thousands of years, the Cherokee and their ancestors played flutes and drums, chanted and sang, created rhythms with their hands and feet, and danced.

When the earliest European immigrants arrived, they brought their own musical traditions dating back to their countries of origin. Fiddles from Ireland paired with dulcimers with German roots to bring new sounds to the mountains, but they did not replace indigenous music; instead, their music mingled with that of the native residents, creating a sound unique to the mountains. Old world ballads were adapted to reflect new stories and a new setting, while lively folk songs and reels practically begged those within earshot to dance.

In the 1840s, travelling minstrel shows introduced banjos, which were created by enslaved Africans based on a traditional West African instrument. Banjo players picked out tunes, while adding in syncopated rhythms and call and response elements that originated in African music.

At the same time, travelling singing schools introduced shape note singing, which made choral music easier to learn, added rich harmonies, and set religious themes to music.

While each culture brought musical traditions from their own heritage, it was the blending of all of them together that created a palette of musical styles that are uniquely Appalachian: bluegrass, gospel, mountain music, old-time, and country.

Another uniquely American style of music is jazz. One of its most influential musicians, African American artist Charles Mingus, has roots in the Smokies; John Mingus, who owned Mingus Mill in North Carolina, was his great great grandfather.

If you’d like to learn more about the history of jazz, consider visiting the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park.

 

Virginia Reel block.

NPS

The Virginia Reel Instructions

Design Notes

Like the Log Cabin block, this one is stitched starting in the center and working outwards. To create the spiral, you need good contrast between the light and dark fabrics. In ours, we made the color get gradually darker as we moved out from the center, but for a simpler look, you could just use two fabrics and possibly a third for the center.

Cutting and Marking

For this block, marking is challenging, so the directions incorporate marking into the cutting steps. Cutting accuracy will be important because we will be measuring some seam allowances from the cut edges.

Color 1: (Center)

• Cut one 3 ½” square, and mark a 3” square within it

Color 2: (Light spiral)

• Cut one 3” square, mark a 2 ½” square within it before proceeding; then, cut the square on its diagonal; mark the last stitching line ¼” in from the diagonal cut edge
• Cut one 3 7/8” square mark a 3 3/8” square within it before proceeding; then, cut the square on its diagonal; mark the last stitching line ¼” in from the diagonal cut edge
• Cut one 5 1/8” square, mark a 4 5/8” square within it before proceeding; then, cut the square on its diagonal; mark the last stitching line ¼” in from the diagonal cut edge
• Cut one 6 7/8” square, mark a 6 3/8” square within it before proceeding; then, cut the square on its diagonal; mark the last stitching line ¼” in from the diagonal cut edge

Color 3 (Dark spiral)

• Cut one 3” square, mark a 2 ½” square within it before proceeding; then, cut the square on its diagonal; mark the last stitching line ¼” in from the diagonal cut edge
• Cut one 3 7/8” square mark a 3 3/8” square within it before proceeding; then, cut the square on its diagonal; mark the last stitching line ¼” in from the diagonal cut edge
• Cut one 5 1/8” square, mark a 4 5/8” square within it before proceeding; then, cut the square on its diagonal; mark the last stitching line ¼” in from the diagonal cut edge
• Cut one 6 7/8” square, mark a 6 3/8” square within it before proceeding; then, cut the square on its diagonal; mark the last stitching line ¼” in from the diagonal cut edge

If you aren’t sure how to cut or mark your pieces, see this video for cutting squares and this video for cutting triangles.

Assembly/Piecing

Remember, our directions are for hand-piecing. You can also assemble your quilt by machine if you prefer. If you aren’t sure how to assemble, piece, and press your block, see this video.

Step-by-step

Step 1: Start by pinning and stitching the smallest dark triangles to opposite sides of the center square. Press seam allowances towards the triangles. Repeat to add the smallest light triangles to the remaining two sides of the center square, once again pressing the seam allowance towards the triangles. Once you finish this unit, you should have added triangles to all four sides of the center square and the stitched unit should be square.

Step 2: This step is basically a repeat of the previous step, except that you are now stitching the next size of dark triangles on opposite sides of the unit you just stitched, pressing the seam allowance out towards the newly added triangles, then repeating to add the light triangles. When you finish this step, the unit should measure 6 ½” square.

 

Step 1 halfway

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Step 1 completed

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Step 2 halfway

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Step 2 completed

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Step 3 & Step 4: Repeat the same procedure two more times, adding 2 light and 2 dark triangles each round. Each time, press the seam allowance towards the outside of the block. The finished block should measure 12 ½” square.

 

Step 3 halfway

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Step 3 completed

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Step 4 halfway

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Step 4 completed

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