Barbara Brackman's Civil War Sampler: 50 Quilt Blocks with Stories from History

by Barbara Brackman

Witness Civil War history chronicled in quilt squares, discover more about the women behind them, and learn how to craft a quilt of your own. 

Journey through a historic time in American history with Barbara Brackman, bestselling author and quilt historian. Barbara's book features fifty quilt blocks that commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. Each block (most were first published in the 1930s) was selected for the symbolism its name lends to recounting stories from the era’s women. This compilation of quilt block patterns includes period photos and first-person accounts. Choose from pieced or appliquéd blocks, each in two colorways with instructions for 8” and 12” sizes. Dig into your reproduction fabrics and enjoy combining blocks to make your own tribute quilt.

“This is another lovely book of Barbara’s to add to the collection.”—Australian Quilters Companion

Genres: Quilting, History, Nonfiction, Crafts, Civil War, Historical

289 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2012

About the author

Barbara is a free-lance writer, historian and museum curator with seven published books on quilts and numerous museum catalogs to her credit.

Reviews

[Andréa Lechner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very thought provoking book, linking quilting blocks with Civil War events. The author explains the history very eloquently and the photographs of the made blocks are an excellent illustration along the way. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the women of the Civil War years in the US.

[A Foxtrotter Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are entertaining making a Civil War era quilt, this book with the block directions and snippets of history will be invaluable. Can't wait to retire again to start my sampler quilt.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely collection of Civil War Quilt Blocks and historical stories. Beautiful photographs and hints for piecing.

I selected several blocks that I want to include in a Civil War row in a row-by-row sampler.

[Susan Molloy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cozy Quilts.

🖊 This turned out to be a very nice compilation of quilts, with excellent photographs and interesting stories. I enjoyed this book.

🎨Illustrated.

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[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this one!

[Megen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting collection with historical vignettes about the people on both sides of the conflict.

[Lacey Addis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating details about the blocks and clear-cut instructions on how to piece them.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book with my quilt club. A brief history about each block was helpful. Blocks were easy for the beginner quilter. I would like to read more about quilt history

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great patterns , will be a beautiful quilt . Tip of the day , watch Karen Montgomery’s videos on YouTube as she goes along and pouts together the blocks . One quilt I am keeping for myself

[Meryn Shireen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super interesting! I thought the book was going to look at the history of different blocks, but it was more like a history of different things related in idea or context to the block. I think I would have been irritated by that, but the vast majority of the history examples chosen were ones I haven’t ever read or heard (and I’ve read a lot about the civil war) and I liked the focus on women, fabric, sewing, and how the war impacted that.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

One thing to remember when looking through this book is that you still want to do your own research on civil war quilts (if you intend to make a quilt for civil war reenacting). Many of the blocks used can be traced back to the civil war. However, many do not, several were published well after the ACW. That being said, I love the snippets from diaries and other sources, I even love the quilts, blocks and many of the fabrics used in the book.

The copy I have right now is owned by my local library. I will eventually add this book to my quilt library mostly because of the variety I blocks in it and because of the well written instructions.

[J2418 K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Library Book: Thinking of doing at least one Civil War quilt

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating

[Sherri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the historical snippets of the Civil War and how they related to the square configurations.