A Path to the Civil War: Aurelia's Journey Quilt

2011 marks the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War. And while conflict over slavery is generally presumed to be the cause, many issues across the nation fueled tensions that ultimately led to war. During this volatile period in American history, did women turn to their quiltmaking to take their minds off these troubling topics?

When Dolores Smith and Sarah Maxwell of Homestead Hearth found a mid-1800s antique sampler quilt, they could easily imagine the quiltmaker, Aurelia (pronounced oar-LEE-uh) Bevins of Broome, New York, did just that. Undoubtedly pieced over a long period of time based on the large number of varied fabrics it contains, it's easy to imagine that Aurelia worked on this project off and on for many years as she witnessed a country heading toward war with itself.

Dolores and Sarah show you step-by-step, using today's quiltmaking techniques, how you can recreate this 44-block sampler treasure. Written in block-of-the-month style, you can construct a few blocks at a time as you work to complete this project throughout 10 months. As you stitch your own Journey quilt, reflect on the journey Aurelia took as she witnessed the events leading to the war between the states.