february

first, i want to say that my computer takes a l-o-n-g time to load too, especially when i want to post. i have satellite which isn't as slow as dialup, but nowhere near dsl or cable.

i'm posting because of the mention of eleanor burns' underground sampler that was referred to when (?) was asking about the flying geese size. and i digress, but i'd love to see a picture of the block when it's done! and i digress once again to say that i seldom go back to read the comments because i'm simply not used to doing it and look for answers on the original page like it used to be -- i guess you can teach an old dog new tricks, but not too many new tricks ;)

so back to my original thot... this being february and all, it is black history month and for the past lots of years i've been on a mission to educate quilters to the myth of the secret code quilt written in the book "hidden in plain view" that eleanor burns based her book and video on. this book, quilt, and code have come under fire since its publication due to the numerous facts that are, and have been found to be, lacking in truth. without taking up a whole lot of time, i'll only point out a few and if anyone wants more info they can post and i'll give websites to refer to.

the monkey wrench tool was invented in america in 1850 and could not have even been used in africa (and supposed to be an "honored tool" of the blacksmith);
the dresden plate block (1920/30) was inspired by the china company in germany which first registered in 1883;
the double wedding ring (block 1928) ceremony is a 20th century phoenomenon, prior only the wife would wear a ring;
the bonnet of "sunbonnet sue" was called a "poke bonnet" in the years that preceeded the civil war and for sometime afterwards;
the log cabin name was assigned to the style of block to indicate allegiance to president lincoln and the union cause, the first documented name in 1863.

these are just a few of the discrepancies, and i'll also point out that the naming of quilt blocks as we know it today occured when patterns became published on a wide scale beginning in the late 1890s.

SO... my goal is to help other quilters with this knowledge since our community is one that has helped to spread this myth. hopefully with some spreading of truth, we will be able to give the explanation that this is "one woman's story" and not an "historical breakthru" as it has been preported to be since the publishing of the book. you would be amazed at the areas and places this myth has extended to, but there recently have been some outside of the quilt world who are taking another look and this is having an impact at a very high level. the most recent is a statue of frederick douglass that will be placed in central park scheduled for this year -- originally it was to have "code blocks" included, but a change is in the works. it does my heart good.

i hope this didn't sound like a soap box, it's just that i know how far this bulletin board reaches and it is a good way to help disseminate accurate information. i have lots of web addresses that i'd be happy to share with anyone who is interested.
dutchrose ---{-@