First Eagle Quilt

Quilts, summer spreads, and needle arts with Eagle motifs are my passion.  I got my first four block eagle on the diagonal eagle quilt from an antique dealer in Chicago, Illinois in the 1990s.  She said the lady that used to own that quilt didn’t want the quilt in her home anymore as she felt the eagles looked too menacing.  I thought the quilt was lovely and so I bought it.  Here it is:

 Quilt Construction: Hand quilted and hand appliqué. This quilt contains a circle “target-like” center made with strips of different colors and four large squares divided by red strips. There are four large eagles – one in each square.  This eagle layout is sometimes referred to as four block: eagle on the diagonal. The border is constructed of three strips with 9 patch squares in each corner. Binding was added separately in a coordinating color. The grid is machine sewn. The piecing of the seams and corners were done by machine as well. The quilting features feather circles and is approximately 7 spi. Size: 74” x 77.”  Parks-Wildemuth Collection.

Around that same time, I had an epiphany that it was better for me storage-wise and brain-wise to narrow my focus to studying, researching, and collecting eagle quilts (along with Illinois quilt history – my other passion).  My idea was it was better for me to be able to study “side by side” one type of quilt pattern from the 1770s to the present and to learn and share what I could about eagle quilts (and Illinois Quilt History).

I created a web site Illinois Quilt History: Quilt History From the Midwest www.illinoisquilthistory.com/ back in 2008 to share my interest in Illinois Quilt History.  I created this blog Eagle Motifs in American Quilts, Summer Spreads, and Assorted Needlearts in 2014 to share my interest in eagle motifs in quilts and assorted textiles.

You have questions, insights, or want to share a photo of one of the eagle quilts in your collection -- I hope you will drop me a note here at this blog. If you would prefer to contact me privately, my email address can be found on my Illinois Quilt History web site.