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Ohio Blue Ribbon Star Quilt

 


Don't you just love when all the elements of a quilt just come together? This quilt was a gift to a friend with the absolute most hometown spirit of anyone I know. Our school colors were blue and white, and I just knew she had to have a quilt that spotlighted this particular shade of blue.

The quilt world is full of stars. Each state has a few star designs and I had some fun choosing just the right Ohio star to work with. 

There are some fascinating stories behind the state stars in quilting and Ohio is no exception. Here's the story of the Ohio star, which I found at Suzy Quilts:

"Buckle up your bonnets. This one’s good. Our story today is brought to you by famous quilt scholar Barbara Brackman. Brackman gives us some great Ohio-related Civil War history that we can connect back with the Ohio Star Quilt pattern.

"It all starts in the mid 1800s in Oberlin, Ohio. You may have heard of Oberlin College – I had, but I hadn’t heard about the incredible values it was founded on. Even in these really early years, Oberlin College opened up their institution to women and African-Americans. This was extremely radical during the 1800s, and really put Oberlin on the map as a place that welcomed freed slaves and liberal thinkers.

"This is exactly why Oberlin, Ohio, attracted John Brown, an anti-slavery fighter who was recruiting soldiers to help him in an operation to take over a federal arsenal in Harpers Ferry. John Brown ended up recruiting Lewis Sheridan Leary, who left behind his family to help John Brown and his cause. Both men were ultimately killed for this anti-slavery efforts, leaving them and those working alongside them to be remembered as heroes.​

"Lewis Sheridan Leary’s wife, Mary Patterson Leary, learned of her husband’s death when a shawl she had sewn for him was returned, riddled with bullet holes.

Mary was remembered by her son and grandson as often sitting in a rocking chair, sewing. An Ohio Star quilt was reproduced in her honor, and is now in the International Quilt Museum to honor those left behind by soldiers who met their demise during the Civil War. The Ohio Star quilt reminds many of John Brown, Lewis Sheridan Leary, and others who sacrificed their life to make our country a place where everyone could live without fear."

A variation of the Ohio Star, this Ohio Blue Ribbon Star, is striking when made with a single solid color and white.


I love when a quilt starts to come together! And I love the little checkerboards! (Oops! You can see I've already started on the next quilt!)

                         
Done! And ready for the chair in front of the fireplace.




For backing I chose a blue and white floral, a contrast to the sharp lines and angles of the front.


Quilting by Longarmed and Dangerous. She does such beautiful work and is such a joy to work with.




I couldn't resist adding our school mascot to the back. This eagle was in my scrap stash, left over from an Alaskan theme fabric I used years ago.


🦆

To learn more about this quilt and Diane's other quilting projects, contact her at diane.fitzpatrick@mac.com. And check out her Instagram page.



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