Block of the Month (BOM) #3

Churn Dash also found under block names : Broken Plate, Double Monkey Wrench, Double T, Dragon's Head, Fisherman's Reel, Hens and Chickens, Hole in the Barn Door, Indian Hammer, Puss in the Corner.........Shoo Fly and more. 

"Why so many names?", one might ask.    There's always a story, and the churn dash has one. 

Churn Dash

Picture credit:  National Parks Service  ~ Quilt Discovery Experience

The homesteader's life and their daily activities contributed names to many quilt blocks. Nineteenth century quilts reflect what women saw around them, and what was important in their lives, such as the churn, a common household item.

A quilt historian says that quilts had characteristics so localized that they could be classified geographically almost as easily as the Yankee twang or the southern drawl. But as the homesteaders traveled West, blending together on the trail and in the new territories, the patterns became intermingled and renamed.

The Churn Dash pattern, for example, has 21 different variations and names. But, whatever the name, one can be certain it was meaningful to the maker, for even the simplest quilt represented a considerable investment of time and energy. And when the cold winter winds blew snow through the chinked cracks of the log cabin, a quilt was a welcome cover, whatever its name.

The how-to-link PDF , including pictures of quilts using the churn dash block for design ideas as we lay out blocks for our own quilt top.   

Enjoy.