Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Sweet Land of Liberty

My mini for the month of July
came about as
a combination of genealogy and
a quilt group challenge.


Sweet Land of Liberty
32" x 32"

The quilt challenge was to make a monogram quilt.
Use your initials however you want.
A letter could be represented by a color,
a pattern, a type of fabric or an idea., etc.

My initials are K,E,R.

Here's what I was including in my quilt.

K = kinship, relationships based on family ties

E =  the American eagle, representing strength, dignity, freedom

R = remembrance, honoring those who came before me


A couple of years ago, my daughter and I
became interested in finding out more about our family linage.
I have a cousin who had done some extensive research
and Ancestry.com definitely helps you get access to records
that would be difficult otherwise.

Through our research we found
our kinship to many relatives who were Patriots of
the American Revolution.
April 19, 1775 - September 3, 1783


I began with the 
center of my quilt and reduced the size 
of an Eagle from one of the many 
 Lori Smith's patterns I have.

It's there in the center representing 
the national emblem of the United States.

With the genealogical work we had done
the first Patriot we discovered was 
Simeon Wheelock, 
my 5th Great Grandfather.



Simeon and his wife, Deborah Thayer Wheelock
lived in Uxbridge, MA with their 8 children
in this home built in 1768 and is still used today by
the Deborah Wheelock chapter of the DAR .

photo By Kenneth C. Zirkel - Own work,

Simeon was a blacksmith by trade and 
was involved in many resistant activities leading up 
to that first confrontation at Lexington and Concord.

Simeon along with 3 of his brothers,
Caleb, Calvin and Luther, and their father,


answered the alarm on
April 19, 1775
and were part of the civilian militia 
that marched to that first military engagement.

Those 5 men from the Wheelock family
along with 14 other members
of different family units
all are recognized Patriots
in their willingness to sacrifice their
lives to gain independence from Britain. 


This quilt was made in remembrance of
those men and their wives and families, 
my grandfathers, uncles, grandmothers,
who participated in the events and battles
of the American Revolution.

They are not the famous Patriots

who you read about in the history books.
They were regular folks
concerned about their families,
their lives, their livelihoods, along with
their rights to 
happiness, justice, and equality.



This is a quilt I have been wanting to 
design and make for quite a while.
I was inspired by Barbara of 
by her ability to incorporate genealogy into her quilts.
Thanks, Barbara.

It's been a couple months since I 
actually made a monthly mini, and
I'm linking this to Wendy's blog
so you can see what others
have been creating.



Until Next Time-
Kyle

















20 comments:

  1. Oh how I love this! It is such a wonderful way to commemorate your ancestors. None of us would live the lives we do today if it were not for the efforts of these early soldiers and their families. And, of course the quilt is beautiful too! I will link you in right now. Thanks for a great quilt and a great story!

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  2. You more than made up for missing a month with this mini! What a fabulous way to document your heritage and those in your family who were prepared to give their all for the young nation of their dreams. How nice to know the original family home still exists in Uxbridge. Thanks for sharing this with all of us!

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  3. What a special and lovely piece to honor and document your family history. A family history which is amazing, by the way :)

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  4. Oh my goodness. That is a very beautiful quilt. I love it. Hugs

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  5. Oh my goodness . . . you never cease to amaze me. Not only is this quilt awesomely wonderful . . . but if there is a way for these brave men to see it from heaven, I know that they are smiling down on you. What a wonderful way to know that you are keeping your family history alive. This quilt will become a family treasure.

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  6. Fantastic family heirloom Kyle, such a love great way to present the family history!

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  7. Oh, Kyle, this quilt is simply fantastic and will be cherished for years to come. I love everything about it. What a great way to document your family history!

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  8. Terrific!! Thanks for sharing all the specialness of this!

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  9. Wow! I love it...and the history makes it all the better!

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  10. You have done a wonderful job both in creating a beautiful quilt and in documenting your family history for generations to come. It's just delightful.

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  11. Wow Kyle! This knocks my socks off! What a gorgeous little quilt and so meaningful. I LOVE, LOVE your appliqued center - it's amazing! Such great fabrics too - I hope you enjoy displaying this very special quilt.

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  12. Wow. What a wonderful tribute to your ancestors. Such a beautiful, well thought out and skillfully executed quilt, which will surely become a treasured family heirloom.

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  13. I love this Kyle. This will be a well treasured item in your family in rememberance of your ancestors.

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  14. This is such a lovely and thoughtful quilt. How amazing that you have so much family information and that you have patriots in your family. I'm only a 4th generation american family with my relatives coming in the wave of the early 1900s.
    The inking is lovely and you've made a family heirloom.
    I give you an a+ and blue ribbon and best in show of minis this month for sure!!

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  15. forgot to say, I LOVE your photos !! and that cabin I see so many like this around New England. Love it.

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  16. Your really went above and beyond for your mini! It's just wonderful and what a treasure trove of family history--an heirloom for sure. You and your family must have had a lot of fun doing the research and finding so many interesting stories from your family's past. Love your fabric choices too!

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  17. This is such a fantastic little quilt. Love all the sentimental touches and connections to it. Really, really wonderful.:)

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  18. Wow! This mini is maxi, in its beauty and meaning. What a great combination of quilting and geneology. Patriotic, and a great eagle center. Perfect for July. Love the backing too!

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  19. Wonderful quilt! I really loved your plan and execution! Now the inspirational seed has been passed on to others!

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  20. This just thrills me. I love family history and the way you have incorporated your ancestor patriots into this patriotic quilt just warms my heart. Thank you for sharing this with us.

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