QUILTS & FABRIC: PAST & PRESENT


Thursday, February 9, 2012

Corinth for 1862 Battle Hymn

Corinth is named for Corinth, Mississippi, site of an 1862 battle.
 The print is #8222 in my latest Civil War reproduction collection, 1862 Battle Hymn.
Doesn't it look like a cotton boll?



Here's the document print.
 I found it in a swatch book in the Moda library. It's got to be later than the Civil War because of that wine-red background, a color you really don't see until the 1880s, but this is a very symbolic fabric collection so I thought we could use it.

It reminded me of these white on dark prints
that were quite popular right before the Civil War.

Top from about 1850 (the center square is a reproduction print)

You could classify them as floral trails. They often have white stems. 
Two Civil War-era floral trail reproductions.
 We tone down the white in the reproductions.

So we have it in Farragut blue (a navy blue)

and Stonewall Gray - a taupe

From the Library of Congress collection

Corinth, "the Crossroads of the Confederacy," was at the junction of two important rail lines, an important location over which the armies fought for years.

Corinth from the Library of Congress
The Tishomingo Hotel shown here near the tracks became a hospital. Click here to read Confederate nurse Kate Cumming's recollection of her first day as a nurse in that building. 

The Union took control of the town in the 1862 battle and Corinth became a refuge for many escaped slaves.

The Corinth Contraband Camp memorializes those newly free people.


This pattern Railroad Crossing or Rambler is a good one for an authentic reproduction quilt. Click here for a free pattern:

Here's Roseanne Smith's reproduction using my Civil War Reunion line. This collection is more subdued. Adding a white or ivory contrast would be effective and authentic.

Another option: The Cotton Boll block. See a pattern for an 8" square block here:

4 comments:

  1. I love that pattern for the fabric and the cotton boll block is such a clever choice to showcase it. Can
    not wait to get my hands on this collection. Beautiful colors.
    I have a question about the color green, there seems to be very few CW repros done in green, is there a reason for that?

    ReplyDelete
  2. The problem is mainly that if you use a color as a background you have to use it again as an accent to be economical. Green accents in browns and blues, etc. are not very authentic. However, I am sorting through the next Civil War repro. collection right now and we are going to do a green. I think we can make it work and make it look authentic. Later in the year.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I was actually in Corinth at the National Park this past December 31st. It is a wonderful park with a great exhibit (of course, we went down the road a piece to Shiloh, after that!). Thanks for sharing, as always, Barbara!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I like the simple look of the block and the cross style blocks, still thinking of what I want to make for my bed.

    Debbie

    ReplyDelete