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Manx Quilting
The Log Cabin design for quilt blocks has been in use for centuries. It is one of the oldest known patchwork patterns. Inhabitants of the Isle of Man, an island in the Irish Sea between England and Ireland, had their own unique take on the pattern as far back as the mid-19th century. Using a system of folding, they created Log Cabin style quilt blocks. Folding created a pleat on each log. Inhabitants called this block a Roof Pattern, maybe due to the block looking like a shingle roof. The pleating also gives depth or 3-D look to the block.
These quilts were exceptional, not just because of the pleating, but also because of how they were made. Due to the isolated nature of their environment and limited access to tools, they developed a unique way to make the blocks. The quilt blocks were made from scrap materials since the cost and access to fabric were a problem.
We take for granted that everyone has scissors and rulers, but that was not always the case. The ingenious people of the Isle of Man came up with a solution to both. The quilters simply used their hands as their ruler. The measurement for the foundation square was the span from the tip of the pinkie to the tip of the thumb. The center square was the length of the middle finger. The log’s width was the measurement of the length of the thumb, from the base to the bottom of the nailbed. Without scissors, the quilter would make a cut in the fabric using a knife and rip the material apart. The blocks were not traded or shared to make a quilt top, since the blocks were based on the individual quilter’s hand measurements and were unique to the quilter.
The fabrics, once prepared, were sewn on a foundation material. The foundation became the back of the quilt. These quilts did not have a batting layer as the pleating created an extra thickness. The foundation square was used to provide precision for placement of the logs on the quilt block top, again eliminating the need for a ruler.
Amy Smart, from Diary of a Quilter, has an awesome summary of her visits to the Isle of Man and some absolutely beautiful photos of the area. On my next trip across the pond, the Isle of Man is definitely on my bucket list of places to go. (https://www.diaryofaquilter.com/manx-quilting-from-the-isle-of-man/)
The Roof or Log Cabin block had a hearth & home center square (typically red). The logs were attached around the center square using a running stitch. Unlike our sewing today, the maker of a Manx quilt block did not stop stitching when adding the next strip of material. As new logs or strips were added, the needle was stored on the underside of the project and brought back up when the next log had been placed.
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