Quilting

Hi Puzzlers,

Does your family have a quilt that has been past down from generation to generation? My family has one that was made by my great-great-grandmother. It is made from square patches of brightly colored corduroy and has a solid blue backing. I have never weighed the quilt but it feels like it weighs 20 plus pounds. I can picture my great-great-grandmother sitting by the fire in her cabin quilting away. For many Americans this is the image that comes to mind when we think about quilting.

Unfortunately this image is a myth. Most colonial woman were so busy with sewing, spinning, food preservation, cooking, cleaning and caring for their large families they didn’t have time to quilt. Besides even the image of quilting by a fire is wrong. Fine quilting requires adequate lighting; colonial cabins were very dimly lit. There is however an exception, woman of wealthy families who could afford household help, would often have free time to work on decorative quilting. Very few examples of the average colonial quilt have survived. Those that have are generally fine quilts that were used by wealthy families for special occasions.

The most common colonial bed coverings were bed rugs and blankets. Bed rugs could be manufactured or handmade and coarse manufactured blankets were very affordable. Yes, that little factoid surprised me too! Early colonists were so frugal that there were very few “scraps” of fabric left to be used for quilting. It wouldn’t be until the 1840s, when the textile industries had grown enough, that fabric would be readily available.

The quilting by the fire myth got reinforcement in the 1920s and 1930s with the revival of interest in everything colonial. “Manufacturers and magazines took advantage of this fad by promoting as "Colonial Quilts" quilts that were actually made in the mid nineteenth-century.”

Wow! Another great fanciful image shot down. Oh well, I still love the fact that my great-great-grandmother made the quilt!

Happy Puzzling!

Flags of the World

Hi Puzzlers,

As I made my way to work today I kept noticing flags. Flags at the post office, flags flying high on the school flagpole, our company's “open” flag hanging in front of our store entrance. Once inside the office building I made my way to my desk only to find our Flags of the World puzzle had been left there. I began to wonder what was in my morning coffee? Why all the flags? Are the powers that be inspiring me to do a post on flags? All this nudging has certainly peaked my flag interest. How about you?

For over 4000 years people from all corners of the globe have been using flags. They are even study scientifically. Vexillology is the scientific term; it comes from the Latin word vexilloid which means, “guide”. Ancient vexilloid were made of wood or metal polls with carvings on top. Two thousand years later people started adding fabric and decorative metal to the tops. These ancient vexilloids closely resemble the flags of today.

Flags are generally used to give others information. Medieval Knights dressed head to toe in armor would use flags to identify themselves; this enabled fellow soldiers to see if they were friend or foe on the battlefield. Every country in the world has a flag and as the governments change so do the flags.

Designing a flag is no easy task. The message and information has to be understood without using many pictures or any words. Each flag color has a special meaning: Red - danger, revolution, bloodshed of war, courage, power: White - peace, surrender, truce: Orange - courage, sacrifice: Green - safety, land, youth, hope: Yellow - caution, gold: Black - mourning, death.

Also, there are five basic principles of flag design: 1) Keep it simple - so simple that it can be drawn from memory: 2) Meaningful Symbolism - colors, images, or patterns need to relate to flags symbology: 3) Basic Colors - Limit the number on the flag to three contrasting colors: 4) No Lettering or Seals: 5) Be Distinctive.

“Today the American flag consists of thirteen horizontal stripes, seven red alternating with 6 white. The stripes represent the original 13 colonies; the stars represent the 50 states of the Union. The colors of the flag are symbolic as well: Red symbolizes Hardiness and Valor, White symbolizes Purity and Innocence and Blue represents Vigilance, Perseverance and Justice.”

I think what I have learned most in my quick study of Vexillology is to make every little thing I do or say count and mean something…just like a flag.

Happy Puzzling!

Apple Picking

Hi Puzzlers,

Today the ladies at the office and me were chatting about the up coming apple picking season. We were discussing all the yummy things we would make and how “nothing” taste better then an apple picked fresh from the tree. Jill even showed me some pictures of her apple trees. The first ones we looked at were of trees covered in blossoms. If you have never seen apple trees in blossom click here, they are stunningly beautiful and fragrant. Next we viewed the pictures of the trees with apples on them. It must be my New England up bringing, but to me, few trees compare in beauty to this tree, with its vibrant red apples ready for the picking.

The apple tree is thought to be one of the first trees to have been cultivated. They have been around some 4,000 plus years, and are now available in thousands; yes you read right, thousands of varieties. In the US alone there are approximately 7,000 varieties. This delicious fruits came to the United States in 1620 with the pilgrims. The US began exporting apples in 1741 from Long Island, New York to the West Indies.

American legend Johnny Appleseed, AKA John Chapman, was born in 1741 in Leominster, Massachusetts. He is said to have planted more than 10,000 square miles of orchards from Pennsylvania to Fort Wayne, Indiana, while barefoot and sporting a saucepan for a hat. He died in 1845 at the age of 71.

Apples store well and have many uses. Common apple products for the early settlers were apple cider, butter and the ever-popular apple pie. In 1824, Aemilius Simmons brought the apple seed to Fort Vancouver, Washington. The state of Washington is now the top-producing apple state in the entire country.

I can wait to go apple picking. I just love orchards with all the apple and peach trees. Some even have giant corn mazes and country stores loaded with homemade apple jellies, butter, fresh baked pies and all your favorite fall puzzles.

Happy Puzzling!

Country Music

Hi Puzzlers,

Recently I was out with friends and in typical fashion a lively debate began about American music. I said there was only one music style to have come out of America and that was Jazz, all other forms had been imported with the early settlers. Well, let me tell you, that statement got the Blackberrys and the Googling going. Finally the truth was to be told… I WAS WRONG! Yes you read it right! I made a mistake…a blunder…a goof. The research queen had fallen face-first off her pedestal. The fact is, Country Music also started in the USA. So in a humbling attempt to regain my top research queen status I present to you, my fellow puzzlers and friends, a blog post on the History of Country Music.

The early settlers of the Southern Appalachian Mountains of North America, like most immigrants, could only bring with them their most valued possessions and for many this was an instrument. For the Scottish and Irish it was the fiddle, which could sound sad and melancolic or bright and cheerful. For German immigrants it was the dulcimer, the Italians brought the mandolin, the Spanish brought the guitar, and the West Africans brought the banjo . This fact surprised me a little. I was always under the impression that the banjo had a Southern American origin not an African one. Lesson learned…research the facts before you speak!!!

The intermingling of musicians from different ethnic groups thus produced a unique musical sound. These early 20th century Applachian string bands usually consisted of the fiddle, guitar, and banjo. These ethnic groups migrated to Texas and brought their music with them. Today this type of hillbilly music is commonly referred to as old-time music.

In the1920s radio stations began playing music by local performers from Atlanta and Fort Worth. Barn-dance programs also became popular among radio stations of this time. The radio stations quickly realized this type of music fit the lifestyle of the country's agricultural employees. One of the most significant occurrence in Country Music happened in 1925 when WSM-AMs radio aired the Grand Ole Opry.

As the singing cowboys and cowgirls gained popularity in 1930s-1940s for their Hollywood films so too did their music. Some western music bands infused Jazz into their sound and it would soon be known as Western swing within the dance halls. In 1935 Bob Wills added drums to his band’s instrument line up and in 1938 added the electric guitar. The integration of these two types of music became know as Country & Western music and as they say, the rest is history.

Happy Puzzling!