A Day Off and A Little Bit of History
I took yesterday off. I needed a break and so I took it. R&R (rest and relaxation) are important. Today, I'll do laundry and a little quilting, too.
Two Blocks Today
Yesterday was day 41 for the #The100DayProjectMysteryQuilt. The Block is Peaceful Hours. I think of the "peaceful hours" as the hours just before dawn when the stars are still shining. It reminds me of camping at Crystal Lake, in Northern Wisconsin, as a child.
This is a 6" block. I like the way the tiny triangles set-off the octagon in the center. The octagon is a good place to show-off a favorite print or fussy-cut design. As a paper-pieced block, the triangles are not difficult at all.
The block is from Farm Journal and Farmer's Wife, 1945 (Beyer 2009)
#The100DayProjectMysteryQuilt
And now for day 42. Today's block is Eddystone Light. This is a 6" block.
Eddystone Light – The light at Eddystone Rocks has an interesting history. References appear in movies and novels. And, it is the subject of a poem, Eddystone Lighthouse poem (1824) and a sea-shanty song by Burl Ives (1923). My guess would be the shanty song.
The first lighthouse on the Eddystone Rocks, south of Rame Head in England, was built in 1698. It is the first documented "open-ocean" lighthouse. The Winstanley Tower, named for its designer Henry Winstanley, was an octagonal wooden structure. The tower lasted until the Great Storm of 1703.
The second lighthouse built at the site was designed by John Rudyard (or Rudyerd). It was a conical wooden structure around a core of brick and concrete. The light used mirrors and a chandler of twenty-four candles. This lighthouse was destroyed in a fire in 1755.
The third lighthouse was designed by John Smeaton. He modelled the shape on an oak tree. This lighthouse used prisms with a multi-wick lantern instead of candles. It lasted until 1877 when erosion made the rock foundation unstable. Dismantled and rebuilt on Plymouth Hoe, in Plymouth, England, it is now a memorial and a tourist attraction.
The current lighthouse is the fourth lighthouse at the site. Designed by James Douglass, it is on a foundation next to the stub of the Smeaton Lighthouse. (Sources: Wikipedia and Trinity House)
TRIVIA BONUS – Question: What famous novel mentions the Eddystone Lighthouse not once, but twice in the story?
Answer: Herman Melville's Moby Dick.
The Block
This is another block that can change appearance by shifting the lights, mediums and dark. to achieve different looks.
Nancy Cabot, Chicago Tribune, July 6, 1938*.
*The Quilter’s Album of Patchwork Patterns, Jinny Beyer 2009
How are your projects progressing?
Until next time,