Bound to the Prairie
Bound to The Prairie
- a quilters journal #6
Welcome to the late 1800's when life was simpler and folks were tougher. While researching my stories, I am always struck by the amazing courage and strength of the women who traveled West with their families - or alone - for free land and a new life, unaware of the struggles and hardships that awaited them. They not only faced these ordeals and survived, but thrived on the wild Kansas prairie. I respect and admire all the women and men who came before me to tame this uncivilized territory so that I can live in comfort and security.
The quilter's voice in these pages, Lily, was a real person who came with her husband. TM, from Kentucky to claim free land during the land rush of the mid-1800's. Lily and TM are the ancestors of my former partner Gayla Shafstall. The events and most of the people in the story are fictional with names of family members and friends. We first began our journey with Lily in Piecing the Trail to Kansas back in 1998. The story went on with Threads of the Civil War, Stitches on the Oregon Trail, Kansas/Oregon Quilt Connection, and Seeds of Time. Bound to the Prairie continues the saga of LIly and her family and friends, quilting their way through life in a time when piecing a quilt was as much for warmth as beauty. These women expressed themselves through their quilting and stitched their hearts and souls into them, just as we do today. The difference is, we can do it quicker with rotary cutters and computerized machines, in air conditioned or heated comfort, and order out for pizza if we don't want to make supper. I hope you enjoy the quilt projects we've shared along with the laughter and tears in the pages of Lily's journal.
- a quilters journal #6
Welcome to the late 1800's when life was simpler and folks were tougher. While researching my stories, I am always struck by the amazing courage and strength of the women who traveled West with their families - or alone - for free land and a new life, unaware of the struggles and hardships that awaited them. They not only faced these ordeals and survived, but thrived on the wild Kansas prairie. I respect and admire all the women and men who came before me to tame this uncivilized territory so that I can live in comfort and security.
The quilter's voice in these pages, Lily, was a real person who came with her husband. TM, from Kentucky to claim free land during the land rush of the mid-1800's. Lily and TM are the ancestors of my former partner Gayla Shafstall. The events and most of the people in the story are fictional with names of family members and friends. We first began our journey with Lily in Piecing the Trail to Kansas back in 1998. The story went on with Threads of the Civil War, Stitches on the Oregon Trail, Kansas/Oregon Quilt Connection, and Seeds of Time. Bound to the Prairie continues the saga of LIly and her family and friends, quilting their way through life in a time when piecing a quilt was as much for warmth as beauty. These women expressed themselves through their quilting and stitched their hearts and souls into them, just as we do today. The difference is, we can do it quicker with rotary cutters and computerized machines, in air conditioned or heated comfort, and order out for pizza if we don't want to make supper. I hope you enjoy the quilt projects we've shared along with the laughter and tears in the pages of Lily's journal.