by Jane Peart
Also included is a brief outline of how to make your own American quilt, based on the Carolina Lily, the pattern discussed in this book.
Thank you again for reading this book. Zondervan and Jane Peart take pride in bringing you wholesome historical novels that can be read by people of all ages. If you have enjoyed this volume and the other volumes of the American Quilts Series, then be sure to read Jane Peart’s other two outstanding series: The Brides of Montclair Series and the Westward Dreams Series. The twelve volumes of Brides of Montclair Series tell the epic story of a single Virginia family from before the American War of Independence to the twentieth century. The Westward Dreams Series contains four books, all of which portray independent-minded women from the East who travel to the Western territories in the nineteenth century to find new lives for themselves and, of course, romance.
Happy reading.
The Editors of Zondervan Publishing House
Prologue to The Pledge
Spring 1861 Hillsboro, North Carolina
Johanna Elizabeth Davison sat at the small maple desk in her bedroom writing a letter to Wes when she heard her aunt’s voice calling,
“JoBeth come down here at once! Harvell’s brigade is marching by. Do hurry!”
She tucked a stray dark curl back behind her ear then put her pen back in the inkwell. Before getting up she slid the half-written letter under the blotter. Letters to Wes had to be hidden. Hurrying into the hallway she met her mother, Johanna, just coming from her sewing room. They exchanged glances. Although full of understanding, her mother’s eyes held a message JoBeth dared not ignore. JoBeth nodded and together they went down the winding stairway to the hall where Aunt Jo Cady stood at the open front door.
“Come along, you two,” she called over her shoulder as she went out onto the porch and down the steps and along the flagstone walk to stand at the gate. JoBeth and her mother followed.
The May morning was warm, bright with sunshine. Residents from eleven of the houses on the street were rushing out to the strip of grass on either side of the road. In the distance they could hear the drummers beating, the brisk sound of marching feet, the clatter of horses hooves. Then the line of gray-clad soldiers rounded the bend and came into sight. People began to shout ‘hurrahs’ and wave small Confederate flags. Where had they gotten them so soon? JoBeth wondered. North Carolina had only seceded a few days before. Although, of course, secession had been discussed for months, ever since Fort Sumpter and South Carolina had seceded, when President Lincoln called for troops from North Carolina to subdue the sister states labeled rebels, Governor Ellis’ response had been immediate. “I can be no party to this violation of the laws of this country and to this war upon the liberties of a free people. You can get no troops from North Carolina.” The state had enthusiastically rallied to the Confederate cause.
After that things happened with lightening speed. JoBeth’s uncle Harvel Cady had immediately formed a brigade, and there had been no lack of men ready to join up.
As the soldiers marched by everyone began to clap. Their officers mounted on splendid horses, crisply uniformed with shiny braid and buttons, sash fringes streaming in the wind, sabers glinting . Harvell, astride his gleaming roan-colored mount in the lead, did not look at his relatives nor show any sign of recognition. It would have been unsoldierly to do so. But as he went by his mother, he seemed to sit a little straighter, jutting out his chin, with its bristle of mustache and well trimmed beard.
Among the rows of erect soldiers were many JoBeth knew; boys she had played with, gone to school with as children, later had danced with, flirted with, teased. Now they were almost unrecognizable with their military bearings, new, serious expressions, eyes straight ahead, not looking to right or left .
As she looked at the passing parade of familiar faces JoBeth felt an enormous sadness. Only one person was missing. For her the most important one; Wesley Rutherford, at college in Philadelphia. And even if he were here, he would not have been in the group. Wes had already expressed his deep doubts about the division among the states, saying, “Both North and South fought to create the United States, we shouldn’t break apart now.”
Next month when he graduated Wes would come back to Hillsboro where he had made his home with his relatives the Spencers. JoBeth worried about what would happen then. Will and Blakley, twin cousins his own age, had already gone to Raleigh to enlist.
In spite of the warmth of the day, JoBeth shivered. A feeling of impending trouble, a kind of premonition. The bright day seemed to darken. Suddenly, even though surrounded by family, friends of a lifetime, she felt cut off from everyone else. All at once JoBeth realized that she was the only one in the crowd not happily cheering.
To read more, ask your local bookseller for The Pledge by Jane Peart.
How to Make Johanna’s Luilt
Appliqué allows you to create your own design by stitching bits of fabric on a foundation material. The Carolina Lily quilt is easy to make if you follow the step-by-step instructions. Allow your creativity to blossom by selecting your favorite colors for your own lilies. No two lilies are the same on the Carolina Lily design, but our instructions will allow you to make the flowers look symmetrical to each other.
First, sew two diamonds. Stitch from the bottom of the diamond to the top seam. Second, sew two pairs of diamonds together making one Carolina Lily blossom. Be careful to sew from the bottom of the diamonds to the top—do not sew through it. Now, sew the long side of a triangle to the base of the blossom. You may need to trim the ends of the petals within 1/8 of the sewing line, while gradually tapering the points. Next, make the stems by folding green strips along each long edge. Put the center stem on top of the side stems. You may need to trim the side stems where they meet the center stem to avoid bulk. Hand-baste or pin the Lilies onto the foundation. Trim the stems, allowing 1/4” under the flower. Finally, using small slip stitches, applique the stems and the Carolina Lilies. If you prefer to work with felt, wool, or nonwoven materials use the buttonhole embroidery stitch instead.
Now to assemble the quilt top, trim the sides of the appliqued block so they are all equal in length. Make three vertical rows of four blocks, joined with long sashing strips. Press each seam toward the sashing strips. Each of these rows should have the same measurements too.
Now you are ready to layer and quilt. The backing fabric should be divided into two equal lengths.
Sew the two sides together. Outline-quilt around all the flowers and stems. Lastly, quilt the marked designs.
Finally, to complete the quilt sew the strips together in a continual diagonal seam. Stitch through all the layers around the quilt. When you reach the starting point overlap the ends.
Your Carolina Lily quilt will forever bloom the fruit of your needle art.
Acknowledgments
The author would like to acknowledge the following authors for their books, which proved to be invaluable in the research and writing of this book.
Dennis Duke and Deborah Harding, America’s Glorious Quilts
Wilma Dykeman, The Tall Woman
John Parris, Roaming the Mountains
Suzy Chalfant Payne and Susan Aylsworth Murwin, Creative American Quilts Inspired by the Bible
Lillian W. Watson, editor, Light from Many Lamps
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