Virginia has been central to American history since literally the beginning. Jamestown was founded in 1607, the first permanent English settlement in North America. The early years were brutal—disease, starvation, and conflicts with Native Americans.
Virginia’s built wealth with the tobacco industry which created dependence on enslaved labor. The first enslaved Africans arrived in Virginia in 1619—the beginning of slavery in English North America, a legacy that shaped our country.
Virginia was the largest and most influential of the 13 colonies, and it produced a big share of founding fathers: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Patrick Henry (“Give me liberty or give me death!”) all called Virginia home. Eight presidents have been born in Virginia—more than any other state! Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, William Henry Harrison, Tyler, Taylor, and Wilson all called Virginia home.
Virginia ratified the constitution in 1788, but the state seceded from the Union in April 1861 and became the backbone of the Confederacy, with echoes remaining to this day. It’s the only place I’ve a giant Confederate Flag waving proudly from the highway berm (something I wasn’t prepared for).
The Civil War broke the state. West Virginia broke away in 1863 to stay with the Union, taking a third of Virginia with it. Virginia didn’t do much better in the fight for civil rights, deciding to close schools rather than integrate.
Today Virginia is home to the Pentagon, built during World War II, and is the headquarters of the Department of Defense. Arlington National Cemetery honors America’s war dead. Shenandoah National Park runs through the north with George Washington and Jefferson National Forest toward the south.
Visiting Virginia helped me grasp the scope of time that has passed since Englishman first landed at a place they’d call Jamestown. As a west coast person, the history I’ve learned is fairly short, but it’s much longer on the east coast. I hadn’t grasped that it was actually a British colony, overruled by the monarch, for well over a hundred years. Colonial Williamsburg was incredibly educational, both in the strides that were made and the suffering that occurred. I highly recommend spending a day there if you get the opportunity–it expanded my understanding and interest in American history by leaps and bounds
While we were there, we were able to a drive up through Shenandoah National Park, along Skyline Drive to see the phenomenal views across the valley and visit the Luray Caverns nearby.
We also visited Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s home, to tour the grounds, the home and slave quarters. There is so much history there and the tour guide was an absolute wealth of knowledge. The tiny row of buildings used to house his slaves, his relationship with Sally Hemings, his love of literature and his desire to bring independence to the colonies. I bought a copy of Thomas Jefferson, a biography by R.B. Bernstein and a magnet that says “I cannot live without books,” a quote attributed to Jefferson.
While I was in the area, I had to stop at the Virginia Quilt Museum in Dayton where there are dozens of quilts on display, traveling exhibitions and more sewing ephemera and tools than I’ve ever seen.
They had a wall of sewing machines, but machines dotted the exhibits and I was fascinated by many, unsure of how they work or what they do!
Quilt Block
I spent quite a bit of time trying to find a block for Virginia, but finally decided to design one of my own, inspired by their tourism slogan: Virginia is for Lovers. The two hearts are pieced in strips with triangles transforming it into a rectangle.
Be sure to color in your line drawing to keep track of which piece is which and then lay them out as they will be sewn. When I made it for the Virginia Lovers tutorial, I simply grouped them by sections, but I think that laying the block out will make it all very simple.
Quilt Shops
- Patchwork Plus in Dayton hosted our LQS tour (you can see the video here) and were some of the kindest (and silliest) folks. I haven’t laughed that hard at a quilt shop since.
- Bobbin & Bolt in Richmond also hosted a live show where we taught folks to make an embroidered blanket. Her shop is full of bright, modern fabrics and lots of BERNINA machines.
- Sew Classic Fabrics (https://www.sewclassicfabrics.com/) in Rockingham offers a wealth of classes, as well as a wide variety of fabrics and notions.
I can’t wait to see what you make with the Virginia Lovers block! If you’ve been to or live in Virginia, tell me about your favorite quilt shops or places to visit there!
Happy sewing!
