Long before European explorers landed on New York’s shores, the land was home to the Iroquoian-speaking peoples and the Algonquian tribes. They had developed sophisticated societies, with the Iroquois Confederacy becoming influential with their democratic system. This would later inspire the founding fathers of the United States.
Italians landed in the New York Harbor in 1524, then Henry Hudson brought the English in 1609, but it was the Dutch who really settled in, establishing settlements, including New Amsterdam. Like the They Might Be Giants song taught me, New Amsterdam became New York City in 1664, cementing it as an important location in the fight for independence.
New York ratified the Constitution in 1788. The next year George Washington was sworn in as president, in New York City, the first US capital. By 1810, Washington, DC had replaced NYC as the capital, but the state had become the most populated, a status it maintained until the 1960s. New York City has kept its place as the largest American city since its first census in 1790!
With its wide variety of geography–the Catskills in the west and Long Island in the East–there is no one way to describe the state. But remember that it is much more than the city that bears its name.
The first time I visited New York was a trip to NYC with some online friends way back in the early 2000s, in the days of newsgroups like the one that we all belonged to. The four of us met in the Big Apple and did a bit of exploring together and alone. I remember walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, just awed by the sheer size of it all.
When we came through on our LQS tour (let’s just say that driving an RV through NYC should get Hawke some sort of award), we spent most of our time on Long Island. We had a show there at a local shop and were treated to life in Bohemia. To this day, No Gluten Kneaded there is my favorite bakery and I have my friend Linda to thank for it.
Long Island is also home to Amityville, so I had to go see the house (and the boathouse, of course)! I’ve read The Amityville Horror several times and just wanted to see it for myself.
After traveling through Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, we drove back through Syracuse and Rochester, we made our way to Buffalo to visit Niagara Falls–truly one of the most magnificent sites I’ve seen. If you haven’t been, make sure you bring the rain gear and your passport!
Quilt Block
If you guessed we were going to use a New York Beauty block for this state, you were right. One of my favorites, its easier than it looks when you combine some techniques. For this one, we use paper piecing for the spikes, glue and pin basting for the curves and cut things just a tad bigger so we can square up.
You can find all sorts of variations on the New York Beauty, in different construction techniques. Here are a few recommendations for you:
- Dazzling New York Beauty Sampler by Cinzia White
- A Brief History of the New York Beauty from the Quilt Index
- Bill Volckening‘s New York Beauty book and collection
Quilt Shops
- Calico Gals in Syracuse is owned by Janet Lutz, the spark behind the Row By Row Experience and Quilters Trek, two programs that were the beginning of shop hops with prizes. The shop hosts a multitude of classes and shares weekly Shenanigans on YouTube.
- Sew What’s New and Yarn, Too in Islip hosted our live show (with my daughter helping!) It’s a small shop, equally divided between yarn crafts and quilting fabrics, so if you’re into both, the shop was made for you!
I can’t wait to see your New York Beauty block! If you’ve been to or live in New York, tell me about your favorite quilt shops or places to visit there!
