Originally home to the Shawnee, Cherokee, and other Native American tribes, Kentucky was used as a hunting ground until Europeans started arriving in the 1700s. This included Daniel Boone who became a legendary figure and despite the TV show, didn’t actually wear a raccoon-skin cap.
Kentucky became a state in 1792, and its location between North and South made it an important state during the Civil War. While the state officially sided with the Union, many fought for the Confederacy.
The state’s history is steeped in both the frontier spirit of American expansion and the painful legacy of slavery. Today, that history is shared through several museums and state exhibits, including the Roots 101 African American Museum in Louisville.
Kentucky is famous for the Kentucky Derby, held every May at Churchill Downs in Louisville, American bluegrass music, and fried chicken—Colonel Sanders started the KFC empire in Corbin.
What puts Kentucky on the map for a lot of people is bourbon–the state produces about 95% of the world’s bourbon. The Kentucky Bourbon Trail is a collection of distilleries across the state that welcome visitors to tour their facilities, learn about the bourbon-making process, and of course, taste whiskey. Maker’s Mark, Woodford Reserve, Buffalo Trace, and Jim Beam, along with more than a dozen other distilleries, are open to tours of the facilities and offer limited editions of whiskey.
When we first visited Kentucky, we went out of our way to get to the world’s longest known cave system: Mammoth Caves National Park. We camped nearby and spent much of the day exploring the caves with a fascinating tour guide. The caves were used by Native Americans starting nearly 5000 years ago, then was used by settlers to mine saltpeter (used in gunpowder for the War of 1812). Later enslaved Africans were brought in to both map out and lead tourists through the caves.
We took another trip to Kentucky for American Quilt Society’s Quilt Week in 2023 and had the opportunity to explore Paducah. Quilt Week is held there every year (this year it’s April 22-25) with classes and a vendor hall and lots of local businesses to check out, including Paper Pieces and the National Quilt Museum.
I’d seen the Little Nis troll on Instagram and marked it on my map, so when we happened to be near Bernheim Forest, we had to stop and look around. The creator, Thomas Dambo has been building trolls with recycled lumber for years now, and they are scattered around the globe. You can check his troll map to see if there’s one near you!
Quilt Block
I designed the state quilt block to commemorate the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. The block uses raw edge applique, a technique that allows all sorts of creativity, including making a whiskey bottle with a red wax seal. There are two parts and then a space between that shows the background fabric. This is the glass bottle, so keep that in mind when choosing fabrics.
I find that using a tear away stabilizer gives a much better final appearance and you can use a matching, contrasting or coordinating thread. In the video tutorial, I used two rows of red thread for the cap, but later decided to add a row of the same color I’d used for the bottle. You do you!
Quilt Shops
- Hancock’s of Paducah is the most well-known of the state’s stores, with an amazing amount of fabric and precut kits.
- Muppin’s Sewing Emporium in Paducah is owned by my friend Cheryl Whited and is an adorable shop filled with patterns, precuts, vintage textiles and lots of tools & notions (including my favorite needles!).
- The National Quilt Museum in just a couple blocks from Muppin’s in Paducah and is well worth the visit to see both the permanent and rotating exhibits.
- Apron Strings Quilt Shop in Maysville was the first quilt shop I ever visited in the state and I’m so glad I made the drive. Settled in delightful downtown Maysville, the shop has a fabulous selection of fabric bundles and precuts.
I can’t wait to see your Kentucky block! If you’ve been to or live in Kentucky, tell me about your favorite quilt shops or places to visit there!
