“Crossed & Recrossed”
Design for patchwork quilt
In the nineteenth century, when postage and paper were expensive, letter-writers would often write a page, then turn the paper sideways and write across the lines again to save starting a new sheet. Jane Austen wrote dozens of these “crossed letters” to her sister Cassandra using a quill pen and ink.
This quilt was inspired by the gorgeous Quill fabric collection, designed by 3 Sisters for Moda Fabrics, which featured beautiful imagery of hand-written script, vintage illustrations, feathers, blackbirds, and antique florals in greys, duck egg and soft aubergine. The design uses a selection of seven-patch blocks combined to create a lattice of crossing and recrossing lines over the surface of the quilt.
When I was searching for a name for this quilt, I kept thinking of Jane Austen sitting at a desk by an open window on a summer’s evening, listening to the blackbirds and writing long letters to her “dear Cassandra”. When the phrase “much crossed and recrossed” popped into my mind, it seemed perfect to describe the latticed blocks of this quilt.
| Year | 2017 |
| Size | 82″ x 82″ (208 cm x 208 cm) |
| Series or Collection | n/a |
| For | Bramble Patch & Today’s Quilter magazine |
| Pattern available | contact Bramble Patch |
