09 August 2018

Preliminary steps for "Maps" challenge



I've decided I want to map my hometown neighborhood.  It is a small section of Logan, Utah that my great grandparents (and great great grandmother) lived in when they immigrated to America from Switzerland 50 years earlier.  It was nicknamed "Little Berlin" because of all the German speaking people even though the majority were of Swiss decent.

So I set out a grid on my wall using painter's tape and post-it notes to get an idea how just how many people lived in this area.  I used the 1910 Census.  And I figured out how many of them spoke German.

It was fun to read some of the family names that were listed there in 1910 because they were still in the neighborhood when I lived there in 1960.




The tape was marked for the streets and the post-it notes had the house numbers.  Some blocks were filled like the green and blue squares above and other blocks only had a couple of families.  The small line is a canal.

This wall model isn't necessarily how the quilt will look.  I just wanted to get a starting off point.  Now to interpret it in cloth somehow.


I saw this early map below of St. Augustine Florida on TV the other night.  I think it's fabulous the way the houses are identified as well as the orchards and gardens.  It's my inspiration piece.  And it's so interesting with just the black and white.





Time will tell what my quilt actually turns into.  My next step is to pull some fabric.
Robin

5 comments:

Cathy said...

Very interesting and that looks like it will be fun. I can see why you were inspired by the St. Augustine map. Good luck!

Kaja said...

I love a good look at a census - you always learn so much. You have some exciting inspiration, so good luck with the fabric pull and next steps.

Ann said...

Yes, using the census will make an interesting story. I love the orchards on that St Augustine map, too. Keeping people fed is important in building a city. I can't wait to see your fabric pull.

Quiltdivajulie said...

I love your idea and I think that inspiration piece is awesome. Good luck with your efforts.

Mary Marcotte said...

You have melded ideas and history so that they will become one awesome piece. I'm loving all these ideas! Can't wait to see where they take you.