The #JacobinDay Quilt Block Swap (#JDQBS)

 

It all started with a Tweet...

Well, maybe it all started in 1793, when the new French government introduced a new calendar, one that was stripped of royal and religious influences, used a decimal system, and celebrated the ordinary, everyday passing of the seasons within nature, agriculture and gardening.

According to our friend Wikipedia the months were given new names based on Parisian weather patterns:

• Autumn:
  • Vendémiaire (from French vendange, derived from Latin vindemia, "vintage"), starting 22, 23, or 24 September
  • Brumaire (from French brume, "mist"), starting 22, 23, or 24 October
  • Frimaire (From French frimas, "frost"), starting 21, 22, or 23 November
• Winter:
  • Nivôse (from Latin nivosus, "snowy"), starting 21, 22, or 23 December
  • Pluviôse (from French pluvieux, derived from Latin pluvius, "rainy"), starting 20, 21, or 22 January
  • Ventôse (from French venteux, derived from Latin ventosus, "windy"), starting 19, 20, or 21 February
• Spring:
  • Germinal (from French germination), starting 20 or 21 March
  • Floréal (from French fleur, derived from Latin flos, "flower"), starting 20 or 21 April
  • Prairial (from French prairie, "meadow"), starting 20 or 21 May
• Summer:
  • Messidor (from Latin messis, "harvest"), starting 19 or 20 June
  • Thermidor (or Fervidor*) (from Greek thermon, "summer heat"), starting 19 or 20 July
  • Fructidor (from Latin fructus, "fruit"), starting 18 or 19 August

Within each month, every day has a different dedication, for example the 25th to 30th of Ventôse (15th-20th March) celebrate Tuna, Dandelion, Wood Anemone, Maidenhair Fern, Ash tree, and Dibbers. The whole calendar with all dedications can be read at the aforementioned Wiki page.

A contemporary French illustration of Messidor (June-July)

OK, this is all fascinating, but what ON EARTH does it have to do with crafting during lockdown?!?

Well, @melindahaunton got interested in the Revolutionary Calendar, and started a daily photo challenge to post an image of that day's dedication on Twitter, using the hashtag #JacobinDay (Jacobin being a nickname for the French Revolutionaries). The challenge soon attracted a community of devotees and became a delightful distraction during lockdown.

The challenge expanded from offering a simple photo of the item in question to puns, anagrams, artworks, gifs and sideways thinking. There were poetry reading and prizes for some months! The Twitterati who participate in #JacobinDay have significant cross-over with those who also do #ConfinedCrafting...

So when @LouiseARay posted a beautiful chard-themed fabric design for 6 Germinal (March 27) and @toastteacake suggested the making of a #JacobinDay quilt ... there were quite a few enthusiastic people willing to make that happen!

I'll explain more about how we intend to make the quilt(s) in my next #JDQBS post...