Skip to main content

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...

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

5 Top Tips for New Sewers

 While I still consider myself a beginner sewer, I do feel that I have made some progress. It's now been about a year since I started sewing again, having not got far at all the first time I tried. I dusted off the sewing machine to make some face masks at first, and that really boosted my confidence to start making more and more. Recently I made a couple more face masks and was surprised at how much better I was at them and how much I understood about the reasoning behind the construction method and pattern. Proof of progress!  So even though I still feel very much like a beginner, and have a LOT still to learn and many skills to practice, I thought I would share the most useful things I have learned to date plus some resources that have helped me. 1. PINS . Seriously. Pin everything together. Then go back and add more pins. I used to shove a couple of pins in and then get cross that the fabric slipped or the lines were wonky. Pins (or clips) are your friends. Make your seam ...
4 comments
Read more

Eco-friendly Upcycled Face Wipes

 I recently ran up some eco-friendly face wipes for a friend. These are designed to replace cotton pads or face wipes, and are washable. To increase their green credentials I made the pad section from an old towel. I had some charm squares spare, so used those as the backing fabric. I cut the towel into squares that were slightly smaller than the charm square, and wrapped the fabric over the towel piece to form a small border.  I then sewed the top fabric down with a zigzag stitch. This meant I was mainly sewing on the fabric, as my machine can't sew through towel (unless I haven't found the right setting or needle of course)! Very very simple, but pretty and functional! There are lots of tutorials for other ways to make these face wipes, such as:  https://www.arosetintedworld.co.uk/how-to-make-reusable-make-up-remover-pads/ It seems to be even more simple with an overlocker:  http://juliawithanh.com/sewing/23-reusable-face-pads You can even crochet some! https://dab...
Post a Comment
Read more

Failing better...?

 Choosing to ignore the many arguments about whether Samuel Beckett's 'Fail Better' quote is less motivational and more despairing when actually read in it's original context I'm here today to blog about why I find #sewingfails a useful (if still a dispiriting) experience. And why I think making a toile or muslin is a must in dressmaking, especially when trying a new pattern for the first time! This started with an experiment (SCIENCE!) - In the Year That Shall Not Be Named I had planned to get back into sewing more than I have in recent years. I started the year with a brand new sewing machine (my trusty vintage New Home having finally died a death), a plan to take a class a month on something  craft or sewing related and a vague internal promise to actually use up some of my ridiculous sewing fabric stash. I...failed. Classes were cancelled after I only managed the first 3 (Jan-Mar), WFH did not bring bags of time & energy for sewing and from Monday to Friday ...
4 comments
Read more