ABD Quilt for 100th Reunion 2025
Quilt Directions
YOUR PERSONAL BLOCK
Your 100% cotton block is washed and pre-cut to a 12×12 inch square. HOWEVER, the outer inch is for me to sew the pieces together so you actually have an 11×11 inch square. You can measure one inch from all sides and pencil in a one inch line to help you remember.
PLEASE ADD YOUR NAME/FAMILY NAME TO THE QUILT BLOCK!! (You can embroider by hand, machine or ask a friend to help.) Your family can make more than one block.
IDEAS
- You can add 100% cotton pieces to the block to create a pattern.
- Take a picture of your family and sew it to the block.
- Add a memento to the block (embroidery)
All fabrics have to be pre-washed and 100% cotton (no blends).
DUE DATE
All quilt blocks are due back to Barbara Haulenbeek by September 2024.
Barbara Hauenbeek
1626 Kindle Ave.
Deptford, NJ 08096
Feel free to email me for ideas, your excitement, or problems you may find at bahaulenbeek@gmail.com.
Quilting Project Update - Barbara Haulenbeek
The Quilting Project for the 100th Annual Reunion is under way and we hope you will play a part by contributing a quilt block! The Blauvelt website is being updated and contains the following information about the Quilting Project:
- Directions to create the quilting block.
- Pictures of the 5 blue and 5 gold fabrics choices and then you select one fabric. Next, email me with your choice and I will send you a 12-inch by 12-inch block in that color.
- Pictures of actual blocks made by our Blauvelt family members. (This section will be updated as we receive more pictures.)
- To help you with ideas, there are pictures from the web of common Dutch motifs, such as wooden shoes, windmills, tulips, etc. on quilts. You could order a pattern and piece the quilt, or make an applique, or create a family photo on fabric to sew to the block.
- Answers to questions asked by members. I will use the questions posed by members and try my best to answer you. (This section will also be updated regularly as questions are asked.)
- There is a section about Elizabeth Griffiths’ Album Quilt. This quilt serves as an inspiration for our 100th celebration. If you attended the 2021 Annual Meeting on Zoom, this was one of the presentations. Cynthia Van Houten and I have researched all the women that contributed to the quilt. There will be pictures of Elizabeth’s quilt, the individual blocks poem stanzas, their Blauvelt ancestor(s), and a YouTube link to the presentation from 2021. Cynthia and I will update this section as we find more information.
**Remember that I need a one-inch seam allowance on every side of the block. In essence you are creating an 11” by 11” design on a 12” by 12” block.
**Remember to embroider/sew your name on your block! I will put ”Barbara A. Haulenbeek”. Some women on Elizabeth’s quilt didn’t embroider their full name, so they are lost to us.
If you are interested in a Zoom meeting, please contact me.
At the 2024 Annual Reunion in San Antonio there will be a time to finish your block during the meet and greet.
I am excited to see what you are creating. You can send pictures of your progress to: abdsecretary2024@gmail.com (notice the change in email!)
I included a picture of one of my family member’s squares for the “Blauvelt News”. She is making tulips in the gold color on a blue square, but the leaves are green. The design takes up almost the entire block.
100 Quilting Project Questions
Here are some questions that members asked as they started their adventure into quilting! Email questions/comments to Barb Haulenbeek at abdsecretary2024@gmail.com.
As a side note: Elizabeth Griffiths’ quilt in 182, which is our inspiration, had a poem stanza written about some of the women who contributed a block. I would like to write a poem with a stanza for each person who contributes. Therefore, I may ask you a couple of questions about your hobbies or special interests, if that is okay. Elizabeth Griffiths’ poem will be on the Blauvelt website soon!!
100 YEAR QUILT LOGISTICS
A. September 2024 at the Annual Reunion in San Antonio. We will have a sewing time set up if needed. If you cannot attend the reunion, I will send you an address for mailing.
A. I will. I imagine it will take me a month to organize the blocks into the quilt and then sew those pieces together.
A. My cousin Sandy has a long arm quilter and, as much as I love to have a quilting bee, proximity problematic. I want to give Sandy 3 months to complete the job.
A. Once the quilt is finished, a professional photographer will take pictures of the entire quilt, including the backing, plus each individual block. We will have novelties available at the 100th Annual Reunion in Tappan September 2025. PLUS, we are going to have the quilt on display at the 100th Annual Reunion!
A. Good question. We could raffle it off, we could add it to the collection at the Orangetown Historical Museum and Archives. They house all Blauvelt memorabelia. This is something to discuss with the membership.
QUILT SIZE
A. Unknown. I’m expecting 25 to 35 blocks that are 11” by 11”.
A. Each block will eventually be 11” by 11”.
A. That is exactly what will happen. I will give you a 12” by 12” square. You will put you design in an 11” by 11” square. You need to email me at the address above. See the colors in the next section.
A. The signature will go anywhere within the 11” by 11” square. I will provide pictures from Elizabeth Griffiths’ quilt in 1852 and there are many examples o where those women put their signature – not initials.
DESIGN OF THE QUILT BLOCK
A. Sure! There are many designs to choose from and a variety of ways to complete your block.
a. Ideas for your design. I’m including a variety of pictures that I found of various Dutch themes, such as wooden shoes, windmills, Dutch children, tulips, and delftware. You can have a picture of your family put onto fabric (100% cotton) and sew that to the block.
b. You can piece a block by cutting the block I will send you and add in other fabrics to complete the design. You may need a little more ABD fabric for that. Here is a tutorial for making a 4-patch block. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1zyZWc9Df8
c. Applique pieces to the block I send you. This is what I am going to do as it seems the simplest for the situation. For example, I’m making the centerpiece as the ABD emblem. I will piece that together and applique the emblem to the block I choose. Here is a tutorial to show an applique process. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOPxNNEv75w
This picture shows some motifs, some designs are pieced and some are appliqued.
More motifs – delftware
Three tulips pieced together and then appliqued.
Three tulips pieced together.
A windmill – piece block
A Dutch Girl (Sun Bonnet Sue) pieced and appliqued and even blanket stitch embroidery around the edges.
My sister-in-law’s block in progress. You can see she used 4 ABD gold colors to make the tulips and mixed greens for the stems/leaves on an ABD blue base. She is sewing the tulips to the block (applique). I can send extra pieces of fabric if you wish to remain totally in the ABD scheme.
COLORS AND FABRIC FOR THE QUILT BLOCK
A. The background block is either blue or gold, in our Blauvelt emblem colors. Here are 2 pictures showing you the color choices available for the block. When you choose your color, email me and I will send you the block. You may use any other color that you like. You can make flower leaves green and the flowers purple, yellow, and pink.. There is freedom here.
A. The only requirement is that the fabric is 100% cotton and washed before you sew it. I hope to use some fabric that I have from my mom’s fabric stash.
ABD Blue colors – 5 to choose from
ABD Gold colors to choose from
Officers of the Association
PRESIDENT
Brian M. Blauvelt
MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY
Pamela Ward
GENEALOGIST
Marilyn N. Bisgrove
The Blauvelt News
The Blauvelt News is published in February, June and October at a cost of $20 per year (included in Membership). Contact our Treasurer or Assistant Treasurer to subscribe. To submit family news contact Editor Susan Heilmann.