Friday, March 13, 2015

Courthouse Steps

Do you love the courthouse so much that you are inspired to design a quilt pattern in its honor?
It has already been done!  The quilt design "Courthouse Steps" has been around since the 1850s.  This charming design is a variation on the classic "Log Cabin" quilt.  The Log Cabin quilt represents the hearth and home and the Courthouse Steps quilt represents country and democracy.  In early America, the local courthouse held a pivotal role in everyday life.  There the laws were written, deeds to property were kept, and records of births and marriages were generated.  The Courthouse Steps has remained a popular pattern since its creation.  So lady lawyers...get our your sewing machines and put one together.  If you can pass the bar exam, you can do this!

Here is a beautiful examples of the Courthouse Steps quilt:




As you can see, the pattern depicts steps leading up to a central focal point.

Quilt-in-A-Day, an outstanding quilt store in San Marcos, CA, has a book entitled "Courthouse Steps Quilt", written by Judy Knoechel.  It can be purchased at the store or online: http://www.quiltinaday.com/shoponline/book/638



Additionally, the owner and headmistress of Quilt-in-a-Day, Eleanor Burns, has created a sparkling variation of the Courthouse Steps:




Look at this great "Lady Justice" fabric by Benartex.  I found this on Ebay.