Quilty DooDads: International Quilting Bee

I can't believe my first quilting bee is an international quilting bee, Star of Africa. Ladies from North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa create one block each month and mail them to a member of the group. This month we were asked to create an 8 or 10 inch block representing our countries. Since there were several ladies from the US in the group, I decided to make a block representative of my current home state, Tennessee.

Country music, Elvis, Gone with the Wind, cotton fields, hamburgers and football...these were the things that came to mind when group members thought of Tennessee. Looking for quilting inspiration, I wondered around downtown Nashville and found these classic landmarks that were in line with the preconceptions of the group:

Patti, from Retired to Quilt, is the lucky recipient of our quilt blocks this month. I'm not going to show you a picture of the quilt block yet, because Patti wanted to be surprised. I mailed my block off on Thursday (6/11). Check back in the next week or so to see how I incorporated these two Nashville icons into my quilt block. (I hope she likes it...but I'm a little worried. I don't want to disappoint anyone.)

I also thought I would use this space each month to share a little Tennessee/US history with you. For my international friends, you will find Tennessee in the southeastern US. During the War of 1812 Tennessee acquired the nickname, the "Volunteer State," when volunteer soldiers fought valiantly in the Battle of New Orleans. The nickname was solidified during the Mexican War when President Polk asked for 2,600 Tennesseans to volunteer to aid in the war. Within a week, 30,000 soldiers from Tennessee volunteered to participate in the cause.

As my international friends observed, Tennessee is known as the home of Elvis Presley and his estate, Graceland, can be found in Memphis. Tennessee is also well known for its country music roots. It is the home of the Grand Ole Opry, Music Row, and the Country Music Hall of Fame. For more information, check out these websites.

Country Music Hall of Fame

Grand Ole Opry

The Official Elvis Presley Website

Fun Facts about Tennessee

Thanks for stopping by. More on the modern "Envy" block quilt, I'm working on in the next couple of days.