Mary Croft 
East Barnard, Vermont
My Mini Manx Quilt
2021

Hand pieced; hand quilted

“The Manx quilt block came up on one of the quilt blogs that I subscribe to. I was intrigued and had to give it a try. Since it is all done by hand, it is the perfect quilt-as-you-go project. I will be making more.

The Manx quilt block is made by piecing and folding strips of fabric, sewn by hand, onto a foundation fabric. Because of the way it is sewn there is a continuous spiral of stitches on the back. It is theorized that the folded Manx quilt block is the ancestor of our one-layered Log Cabin block.

The Manx quilt block is named after the Isle of Man where it originates dating back to about 1820. Lacking rulers, they used their hand for measurements. The span of your hand determined the size of the foundation block. The center square, usually red symbolizing the hearth, came from the length of your middle finger. The width of the strips was measured from the base of your thumb joint to the bottom of your thumbnail. With no batting, the folded method of making the Manx quilt gave it added weight for some warmth.”

~ Mary Croft