The two curved pieces, one concave and one convex, that make
up the units for this block are the same ones used in all the varieties of the
Drunkard’s Path quilt. This particular variation
is called the ‘I Wish You Well’ block.
It is often interpreted as a meandering, healing, or ‘wish’ pattern, and
is sometimes used in ‘healing’ or encouragement quilts.
Some say the design was created and made by ladies
supporting Prohibition, way back when. There’s
also another story which might be more accurate, since Prohibition was only in
the 1920s-1930s, and this quilt block has been found in quilts dating back far
longer ago than that. It may have been a
silent signal to initiate the journey toward freedom on the Underground
Railroad, giving coded direction to runaway slaves. It may have acted as a preparatory message,
often associated with gathering supplies or signaling the time to begin the
escape, alongside other patterns like the Log Cabin and the Bow Tie.
There are many quilt blocks that had special meaning, and
the runaways knew how to interpret them when they’d find quilts hanging on
clotheslines, lopped over garden gates, or displayed in windows. These stories, however, have been debated for
years.
One block takes me an hour and 15 minutes to piece. I have not yet timed the cutting of the
pieces for one block.
There are over 80 historically documented varieties and
thousands of mathematical combinations of quilt blocks that can be made using
the Drunkard’s Path unit.
