Quilt Showcase: The Boar’s Head Carol

Once a month, we will try to showcase a quilt from one of our MPS members.  Whether we’ve been quilting for decades or are just beginning our quilting journey, we are a talented bunch; and we inspire each other regularly with the many wonderful quilts that are created.  So it seems fitting that we showcase a quilt in hopes it will inspire others.  (You can click on any of the images to see a larger view.)

The Boar’s Head Carol

Many quilters have that phrase they live by. For Heather, it’s two of them:
“I didn’t know what I was doing, but I didn’t let it stop me,” and the ever-optimistic (and sometimes dangerous) “How hard can it be?”

Honestly? If that doesn’t sound like the beginning of most quilting adventures, I don’t know what does.

Heather has been quilting for quite a while now, and while her earliest quilts were made for her children, her work has evolved into something far more ambitious—and occasionally a little bit wild (in the best possible way). One of her most unique quilts came from a yearly tradition she’s lovingly maintained: creating and donating a quilt for the Portland Revels Midwinter Revel raffle.

In 2019, the Revels production was The Ghosts of Haddon Hall, set in a spooky, 15th-century English manor. Naturally, Heather went straight into research and inspiration mode and landed on the classic “Boar’s Head Carol.” From there, the quilt idea practically demanded to be made.

Heather began by designing four feature blocks representing the boar’s head, a tower of oranges, figgy pudding, and wassail—because if you’re going medieval English feast, you might as well go all in. Since Heather can draw, she sketched the designs first, then translated them into cloth using needle-turned appliqué. (Yes, needle-turned. Take a moment to appreciate that.)

These blocks were arranged around a central poinsettia block, with additional four-patch blocks made from panels and smaller poinsettias filling out the design. At this point, many of us might have said, “That’s gorgeous—done!” But remember Heather’s mantra…

Thinking about medieval English manors, she realized the quilt needed leaded glass windows. And really, how hard can it be? Just diamonds, right?

Well. Turns out diamonds come with bias edges. Lots of bias edges. And those edges have opinions.

Heather has since described making the windows as—her word—“awful.” But with persistence, determination, and a refusal to be defeated by geometry, she conquered those diamonds and added the windows to her quilted hall.

The finished quilt measures 66” x 88” and is absolutely stunning. But more than that, it tells a story—not just of medieval revelry and midwinter traditions, but of a quilter who pushes through the hard parts, learns as she goes, and comes out the other side triumphant.

Somewhere out there, a very lucky raffle winner is loving this remarkable quilt while celebrating the midwinter season and a whole lot of quilting courage.

Be honest–aren’t you a little inspired to ask yourself…
“How hard can it be?” 😉