One Long Side Complete

My mind often works in very odd ways, making connections where others see nothing. A quilt saluting Napoleon can have a variety of elements but if it also uses elements common to other quilts it may not seem to connect to Bonaparte at all. I fixed on making a Winding Ways before I went to Paris and saw Napoleon's tomb, but the block does have some attributes in common with Napoleon's life. His path from Corsica to Elba to St. Helena was tortuous with vistas opening up and closing constantly. The outside border has elements suggested by his life and also by the stone floor around his sarcophagus. Laurel leaves surround the beautiful outer stone shell of Finnish porphyry so my border has those laurel leaves, there is a huge sunburst of rays around the laurel circle so I have included that as well, and the famous paintings that show Napoleon with the diadem he placed on his own head suggested the shape and color of the laurel leaves on either side of the sunburst.

  I used many of the greens from the center portion of the quilt, sometimes incorporating reverse applique on the leaves. The shorter sides will only have the center and the first spray of laurel leaves.