Which Way Does It Go?

This is "J-12 Rebecca's Basket", a beginner-level paper-pieced and appliqued block. I chose to make a bias strip for the handle, turned it under using some Mary Ellen's Best Press and a hot iron, and then appliqued it by machine with monofilament thread. The colors are very washed out in this photo.

In Jane Stickle's original quilt, this basket block is rotated 90 degrees to the left, but I decided to photograph it in this direction. Some people insist on placing this block upright in their version of the quilt, but I think I will place it in the same orientation as in the original. I don't think it will bother me if the basket is on its side.

I'm told by some people who have seen the original quilt at the Bennington Museum in Vermont that Jane Stickle's quilt is displayed so that the basket is upright. The reason given is that allegedly "visitors get upset seeing the basket on its side". Quilters who have worked on their own version of the quilt following Jane's layout often get confused when they see the quilt on display in this manner.

So, what was Jane's intention? Did she make a mistake or did she place the basket on its side knowing that when the quilt is placed on a bed and hangs over the sides, the basket is viewed as being upright? We'll never know...