The history of quilt blocks includes the development of new styles, the use of new fabrics, and the invention of the sewing machine.
Block Style Quilts
Block style quilts became more common in the 1840's. Quilters could use a variety of fabrics to create their blocks.
The Sewing Machine
The invention of the sewing machine in the 1840's radically changed household sewing. The pay-by-installment plan popularized by I.M. Singer made access to a treadle machine possible.
Evolution
The 1970's marked a quilt revival, thanks in part to the nostalgic interest in crafts generated by the American Bicentennial.
By the 1980s timesaving tools and techniques, especially the rotary cutter and strip piecing, began changing quilting. Television personalities such as Georgia Bonesteel, along with the shows Simply Quilts and Quilt-in-a-Day, provided quilt history and instruction.
Religious Blocks
America was founded on the principle of religious freedom, so quilts that reminded the homesteaders of their devotion to God were especially meaningful. Popular quilt patterns were Jacob's Ladder, Cross and Crown, Bethlehem Star, Crown of Thorns, David and Goliath, Eastern Star and Star of Eden.
 |
| God's Eye |
God's Eye
The trip westward was filled with danger and daily challenges which tested even the strongest men and women. The practice of using quilts as burial shrouds was fairly common among westward travelers. A quilt that carried a Biblical name was a source of comfort.
 |
| Rose of Sharon |
Rose of Sharon
One of the oldest applique quilt patterns is the Rose of Sharon. The Rose of Sharon, mentioned in the Bible, might actually refer to a wild tulip that grows today on the plains of Sharon in Palestine.
According to the National Park Service the Rose of Sharon design is believed to be one of the oldest quilt patterns in existence. The exact date of origin is unknown, but appliqué reached the height of its popularity during the 1800s.
Nature Blocks
Nature was an obvious and rich source for quilt patterns. There are numerous patterns named for trees, flowers, animals and birds, crops, fruit and vegetables. Several patterns that reflect nature include Bear Paw, Dove in the Window, Hen and Chickens, Dogwood and Sunflower.
|
| Basket |
Basket
Baskets, with flower designs, were a popular motif among quilt makers from approximately 1850 on, as they could be easily adapted to suit individual tastes, fabrics and color combinations
 |
| Corn and Beans |
Corn and Beans
A quilt pattern that reflects agricultural influence is Corn and Beans, both of which were essential to the homesteaders.
 |
| Dresden Plate |
Dresden Plate
During the 1920's and 30's, Dresden, Germany produced porcelain plates decorated with elaborate designs using flowers, fruits and foliage. These plates became the inspiration for the Dresden Plate quilt block.
 |
| Wild Goose Chase |
Wild Goose Chase
The homesteaders watched the migration of flocks of geese and created quilts with that in mind. The triangle shape is used in hundreds of other quilt designs. In this quilt block, triangles represent the geese. There are at least 14 variations.
Home and Hearth Blocks
The pioneers spent months, sometimes up to a year - preparing for their trip West. In fact, a great deal of sewing was done, as travel guides suggested that each family should bring enough bedding so that each man, woman and child would have 2-3 blankets or quilts.
While some quilts were packed as treasures in trunks, others were kept close at hand for daily use. They served a variety of purposes not only on the trip west, but also once the pioneers arrived at their destination.
 |
| Anvil |
Anvil
Not only did quilt patterns reflect the daily work of the women who helped to homestead the prairie, they told the story of the challenging work of the men. Other old-fashioned and basic patterns include Saw-Tooth, Bowknot, Carpenter's Wheel, Compass, and Monkey Wrench.
 |
| Log Cabin |
Log Cabin
The Log Cabin block is one of the most well-known and popular of all patchwork patterns. To pioneers traveling West, it symbolized home, warmth, love and security.
 |
| Schoolhouse |
Schoolhouse
Settlers went West for a better life, and part of that better life was education. The schoolhouse was often one of the first public buildings constructed in many communities.
The Schoolhouse block was often a variation of a house or church pattern. Most featured a side view of the building and were either pieced or appliqued.
Quilts For a Cause
Through the years, women have been closely connected with political issues. abolition of Slavery, and the Temperance Movement. Their needles became their pens; their quilts their texts.
Patterns, which for years had Biblical or household names, were given relevant names by women who had social concerns on their minds. The pattern known as Jacob's Ladder became the Underground Railroad. The renaming of the Job's Tears pattern to Slave Chain, demonstrated northern women's political sentiments.
 |
| Job's Tears/Slave Chain |
Job's Tears/Slave Chain
The Job's Tears quilt block originated in New England as early as 1760 according. In 1819, it became known as "Slave Chain" due to "the great political disturbance" of admitting "Missouri to the Union and the subsequent problem of slavery".
 |
| Jacob's Ladder/ Underground Railroad |
Jacob's Ladder/Underground Railway
The Jacob's Ladder block was often called the Underground Railroad. Since it was unknown during the early 1800s, before the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation, perhaps this is evidence that it was originally used as a symbol of the Underground Railroad.
 |
| Drunkard's Path |
Drunkard's Path
It is easy to imagine the origin of this name. The meandering diagonals resemble a drunkard's staggering walk.
Prohibited from voting, the Drunkard's Path was a popular way for a woman to express her opinion on alcohol and its use. It appears that more quilts were made for this cause than for any other.
A Matter of Thrift
Nineteenth century quilts were primarily practical. Beauty was secondary. Quilts served as window and door coverings, privacy walls, creating sleeping areas in a one room cabin. Quilts folded and laid on a board placed between two chairs or tree stumps, became a sofa.
The Great Depression of the 1930s popularized the feedsack quilt. Cloth sacks in which animal feed and flour and other staples were packaged were produced in a wide variety of cheerful prints.
 |
| Crazy Quilt |
Crazy Quilt
The Crazy Quilt is probably the oldest of quilt patterns. Early quilters used any scrap or remnant available, regardless of its color, design, or fabric type. Oddly shaped fabric scraps were fitted and stitched together.
 |
| Grandmother's Flower Garden |
Grandmother's Flower Garden
Grandmother's Flower Garden was popular in the late 19th Century, and hit its peak of popularity about 1925. This block was popular during the Depression when quilt making was almost a necessity, as women were forced to return to frugal homemaking once again. The hexagon provided a way to use small fabric scraps.
Other Traditional Blocks
There are thousands of different quilt blocks. Barbara Brackman has documented over 4000 different quilt block patterns from the early 1830s to the 1970s in the Encyclopedia Of Pieced Quilt Patterns. Some of the simpler designs for quilt blocks include the Nine-Patch, Shoo Fly, Churn Dash, and the Prairie Queen.
 |
| Eight Pointed Star |
Eight Pointed Star
Stars are probably the most common motif used on quilts. There are hundreds of star patterns. The simplest and most popular star pattern is an eight-pointed star.
An early 1800s LeMoyne star quilt pattern is housed in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. It was hand-sewn in Massachusetts and is made out of cotton and wool, which were common fabric selections for quilting at the time.
Nine Patch
The Nine Patch is a popular pattern used by pioneer women. The earliest homesteaders had neither time or fabric to spare. Most of the quilts they made were utility quilts, quickly sewn together for warmth.
The Nine Patch is one of the simplest and quickest quilts to sew, and because it was a good way to use up every small scrap of fabric available, it was used often.
Pinwheel
The Pinwheel dates back to the 1790’s and is one of the most common blocks in quilt history. Pinwheel quilts that were made during the Great Depression era (1920s-1930s) were often pieced together with cotton feed sacks.
Sunbonnet Sue
Sunbonnet Sue was one of the most popular patterns to emerge in the early 1930's. Sue had first appeared with her partner, Overall Bill, as outline embroidery in the late 1880's.
During this period, quilts with juvenile themes for the nursery and young children emerged.
No comments:
Post a Comment