Monday, January 20, 2014

Oriental Tulip quilt block

Oriental Tulip
August 20, 1933-The inspiration for the Oriental Tulip quilt block came from an old Egyptian embroidery design found on temple hangings and robes according to Nancy Cabot writing for the Chicago Tribune eighty years ago.

The colors of the block "deep golden yellow, white and two shades of green, are an exact reproduction of those used in the original design," she wrote.

I have not been able to find any info on the Egyptian design she is referring to so I'm not sure how the block was to be colored. I based my color placement on her newspaper drawing.

This is an unusual block in that it is not square. This is the first time Nancy Cabot has introduced a block like this. I didn't make it because it won't be suitable for my sampler quilt of 6" blocks.

I could only find one quilt made using the Oriental Tulip block and it is not made exactly as Nancy had drawn it in her column but it's close. You can view it at the Quilt Index. It is made of pink, lavender and yellow tulips.

Tomorrow-Oakleaves and Acorns

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