Friday, January 31, 2014

Roses and Peonies quilt block

Roses and Peonies
August 31, 1933-The title of Nancy Cabot's Chicago Tribune column for today was, Fence Guards Riotous Posies on This Quilt. Ha! Roses and Peonies is the name of the quilt block she is talking about.

Nancy believed the pattern to be from Tennessee.  She wrote, "Roses and Peonies," two of the principal favorites of the flower garden, are here combined in one quilt block. And all kept within bounds by a picturesque fence."

I have not been able to find any examples of patterns or quilts made using this block.

Tomorrow-Princess Feather

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Lavender Puzzle quilt block

Lavender Puzzle
August 30, 1933-Today's Lavender Puzzle quilt pattern came into existence over a hundred years ago when "somebody's great-grandmother grew weary of all the old quilt patterns that had been used so often and by so many people," according to Nancy Cabot. I wonder how she knows this!

She goes on to explain that the Lavender Puzzle quilt pattern was created using "the old childhood pastime of folding squares of paper many times and cutting through the folds to make "snowflakes." I often wonder where Nancy Cabot found the history of some of these blocks!

I haven't been able to find any quilts or patterns using this design.

I assume you would make this block using the Hawaiian applique technique.

Tomorrow-Roses and Peonies

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Beads quilt block

Beads
August 29, 1933-Today's quilt pattern is entitled Beads. "Don't let the modernistic touch in this quilt pattern fool you" wrote Nancy Cabot in her Chicago Tribune column. She claimed the design to be from the early days of Texas.

The Beads quilt block has a very planned color scheme. The four beads in the corners and the four beads in the center are to be of a plain dark fabric. Between each of the center beads, the bead is to be a lighter plain fabric. The remaining eight beads are to be made of coordinating prints.

There are two very interesting quilts made using this Beads pattern here and here.

Tomorrow-Lavender Puzzle



Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Bouquet quilt block

August 28, 1933-"A bouquet for your boudoir," is how Nancy Cabot describes her block for today.

The Bouquet block is to be made from "all the colors and prints buried in your scrap bag" to make the blocks "the gayest and cheeriest yet achieved," she explains.

"The stems and leaves must be green, the ribbon bows something that will harmonize with the general scheme." she added. Nancy also suggested making each flower different. What a great pattern to use up very tiny scraps!

The Bouquet block is yet another that I have not been able to find any patterns or quilts made from.

Tomorrow-Beads

Monday, January 27, 2014

Louisiana Rose quilt block

Louisiana Rose
August 27, 1933-Louisiana Rose, Prize Winner, Boasts a Long Record of Popularity was the subtitle of Nancy Cabot's column today.

She wrote, "Flaunting the blue and gold ribbons of a prize winner, today's quilt pattern created something of a sensation in a recent quilt contest-one of the largest ever held." I believe she is referring to the Sears Quilt Contest at the 1933 World's Fair which can be seen here. Be sure to read the history of the quilt below its' picture.

Nancy wrote, "The block is best executed in two shades of rose. The border is effective in green but many quilters prefer it also in rose." The quilt shown above has a rose border.

Nancy also noted that the quilt could be seen in many color schemes in the south where it was extremely popular.

Tomorrow-Bouquet


Sunday, January 26, 2014

Morning Glory quilt block

Morning Glory
August 26, 1933-The floral theme continues with the introduction of the Morning Glory quilt block today.


Nancy Cabot sold the pattern for this block for "5 cents in stamps or coin" through the Chicago Tribune for which she wrote.


Nancy explained that the "Morning Glory vines when the quilt blocks are joined corner to corner intertwine over the entire quilt."


As far as colors go, she felt "materials matching the natural colors of the flowers would be the logical choice."


Since this is an applique pattern, I did not make it.


Though I can't find any patterns or quilts made using this design, I think a quilt using the Morning Glory block might look like this-



Tomorrow-Louisiana Rose

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Golden Lily quilt block

Golden Lily
August 25, 1933-"The Golden Lily pattern presents an innovation in quiltdom," wrote Nancy Cabot about today's quilt block. She was referring to the fact that the Golden Lily quilt block was "oblong" with "the completed lily blocks joined stem to stem to form a continuous panel design instead of a square block design."

She said that the block could be appliqued in white on yellow, gold on white or "white petals, yellow stamens on a pastel panel would be very effective."

As you can see, I chose a pastel background for my illustration.

This is another block I didn't make because it's not square so not suitable for my sampler of 6" blocks and it's an applique block .

There is a typewritten copy of Nancy Cabot's newspaper article here. I was not able to find any quilts or patterns for this design.

A Golden Lily quilt might look like this-


Tomorrow-Morning Glory

Friday, January 24, 2014

Wild Rose quilt block

Wild Rose
August 24, 1933-The Wild Rose quilt pattern was a "brand spankin' new pattern, never before published" wrote Nancy Cabot when debuting her pattern in the Chicago Tribune. She suggested searching "for that delicate rose pink material from which to cut your rose petals."

This applique quilt pattern sold for "5 cents in stamps or coin" as did all her patterns up to this point. Since this is an applique pattern, I did not make it for my sampler.

As I have mentioned before, Nancy Cabot sold a quilt pattern everyday for several years and to make all the blocks would be crazy so I have been eliminating blocks not suitable for the 6" size I am making and have stopped making all of the applique blocks so that I have the time to continue this blog.

I have not been able to find a copy of Nancy's pattern or any quilts made using her Wild Rose design though there are many quilts made using that name.

Tomorrow- Golden Lily

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Golden Poppies quilt block

Golden Poppies
August 23, 1933-Golden Poppies is the name of the quilt block presented by Nancy Cabot today.

She described the block as such, "California poppies of a gay yellow and deeply serrated green leaves bob from the checkered basket of brown and yellow fabric." Do you think people really talked like that in the 1930's?

Nancy suggested "a soft mellow old ivory" background fabric to "help emphasize the Golden Poppies, placing them in striking relief."

Nancy Cabot's original pattern for the Golden Poppies quilt can be seen here. The pattern was designed with an 18" block and required only 12 blocks set diagonally with an alternate plain white block. It would look something like this-


I haven't been able to find any quilts made from this pattern.

Tomorrow-Wild Rose

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Honey Bee quilt block


Honey Bee
August 22, 1933-Nancy Cabot introduced her Honey Bee quilt pattern in her Chicago Tribune column on this date.

She explains that the center nine patch represents the honey comb while the three melon shaped pieces symbolize the honey bee.

She suggests using plain fabric and light yellow prints or "delicate golden yellow on a background of white" to make the Honey Bee quilt "everything it should be in a charming and unusual quilt."

However, if you look at Nancy's original pattern here, you will see she gives specific fabric colors that are a little different than what she wrote in her column. I used the colors from her pattern when making my 6" Honey Bee block.

A Honey Bee pattern by the Progressive Farmer is shown here. It is very similar to Nancy's pattern but suggests the bee body be made of a dark plain fabric with the wings being made from a light print. The center nine patch was to be made of white and a dark print. I wonder how often quilters used the suggested fabrics?

Here's a shot of the parts of this block-


The center nine patch is made from squares of fabric that are cut at 1 1/2" making the nine patch finish at 3". The four background squares are cut 2" square and the sides strips are cut at 2" X 3 1/2". It seems kind of silly to cut the corner squares when it's all the same fabric but it does make it easier to place the parts of the bee that are appliqued on. I fused my bees on but they can be appliqued any way you like. The little bee parts are shown around the edge of the block.

My pattern can be downloaded here. There is a pattern for a 10" Honey Bee block at Quilter's Cache if you are interested in making a larger block. Quilt in a Day has a pattern for an even larger Honey Bee block here. They don't give the exact size but I think it's 12 1/2" finished. This block can also be found in Electric Quilt's Blockbase program as #2217.

This block must have been popular because I found several quilts made using the pattern. Click on the links below to view the Honey Bee quilts.

on point with alternating plain blocks

with alternating flower blocks

with vine border

green and yellow quilt

Tomorrow-Golden Poppies







Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Oakleaves and Acorns quilt block

Oakleaves and Acorns
August 21, 1933-Oakleaves and Acorns was the quilt pattern of the day in Nancy Cabot's Chicago Tribune column.  The pattern is very old, originating in 1765 in Massachusetts according to Nancy.

She states that the Oakleaves and Acorns quilt block was originally pieced from "old fashion red and green" but felt it "would be much prettier and certainly more realistic, however, if done in the natural shades of the oak leaves and acorns...green and shades of brown."

Since this is an applique pattern I did not make it for my sampler.

Tomorrow-Honey Bee

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

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Nasturtiums quilt block

Nasturtiums
August 19, 1933-Nasturtiums is the name of Nancy Cabot's quilt pattern today. She seems to have a floral theme going the last few days!

In her column she wrote,"This nasturtium block gives quilt makers a rare opportunity to let their love of color run riot." She suggested using all of the yellows and the rich reds for the flowers and green for the leaves to make the most realistic quilt. "Then to enhance them all let them nod from a bowl of a cobalt blue," she wrote.

Since this is an applique block I did not make it for my sampler.

Tomorrow-Oriental Tulip


Saturday, January 18, 2014

Jonquils quilt block

Jonquils
August 18, 1933-"Two shades of yellow is the proper color scheme for the blossoms themselves, with stems and leaves of green," wrote Nancy Cabot in reference to her quilt pattern today entitled Jonquils.

She was very specific about the coloring of the Jonquils quilt block and it's use.  In addition to the colors specified above, Nancy said if the pattern was to be used for a pillow top, the flower bowl should be cut from a light fabric and a black background should be used. But, when making a quilt, the background should be tan or pale green and the flower bowl a dark brown, black or green.

Since this is an applique block I did not make it for my sampler.

Tomorrow-Nasturtiums

Friday, January 17, 2014

Forget-Me-Nots quilt block

Forget-Me-Nots
August 17, 1933-The Forget-Me-Nots quilt pattern "enjoys rare popularity for one so new, and especially with those quilters who prefer blue quilts," explained Nancy Cabot in her daily column for the Chicago Tribune.

She said the flowers were to be made from "Forget-Me-Not blue" and the bow from a harmonizing shade of blue.

Since this is an applique block I did not make it for my sampler. I was not able to find any patterns or quilts using this block.

Tomorrow-Jonquils

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Single Lily quilt block

Single Lily
August 16, 1933-The Single Lily quilt block "was at one time a great favorite with quilters everywhere, though examples of it are rarely seen," stated Nancy Cabot when writing about today's block in the Chicago Tribune.


This block looks familiar to me but I have to agree with Nancy that examples are rarely seen as I could not find any blocks or quilts, new or old, to show.


The "Single Lily" is a delightfully simple design to cut and piece, and is most attractive made up in soft yellow prints, with the lower petals and stem in green," she went on to say. Nancy suggested the background fabric be "milk white" or "natural white."





The Single Lily is an easy block to piece using half square triangle blocks. I modified my 6" block a little to end up with these pieces-


The single blocks are cut 2" square to finish at 1 1/2" and the half square triangle blocks finish at 1 1/2". The block in the corner with the stem and leaves finishes at 3".

To make the corner block, start with a 4" square of background fabric cut on the diagonal and a 1" X 6" strip of fabric to be used for the stem.  You also to cut need 2 leaves. I used fusible to attach my leaves but you can applique them any way you want. Cut whatever leaf shape you like.

Sew the stem to the two triangles with leaves attached by matching the centers of each piece. It will look something like this-


Center your ruler on the diagonal center of the stem and trim the block to 3 1/2".

Sew the block together in sections like shown below and then sew the rows together.


A copy of Nancy Cabot's Single Lily pattern can be seen at the Quilt Index. Her pattern is for a 10" block. A quilt made following that pattern might look like this-



Tomorrow-Forget-Me-Nots

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Rocky Road to Dublin quilt block

Rocky Road to Dublin
August 15, 1933-The Rocky Road to Dublin quilt block was Nancy Cabot's block of the day in her Chicago Tribune column. The block originated in Ireland as one might suspect from it's name.

Nancy wrote, "It may symbolize a rocky road, but it also appears to be a very gay and interesting one."

Her drawing of the Rocky Road to Dublin block showed many fabrics making it much more scrappy than most of the blocks she has shown before. I placed the fabrics in my block just like she illustrated them. I chose all green fabrics since that the color associated with us Irish.

Though this block may look a little complex, it is really just made up of some basic units-four patches and half square triangles.




This is how the parts lay out for my 6" Rocky Road to Dublin block-


The middle section of each side was made by paper piecing.  You can download my pattern pieces here. To make the four patches use 1 1/2" squares of fabric. To make the half square triangle blocks in the corners, use 1 7/8" squares cut on the diagonal to make your triangles. Sew the blocks together in rows and sew the rows together and you have a Rocky Road to Dublin quilt block.

This block can be found in Electric Quilt's Blockbase program as #1696.  Quilter's Cache has a pattern for a 12" block and here's the interesting quilt layout they suggest.

Tomorrow-Single Lily

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Prairie Lilies quilt block

Prairie Lilies
August 14, 1933-Prairie Lilies is Nancy Cabot's block for today. She suggested that making the pattern "in the glowing yellows and creamy whites of the lily will add charm and gayety to any interior. The lilies may be springing gracefully from a dark green bowl against a background of beige." Very poetic!

Nancy further suggested using the Prairie Lilies design to make pillow tops. Her pattern could be purchased for "5 cents in stamp or coin" by sending payment to Nancy Cabot at the Chicago Tribune.

Since this is an applique block, I didn't make it for my sampler. My drawing is based on the drawing Nancy had in her column. The center of the lilies appear to have been embroidered. I have not been able to find any more information on this block.

Tomorrow-Rocky Road to Dublin



Monday, January 13, 2014

Illinois Star quilt block

Illinois Star
August 13, 1933-Made in Yellow and Blue, It Blends Harmoniously with the Decorating Scheme of Man's Room was the subtitle of Nancy Cabot's Chicago Tribune column presenting her pattern for the Illinois Star quilt.

She goes on to say that the block was usually pieced from yellow and blue fabric and would "blend appropriately with the interior decorating scheme of the average boy's or man's room."

Nancy thought the Illinois Star was an easy block to make. I suppose it was easier to do by hand but I don't think it would be that easy by machine with the pattern pieces I assume she would have used based on her drawing.

I added a few lines to my Illinois Star pattern for a 6" block so I could paper piece it by making multiples of the same section like this-


Four of these sections are all that's needed to make the block! View my paper piecing tutorial here.

I could not find any examples of blocks or quilts using the Illinois Star quilt block. The block is however available in Electric Quilt's Blockbase program as as #2744. You can download my paper piecing pattern here.

Tomorrow-Prairie Lilies

Shooting Star quilt block

Shooting Star
August 12, 1933-The Shooting Star quilt block is said to have originated in Kentucky. This is another very easy block to make. It can easily be made from squares and half square triangle blocks.

Nancy Cabot, referring to the Shooting Star block, wrote in her Chicago Tribune column, "Old fashioned quilters will cling to the original color scheme of the designer, which was blue and white prints. Young moderns will employ pastel tints."

To make this block, you need four 2" squares of background fabric, four 2" squares of a contrasting fabric, and eight half square triangle blocks made from your background fabric and another main fabric. The half square triangle blocks need to finish at 1 1/2".

The block can also be made like the Clay's Choice block published on April 2, 1933.The center is mirror image and the corners are colored differently but it's still basically the same block as the Shooting Star. I paper pieced the center sections that form the pinwheel in my Clay's Choice block.

Clay's Choice
I decided to make my 6" block yet another way.  I made it all by rotary cutting the pieces. You need twelve 2" squares of background fabric, four 2" X 3 1/2" pieces of a fabric for the center pinwheel and four 2" squares of a contrasting fabric. You assemble the pinwheel sections by sewing on the diagonal of a background fabric square on opposite corners of the rectangular piece as shown below-



A background square and a contrasting fabric square are sewn together and attached to the pinwheel piece like this-


You just need four of the sections like the one on the right above. Simply rotate the sections to create the block!

The Shooting Star block can be found in Electric Quilt's Blockbase program as #1347. Directions for a 12" block can be found at Quilter's Cache.

The is an old pattern from the Ladies Art Co. here and two copies of patterns attributed to Nancy Cabot.

I love this Shooting Star quilt from the 70's! Check out the nifty quilter to hear it's story and see some more quilts made from fabrics from the 1970's. Each background is a different fabric and the block is made from half square triangles and squares like I mentioned above.


Tomorrow-Illinois Star

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Dutchman's Puzzle quilt block

Dutchman's Puzzle
August 11, 1933-Attractive Design Will Appeal to Quilting Novice was the title of Nancy Cabot's Chicago Tribune column introducing her pattern for the Dutchman's Puzzle quilt.  I agree. This is a very easy quilt block to make and it's great for using scraps too!

Nancy wrote,"Old pieces of prints and plain fabrics in your scrap bag can be used in fashioning the many triangles that make up the block."

The Dutchman's Puzzle block is made exactly like the Swastika block from February 27, 1933. The color placement is different according to Nancy Cabot but look at this old pattern from the Ladies Art Co. The third sheet of the pattern shows color placement exactly like Nancy's block. The fourth sheet of the pattern shows the block in color but not the way the previous page tells you to color it. The block they show in color is the Swastika Block!!

To make my Swastika block I used the Quilt in a Day flying geese ruler which was very easy. I decided to make my 6" Dutchman's Puzzle block differently just because there are so many possible ways to put it together. When looking at paper piecing it, I was thrilled to see it could be pieced in just two sections! That had never occurred to me before.  Here are the two sections-


Check out my new tutorial-How to Foundation Paper Piece to learn my easier way of paper piecing.  If you've tried it before and were frustrated by lining up the edges and holding the fabric up to the light etc., then you might like my method. Give it a try!

A couple of other ways to make this block would be to make half square triangle units or flying geese units. The half square triangle units would need to finish at 1 1/2" and you would need sixteen of them. The flying geese units would finish at 1 1/2" X 3" and you would only need eight. Just use your favorite method of making either of these units.

You can download my paper piecing pattern here. This block can also be found in Electric Quilt's Blockbase program as #1339a.

I found several examples of quilts using the Dutchman's Puzzle block-

alternated with plain squares

on point and alternated with plain squares

with sashing

straight set no sashing

multiple background fabrics

very scrappy

Tomorrow-Shooting Star

Friday, January 10, 2014

Oriental Star quilt block

Oriental Star
August 10, 1933-The following is the entire article about the Oriental Star quilt pattern as Nancy Cabot wrote it for her Chicago Tribune column.

"The star family continues to grow. It is without a doubt the largest in our collection. This member is known as "Oriental Star"-one of the newest additions to the group."

This looks like another variation of the Beautiful Star quilt block to me. The section that is pink in the Oriental Star block at the left has points where the Beautiful Star block is straight.
Beautiful Star













I made my 6" Oriental Star quilt block by paper piecing it. If you have never tried paper piecing or have tried and don't like it, you should take a look at my new How to Foundation Paper Piece tutorial. It can always be found on a tab at the top of this blog. I call it foundation paper piecing because it really is a form of foundation piecing. The foundation is paper instead of fabric. The tutorial shows my method for paper piecing which I think is much easier and less frustrating than the traditional methods I have seen.

These are the paper pieced sections I used for my Oriental Star block-


The middle two sections are sewn together and then the sides are added much like you might add a mitered border. I sewed the sides to the center block from seam line to seam line only first. Then I sewed the corner seam up to the corner of the center block. It went together easier than I had anticipated.

You can download my paper piecing templates here. This block can also be found in Electric Quilt's Blockbase program as #3894. 

I found one old pattern that looks like Nancy Cabot's Oriental Star block here. The block is called Home Again and is image #14.

I didn't notice it before I made my block but Nancy's drawing of the block in her column shows each of the large diamonds made from a different fabric but the smaller pointed sections are all made from the same fabric. I think that would make a very nice scrap quilt.

Tomorrow-Dutchmen's Puzzle




Thursday, January 9, 2014

Mohawk Trail quilt block

Mohawk Trail
August 9,1933-"Mohawk Trail" takes its title from a certain technique used by the Indians, in an effort to keep under cover and to battle possible followers when traveling along a winding trail" wrote Nancy Cabot in her Chicago Tribune column regarding the Mohawk Trail quilt pattern. I'm not clear about what technique she is referring to.

The wedge shaped pieces are sewn together "fan fashion and then appliqued onto a white block," explained Nancy.

I have been noticing that all of Nancy's patterns that I have found so far have called for a white background. What goes around, comes around? Many of the modern quilts of recent years have used a white background.

I found a copy of her pattern here. Notice that there is only one pattern piece. Her block finishes at 16" so each of her little fan units would finish at 4". To make a 6" block, the fans would finish at 1 1/2"! I decided not to try to make this block for my sampler. It would be very time intensive if nothing else.

Mohawk Trail can be found in Electric Quilt's Blockbase program as #3369.

The Mohawk Trail block was a very popular block as I found quilts here, here, and here. Mohawk Trail was also known as Chinese Fans, Baby Bunting, and Path of Fans.

Tomorrow-Oriental Star


Wednesday, January 8, 2014

My Favorite quilt block

My Favorite
 August 8, 1933-"Here we have a pattern entitled "My Favorite," although to whom the "my" refers is unknown," wrote Nancy Cabot in reference to her quilt block today.


Nancy mentions that the block was even more popular in "the east than it is here," referring of course to the Midwest since she was writing from Chicago.


She felt that the My Favorite quilt pattern "was well suited to many color combinations and many types of interior decoration."


Though I made this block two colors like Nancy had illustrated it in her Chicago Tribune column, I think there is a lot of opportunity in this block to change colors.




I made my 6" block by paper piecing it. These are the pieces I used-



A copy of my My Favorite pattern can be found here. This block can also be found in Electric Quilt's Blockbase program as #1939.

I have not found any old patterns or antique quilts like the My Favorite design. I would guess it has another name though I don't know what it is.  Anyone familiar with this block?

In playing around with how this block could be used in a quilt I decided I like it best on point like this-




Tomorrow-Mohawk Trail


Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Pennsylvania Dutch Rose quilt block

Pennsylvania Dutch Rose
August 7, 1933-In 1820, the Pennsylvania Dutch Rose quilt block was born and was usually pieced from pink and red fabrics according to Nancy Cabot when writing in her Chicago Tribune column on this date.

She did however suggest, "Other interesting and harmonizing color combinations should not be overlooked...such as varying shades of blue on a yellow-tan background, or combinations of rose on delicate green."

There are examples of two antique quilts made with blocks similar to Nancy Cabot's Pennsylvania Dutch Rose block here and here.  The second quilt has a very interesting setting.

Tomorrow-My Favorite



Monday, January 6, 2014

Flatiron quilt block

Flatiron
August 6, 1933-The Flatiron quilt block is the block of the day. In her Chicago Tribune column, Nancy Cabot wrote,"The old fashioned reliable flatiron furnished the inspiration for today's quilt pattern, just as many other homely household articles have been represented in our early American examples of quilting."

The flatiron she was referring to was the type that was heated and used to press clothes. Today, we use a flatiron to straighten hair! And does anyone press clothes anymore?

Nancy said that it was impossible to trace the origin of the Flatiron quilt block because it was so popular.  This block has also been called Sugar Loaf and Arrowheads.


The drawing for her column shows a section of a quilt instead of just a block. She shows a plain triangle alternating with a triangle pieced of diamonds. The triangles were set together in straight rows. A copy of Nancy's Flatiron pattern can be seen here.

There are examples of antique quilts here and here.

Tomorrow-Pennsylvania Dutch Rose






Sunday, January 5, 2014

Sunbonnet Baby quilt block

Sunbonnet Baby
August 5, 1933-Nancy Cabot introduced her second Sunbonnet Baby quilt block today.


Nancy describes today's Sunbonnet Baby as "sturdy" and writes that she "with her hands in her pockets nonchalantly marches into high favor."


She also felt the design was "one of the most popular designs with the juvenile set."



The first Sunbonnet Baby block was presented on March 28, 1933.



The two blocks are very similar.

The pattern for today has shoes, a simpler ribbon on the bonnet, more detail on the dress and looks "older" to me.


Here is the closest example I could find of a quilt made with Sunbonnet Baby blocks similar to Nancy's.

Tomorrow-Flatiron

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Kentucky Peony quilt block

Kentucky Peony
August 4, 1933-The Kentucky Peony quilt is from Kentucky as the name suggests.  It originated in 1832 according to Nancy Cabot. She wrote that it had not "traveled much north of the Mason-Dixon line and is rarely seen except in the south."


I believe she was correct in saying it was rarely seen as I have not been able to find any examples of this quilt. Maybe it was known by another name also?

Since this is an applique pattern, I did not try to make it for my sampler quilt of 6" blocks.


Nancy's pattern for the Kentucky Peony quilt can be found here.


If one was trying to use her pattern, it might look like this except she says  to use only eight blocks but set diagonally with white squares. I'm not sure how you would only use eight blocks.

Tomorrow-Sunbonnet Baby