Barbara Brackman, author of
Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns, shares her knowledge of traditional pieced quilt blocks with Alex Anderson, host of HGTV 's
Simply Quilts. According to Brackman, the same pattern often has many names, and there is no single, correct name. Here is a sample of some of the more common.
Morning Star or Vestibule - The plain star blocks of this quilt are complemented by pieced sashings between each block. Anderson and Brackman agree that this is a good quilt block for beginning quilters.
Skyrocket - This block was given its name by Ruby McKim in the late '20s, early '30s.
Hens and Chicks or Corn and Beans - This block has many names reflecting the small and large pieces.
Railroad Crossing or Odd Fellows Chain - The intersection pattern of this block is the reason for the Railroad Crossing name. The Odd Fellows Chain name came about due to the small triangle scraps of fabric inside the intersection, which were often referred to as "odd fellows."
Barbara Frietchie Star - This variable star block is believed to have been named for a Revolutionary War heroine.
Strawberry, Queen Victoria's Crown or Caesar's Crown - This complicated block with pieced points and a circle is from the l830s, when quilters were showing off their piecing skills.
Fifty-Four Forty or Fight - This block was named after a political motto from the 19th century coined during the James Polk administration. It referred to the proposed longitude and latitude of United States and Canada borders and is another variation of the star block. Anderson suggests this is also an easy block to piece together.
Hands All Around - This advanced block is a little more difficult to accomplish due to the curves. It is a beloved pattern, often used as a pin pattern to represent quilt guilds because the name embodies the spirit of quilting.
Young Man's Fancy or Gentleman's Fancy - This graphically aligned block is often used by quilters when making quilts for boys and men.
Drunkard's Path, Oregon Trail or Wanderer's Path in the Woods - This block, popular for more than 100 years, offers lots of diversity for quilters. The basic unit is just a square with a wedge cut from one corner then pieced back onto the square. The units can be arranged in a variety of ways to accomplish many designs--50 of which are documented in Brackman's book. The Drunkard's Path name comes from the idea that this repeated pattern represents the path of lost souls.
T-Blocks - There are many T-Blocks found in antique quilts. Brackman believes the reason for this was the quilters made T-Blocks quilts in support of the Temperance Movement, a cause taken up by Christian women that called for restraint in the use of, or abstinence from, alcoholic liquors.
Water Glass - This variation of the T-Block was also a variation of the theme associated with temperance. This block meant you drank water, not wine or other spirits. This pattern was printed on the page of a 1934 newspaper.
Resources Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns
by Barbara Brackman (ISBN: 0891458158)
Click
here to order this title.
American Quilter's Society / Collector's Books
Website:
www.americanquilter.com
Also in this Episode
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