Handcrafts, like all phases of human endeavor, rather run in varying cycles. Some of us were born in the Pyrography period and reared on hand painted plates with much beshaded backgrounds; others of us date back to the stork painted on velvet with a pressed pen technique, while all of mature age have survived the era of crochet boudoir caps, of tinfoil and glass paintings,  and much be-beaded lamp shades!

True, there have ever been crafts worth while, some arts where beauty combined with purpose to create the "joys forever." Our treasure chests contain exquisitely fashioned needlework on garments, household linens and purely decorative pieces. There is hand-made lace of such dignity, and daintiness that it is sheer beauty, whenever used. There have been scattered gems of weaving, batik, pottery, and metal work, of basketry, woodcarving, tooled leather, decorative painting, and such for countless generations. Tradition tells us that after primitive man first shaped for use his rude bowls and jars, he very soon daubed them with crimson clay and purple berry juice—to add beauty.

We have devised an hundred ways to fabricate floor coverings, draperies, and bed-ding. Which brings us to quilts and the no end of fascinating patterns and tales in their history. Through all the changing fads of woven bead-belts or melon seed portieres our quilts have been always with us. A wholesome thing it is, too, that American women have so saved and planned and pieced. To have wrought beauty even from beautiful surroundings has not always been achieved; but to salvage beauty and usefulness from coarse waste materials was the everyday accomplishment of our pioneer mothers who hooked rugs and pieced quilts.

Some way we are apt to think of the quilt makers as mature or even old, but a second thought assures us they were often merely girls. Pioneer movements are not sponsored by those who have passed life's meridian. It takes youth, with its unspoiled imaginings to blaze trails, to leave the family hearth for the open road, to hazard security for chance. So most of the families who surged their way westward were young as the civilization which they were formulating. A girl-wife, driving an ox team, with her firstborn held close in her strong young arms or under her stronger young heart, was the heroine of the day. Not that they called her a heroine then; no; but her timid sister who stayed with "pa and ma" back in York State or Ca'lina may have spent the rest of her spinster days in envying willful Emily who rode away with John.

And the story of their wanderings, their few original possessions, their accumulations, the friendships formed, their abiding faith and the home established, is the story of patchwork quilts. Study the names of patterns and again you will know they were so christened by young ladies of imagination, sometimes devout, sometimes droll but always kindled by that divine spark of originality. Listen to this for a less-than-500-word history, all quilt names stitched in bed coverlets, which are more comforting, if not more enduring, than words graven in stone:

"London Roads, Ocean Wave, Lost Ship, Star and Compass; Charter Oak, Lafayette Orange Peel, Tail of Benjamin's Kite; Turkey Tracks, Bear's Paw, Indian Hatchet; Washington Pavement and Washington's Plumes; Dolly Madison Block, Whig Rose, Democrat Rose, Philadelphia Beauty, Virginia Star, Georgetown Circle; Horn of Plenty—Hovering Hawks! Mill Wheel, Churn Dash, Tea Leaves, Anvil, Brown Goose, Chips and Whetstones, Clamshell, Corn and Beans, the Log Cabin, Arrowheads. The Pine Tree and the Little Beech, Folded Love Letter, Swing-in-the-Center, Eight Hands 'Round'; Free Trade Block, 54-40 or Fight, Tippecanoe and Tyler Too, Clay's Choice, Little Giant, Mexican Rose, Lincoln's Platform. The North Wind, Hosanna, World without End, Delectable Mountains, Rose of Sharon, Wagon Tracks, Road to California, Snake Fence, Love Apple, Arkansas Traveler, Oklahoma Boomer, Kansas Troubles, Cactus Basket, Prairie Queen, Texas Treasure, Rising Sun, World's Fair, Mrs. Cleveland's Choice, Coxey's Camp, The Pickle Dish, and Cake Stand, Fanny's Fan, Pullman Puzzle—Hour Glass!"

We have not shown them all, only a hundred or so of them are contained in our pages, but we have found bits of interesting history about these and drafted patterns from which you can copy them. We have estimated the yardage, suggested ways of setting blocks together into tops and planned suitable quilting designs.

During years of experience there have been questions come to us concerning every phase of quilt making. We have tried to answer them all in this book, to tell you every practical, helpful angle in the game of quilt making.

CRAZY ANN

Crazy Ann is a quilt that can be done on the sewing machine as it is all straight seam sewing. If you cut the pieces all a seam larger and sew back to the unit sizes above, a blockwill finish 12 inches square.    Its complex appearance unravels very simply first piece an oblong A and another with colors reversed.   Join them to form B, then join four squares B to make the swastika center to which four triangles C are added. Only one caution; the four pieced squares must go together in identical sequence in all of the blocks. If the whirl-like movement reverses in some, they will never set together properly.

This is one of the quilts so well beloved that we chose it to offer you. The Swastika-like motive comes in light blue with the four corner squares a me-dium blue, remainder of block and alternate plain squares white. Of courseany colors may be used if you cut them
yourself from a pattern, but the two blues with white always make an excellent combination.

Material Estimate: 42 blocks — 21 pieced and 21 plain — requires: 13/4 yards light blue, 6 yards white, l1/2 yards medium blue—91/4 yards complete.

ALBUM

The album quilt is a real old timer. Its   original   purpose was for a gift for a bride-to-be. A group of friends would get together and each would piece a block and embroider her name upon it!

One block when completed is ten and one-half inches square if seams are added to these cutting units. Set the blocks together diagonally with alternate white squares measuring ten and one-half inches. The total number of pieced and white blocks used of course varies according to the size and shape of the quilt desired.

Material Estimate: Blocks 101/2 inches square, 15 inches on the diagonal, require 2 yards of blue and 6 yards white. This allows for a large size quilt 79 inches wide by 85 inches long. This would be five blocks long and 5 wide, diagonally placed, plus a 5-inch border of white at top and bottom and 2-inch border of white at sides. All together there are 25 pieced blocks, 16 plain blocks, 16 plain 1/2 blocks, diagonally cut, and 4 plain 1/4 blocks on four corner

OLD MAID'S PUZZLE

One may be certain that  "Old Maid's Puzzle" is a genuine antique, because there haven't been any "old maids” in a generation, and "bachelor girls" are not so easily puzzled!

The triangles and square here given are exact size of the finished parts in a block 9 inches square. Cut cardboard patterns from these. Trace around them onto material and cut a seam larger. This is really quite a simple block to piece, four squares of two varieties. The color scheme suggested uses odd scraps of pink, blue, and green prints with white set together checkerboard style with alternate plain blocks, each color forming a pattern in diagonals across the whole quilt.

The   "hour   glass” quarter   of   this block repeated into a strip makes an attractive pieced border.

Material Estimate: 72 blocks, 36 pieced and '36 plain, 8 blocks wide by 9 long and a 5-inch border all around will make a quilt 82 by 98 inches. It requires 1/2 yard pink, 1 yard blue, 11/2 yards green, and 6 yards white, a total of 9 yards.

A geometric Tulip design or four flowers would quilt nicely on the alternate plain squares.

WEATHERVANE

This patchwork pattern is called the Weathervane, and dates back   to the time when great-grandmother used that commodity to "calculate a change," instead of listening to, a scientific forecast on the radio. But her pattern, the weathervane, is one of the loveliest of our old-time quilt designs.

Cardboard patterns may be cut exact size from the units here given, the four-inch center square and three other shapes used. Trace around these with a lead pencil onto your material and then cut a seam larger all around so the finished block will be 12 inches square.

It makes up very simply; small green and white triangles sew into 8 squares which combine with a green and a white square to make the four corner blocks. White triangles on the gold form four other blocks, then they all set together as shown to form the weathervane. This is a charming pattern for a quilted pillow of silk scraps or calico; as well as for an entire quilt.

The quilt finishes 72 by 84 inches and includes 6 by 7 blocks, 21 pieced
blocks and 21 plain. It sets together with alternate plain 12-inch squares and requires 2 yards of green, 2 yards of gold (this allows for binding), and 41/2 yards white.

PINE TREE

The Pine Tree blocks make a very handsome quilt. It takes sixteen pieced blocks to make a quilt about eighty-four inches square, aside from its border. These blocks must set together diagonally with alternating blocks of white, cut the exact size of the pieced block. The cardboard patterns are the exact size in which the pieces should be cut. The size of one block when put together is about fifteen inches. Extend tree trunk three inches longer than pattern given. Lay the cardboard patterns on the material. Trace around with pencil carefully; cut a seam larger, sewing on the pencil line. The two white pieces of irregular shape have to be fitted in as marked on the edges; aside from this, the "Pine Tree" is largely a business of sewing small triangles into squares and adding them together. Allow 61/2 yards of white and 41/2 yards of green. This sounds like a lot of material, but the smaller the pieces the larger the yard age.

DRUNKARD'S PATH

A Drunkard's Path is easy enough to explain, once the start is made! And this is not a temperance lecture either. It is a set of instructions and cutting patterns for one of the most attractive old-time quilts in the list.

Colors should be sharply contrasted, that is the light really light, and the dark quite dark. Then they piece together into two separate blocks A and B, each 8 inches square, and these set together as shown into any desired size. These do not allow for seams, so cut them 1/4 inch larger all around. The light center of B may be cut in one piece instead of four as shown. Borders in strips of both colors used are specially good on a quilt of startling design such as this.

Material Estimate: This quilt takes equal amounts of light and dark, but they do not cut to as perfect advantage as they appear, so would allow 41/2 yards of light and 41/2 yards of dark. 55 blocks of A, 55 blocks of B, 10 blocks wide by 11 blocks long or 80 inches by 88 inches.

A Maple Leaf or any other Leaf design would quilt nicely on the large white spaces, with a Feather Circle in the large centers.

ROSE APPLIQUE

Somebody always wants an applique patchwork and so in very small space here one is. Satine or fine weave gingham is good material to use.

The cardboard cutting patterns should be made carefully, exact sizes of the
seven here given. These do not allow for seams, so cut a bit larger all around. This creases and bastes back. Sometimes sheet wadding is used under appliqué patches to give a raised effect. Plain blocks are cut 12 or more inches square. Applique   parts   are   basted   and   then blind stitched onto the block. Fancy stitching does not add to the simple charm of a design like the rose applique. In a built-up rose a row of print between plain tint layers is quaint. Many antique rose quilts alternated turkey red with yellow print calico and surrounded the flower with bottle green leaves for a vividly colorful block.

When setting the top together the Rose Applique will make a better design if the stems lead out to the sides of the quilt, that would make the three left rows place as shown in the sketch above, and the three right hand rows reverse.

Material Estimate: 42 blocks, 21 plain, 21 applique, 51/2 yards white, 1 yard rose, 2-3 yard pink, 11/2ds green, total of 8 2-3 yards.

The finished quilt will measure about 72 inches by 84 inches.

V BLOCK

One Block of a V quilt has no chance to show the beauty of the design repeated. Blocks are all pieced and placed parallel to the quilt's edges so that one color follows a general vertical pattern and the other crosses in horizontal rows. This makes both a dainty overlay of designs and lovely background areas for quilting.

The V Block is a perfect example of a pattern that gives entirely different
effects depending on the way the quilt is "set up." With alternate plain squares, with white or colored strips, with color V's alternating or forming
a pattern, each plan would certainly make a different looking quilt.

An especially firm weave cloth must be used for any pattern like this that
can not cut on true bias. Small sketch A shows the procedure of piecing a unit which in turn combines with the large white corners and other pieced triangles to form a 12-inch square, that is, if seams are added to the sizes printed here. Irregular patterns are of course more difficult to complete smoothly than some of the many square and triangle projects.

Material Estimate: 42 blocks, 6 blocks wide by 7 blocks long would finish about 72 by 84 inches without border. For a top of all pieced blocks allow: 6 yards white, 11/2 yds ea of two colors.

A Spiderweb design would be an excellent choice for quilting where the 4 long white pieces join.

LAFAYETTE ORANGE PEEL

You may know this block as just the "Orange Peel," but there is such claim to distinction in its heritage that we proudly add the name "Lafayette." The story is that once when the beloved Marquis was feted in Philadelphia, a fair guest at the banquet took home a most beautiful fruit as her souvenir, an orange, imported from Barcelona. To preserve her treasure and the memory of gala days, a pattern was carefully made from the pared rind, which comes down to us as the Orange Peel quilt block. Some localities call this a "Rob Peter to Pay Paul" which is a sort of general name highly expressive, where the cut part from one section appears to pay the part robbed from another.

The small background pieces marked "print" do not entirely surround the elliptical pieces, but added as shown they form the squares. Each square will be about 6 inches or a block as shown where the four join twelve inches square if a seam is added. This is really daintier and prettier if the pattern is small. You might try a sample block without allowing seams extra.

This is one of the all-over plan patterns, rather difficult to get all the corners exact but a really lovely quilt when accurately made.

Material Estimate: Allow 5 yards of unbleached and 5 yards of print. This design takes considerable material, as it does not cut to a saving. Forty-two blocks put together, 6 blocks wide and 7 blocks long, finishes about 72 by 84 inches. Allow one yard extra for 3-inch border all around if desired

FRENCH STAR

No collection of  quilt  block designs is complete without many stars as this symbol was always a favorite.

The French Star is a Canadian pat tern varying the eight-pointed star of diamond-shaped blocks by introducing small melon-shaped pieces of the background color or of contrasting hue. These melon-shaped pieces in turn form a wreath and may divide the star into two colors, as rose and pink, two shades of green or orange and yellow as suggested.

In making the French Star, sew two of the cone-shaped pieces to each white triangle, and then sew the corner squares to two of these blocks. The
small melon-shaped blocks piece onto the center blocks; these in turn sew into a circle to which are added the oblong blocks and strips which were made first. This takes precise piecing but it makes an unusually attractive design when complete, either for patchwork pillows or for a quilt top.    For the quilt, piece the star blocks together, using alternate squares of white of exactly the same size as the pieced blocks and finish with a border of white and color set in strips.

Material Estimate: 11-inch blocks which measure I51/2 inches diagonally,
may be effectively set together on the diagonal with alternate plain white blocks. 25 pieced blocks with 16 plain blocks, 16 half blocks and 4 quarters, plus a 3-inch border of white at top and bottom only, finishes 78 inches by 84 inches, requiring 61/2 yards of white, I1/2 yards orange, and 2 yards of yellow.

SWASTIKA

Our frontier mothers ingeniously converted this ancient symbol of good luck into a quilt pattern, which is made simply from two triangles. Sometimes they called it "Fly foot." The small sketch shows how to make a square, which is one-fourth of the complete block. This makes a nine-inch block if seams are added to these triangles. Blocks must all be pieced exactly alike. When they are stacked light must be over light and dark over dark. Other wise, when set together some would un wind one way, and some another.

Material Estimate: 90 blocks, placed 9 wide and 10 long, make a quilt about 81 by 90 inches. For 45 plain white and 45 pieced blocks allow: 51/2 yards white, 31/2 yards color.

Pineapples would be effective quilted on the alternate plain blocks, especially if they set diagonally.

PIECED STAR

There are many lovely versions of star quilt piecing, varying from four points to eight, and even a feathes edged pattern which scintillates with small points along all edges of its large ones. Star blocks have been named
for many localities, Northumberland Star, California, St. Louis and Chicago Star, which by the way, is quite different from the "Shooting Star!"

Some are named for people, as "Dolly Madison's Star" and the "Cowboy's Star." There are Morning and Evening versions, falling, flying, rising, rolling, and joining stars, perhaps a hundred varieties of this basic motif.

The one here given is an airy, open looking block about 11 inches square. It is made by piecing 8 small squares from two triangles each, and four oblong blocks of three triangles each, then sewing them together into the block as shown.

Star blocks may set together with alternate plain squares placed either horizontally or diagonally on the quilt. Here they make a handsome coverlet with white strips about 3 inches wide between blocks joining with a 3-inch square of print at the corners, if seams are added.

Material Estimate: 28 plain blocks, and 28 pieced, 7 wide and 8 long, finishes. 77 inches by 88 inches. Allow: 51/2 yards white, 31/2 yards print.

BEAR'S PAW

The Bear's Paw is unquestionably of frontier  origin.    Perhaps the pioneer father found such a track in his field or garden one morning and the mother bravely thought  "how interesting" instead of "how dangerous." Then we suppose she transferred it to linsey woolsey or hickory dyed jean, using the unworn parts of much be-patched garments into a sturdy quilt block!
All of our series of old-time quilts have stories, more of them than we can
possibly know of course.

This very block, called "Bear's Paw" in certain localities is known as "Duck's Foot in the Mud"! That must have come later, or in more safely settled communities where the bears had moved on out even if paving had not come in.

And the Friends down in Pennsylvania had the very same arrangement in
a block called neither "Bear's Paw" nor "Duck's Foot in the Mud," but "Hand of Friendship." From this by curving the angles may have grown another lovely block called "Hands All Around."

A Spiderweb stamped on the alternate plain squares would exactly fit and be harmonious in design, as well as being a very easy pattern to quilt.

This is a simple block to seam. Make each section the size of the given patterns when finished which means allow seams extra.

Material Estimate: Set together with alternate white blocks. These will be about 121/2 inches square, depending on the exact size of your pieced "Bear's Paws," 36 blocks, 18 pieced and 18 plain, plus a three-inch border at top and bottom will finish about 72 inches by 79 inches and require 5 yards of white and 3 yards of colored material.

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