Methods of Stamping | Suggested Perforated | Quilting Patterns

Old-Time quilting patterns were few compared to the great number of designs for patch-work. About a dozen standard patterns, with their variations completed the list. Here they are: diamonds, shells or scallops, circles, ovals, cables, crescents, stars, hearts; leaves, running vines, tulips, roses, buds; pineapples, harps, birds, baskets, and feathers, feathers, feathers!

The easiest pattern of them all was made of single lines running diagonally across the quilt. Diagonal stitching shows to better advantage than that running parallel with the weave. Too, the cloth is less apt to tear or pull apart than if the quilting lines are run in the same direction as the threads of the fabric.

The single diagonal lines may be made in sets of two and three thus making the patterns called the double and triple diagonals. This is the first step toward ornamentation in quilting. A further step was made when quilting lines crossed to form the diamond, or differently spaced, the "hanging diamond" or the "broken plaid."

You can make any of these designs without a printed pattern adding them to the top after it is stretched firm and smooth in the quilting frame. For straight line quilting you can borrow an idea from the carpenter; use a cord lightly chalked fastening it in place tightly stretched. Let a second person snap the cord, it will fly back making a straight line that can be brushed off when no longer needed. One tradition was that a bride could snap her
"Bride's Quilt" but that was all; she was not allowed to quilt it.

Nowadays we use a yardstick or thinner strip that is perfectly straight, marking on either side to fill in such spaces as used to be "string snapped."
In making the more complex designs with loops, circles and segments of circles it is easiest to buy a pattern. But if you try making one yourself use an improvised compass. This requires a pencil, pin and piece of twine. After determining the radius of the circle measure off the same distance along the twine from your pencil. Tie another loop and let the pin serve as the axis from which the circle radiates. A plate or saucer will also do for marking round designs, and one common little pattern is called the "teacup border" where 3-inch circles make a continuing overlap.

An easy way to make the shell pattern is to trace a row of half circles the desired size to a short strip of cardboard. With a pair of sharp pointed scissors cut around the tracing. This scalloped strip can be laid flat on the quilt and traced. One row completed, lay the strip close to the top of the first row, jogging the placing one half unit and repeating to fill any desired area.
Close shell quilting is beautiful either for borders or background spaces. Larger shells make a favorite edge on a quilted puff or comforter and are nearly always used on the silk comfort that scallops around the edge, then reverses the scallop pattern to make the shells face in for half a dozen or more rows.

Both pieced and applique blocks are almost always marked for quilting in lines which parallel their seams. For instance a nine patch block with its finished squares two inches across would be quilted on all nine squares one fourth inch in from all seams. This would mean 9 squares, each 11/2 inches across, ½ inches apart at all places. Each alternate plain square might be gorgeous with a small feather circle, a series of crossed lines, a star or pine-apple. A pieced "Skyrocket," "Weathervane," or any star block will make a lovely pattern on the reverse side when quilted to follow the seams.   So for strength as well as design we retrace the pieced block when quilting it. Some quilters do not draw lines for this but sew along at an even distance, usually 1/2 or 3/8 inch from the seams.

For exquisite quilts of fine white muslin or sateen, the very careful quilters marked out with a roweled dress-making wheel or by scratching the line with a needle. In fact, the Kentucky quilters make a marking tool by sticking a strong needle into a large cork, leaving the eye end out to mark with. But only a small space may be marked at a time this way as the line disappears soon.

Marking around cardboard or crinoline patterns with a hard lead pencil is an approved method, but the lead must be hard or a soiled, smudgy surrounding will result. Crinoline's advantage for quilting units is that they may be pinned through this stiff, buckram-like cloth to hold even an elaborate design in place while marking.

The stencil type pattern is also used, or cut out parts with an ornate outside. Many, many hours are spent in marking out a quilt—it is indeed a specialized craft by the time honored methods. That is why many of the loveliest old quilting designs have been adapted into wanted sizes and produced in perforated form. With the busy modern woman in mind, patterns simple or elaborate have been made that will stamp an entire top artistically, which means suitably, in an hour or two of time. Almost every cutting pattern has a harmonious quilting design suggested to use with it. When using perforated patterns it is well to stamp the quilt top on a table before stretching it in the frames, or even to stamp blocks singly before the top is set together. When the women who are to quilt it do the marking out, they usually stamp a "reach" at a time, which is about 12 inches.

The design of your patchwork will largely determine the designs used in quilting. Angles with angles, and curves with curves, does not always hold true as most piecing is angular and much quilting is curves. Large plain blocks make the major demand for ornate quilting, while the converse is comfortingly true. That is if your piecing be elaborate the quilting may, yes, must be simple!

Feather Circle.	Four Flowers.

Dove of Peace

Lace   Vein   Feather,—right and left patterns.       Pineapple.

Suggested Perforated Quilting Patterns and Their Use

PERFORATED QUILTING PATTERNS

Marking a quilt for quilting is more nearly like an artist's  job than any step in the making of a quilt. On pieced blocks straight lines, which follow the seams of the patch-work or cross into checkerboard or diamond effects, are usually best. On the alternate plain blocks or strips and on borders the quilting may be as ornate as desired.

Manufacturers have adapted some of the old-time favorite designs in addition to originating new patterns, to fit other space plans. These come on a special tough but transparent paper, the design perforated so that it may be used over and over with stamping paste.

HOW TO STAMP

To Use stamping paste, wet a piece of cotton lightly with benzine or naphtha, then rub over the paste until the cotton shows color. Place your perforated pattern over your material, smooth side of the pattern up. Hold pattern firmly in place and rub lightly over the design with your cotton. Be careful not to get your cotton too wet. -After you have finished using the
pattern, pour some benzine freely on a piece of cotton and clean pattern through the perforations thoroughly. This paste will not smear like a pencil or powder but does not remove easily. If stamped lightly the thread should cover it. If you practice first on scrap material you can soon judge how damp to have the cotton, how little paste will transfer, and then there will be no mistakes.
 
A GROUP OF INTERESTING PERFORATED QUILTING PATTERNS

Maple Leaf may be used to fill in corners in connection with larger patterns or four on a block. The Shell will make a charming border repeat. Thistle is beautiful for corners, between scallops, for a border, or centered four on a square.

Cherry Basket	Oak Leaf and Acorn	Snowflakes

NOONDAY LILY

In The Noonday Lily block the three small pieced squares are made first, then joined together as shown with two plain blocks of the same size. Then a larger square, the area of four small squares or about 9-inch cuts for the remainder of the block. Onto this applique stems and leaves, and a corner clips off  to  be  replaced  with  green. The longer straight stem pattern also is not given, but should be about 12 inches long of the darker green.

Twenty-five whole blocks set together diagonally with plain pale green squares of equal size makes a center about 83 inches square. The border of light or darker green could be enhanced by small pieced lily squares appliqued at regular intervals. Borders may be wider at top and bottom to make the quilt longer than wide.

This is an unusual color scheme for the Noonday Lily. Usually the background is white, blossom two shades of some hue such as rose pink, orchid or yellow, with green.

Material Estimate: For the plan described you should allow 61/2 yards of
pale green, 11/2 yards of darker green, and 1 yard or white.

RAMBLER

This is the Rambler, an old-fashioned favorite which pieces a block  about   121/2  inches  square, if seams are allowed extra. It is clever either as a patchwork pillow or for a quilt top set together with alternating white blocks, the roses spotting color, and the triangle leaves rambling in formal pattern diagonally across the quilt. To piece, sew four small white triangles onto the center square of rose. Then piece the four other squares of a pink and a green and four small white  triangles. Complete by making the diagonal center strip and two large corner triangles into the finished square.

Material Estimate: In making this quilt, 21 pieced blocks are set together with 21 plain white 121/2-inch squares.

Six blocks wide by 7 blocks long, finishes about 75 by 87 inches. This quilt requires 1/4 yard rose, ½ yard pink, 1 yard green, 61/2 yards white, or 81/4 yards in all.

Butterflies would be exquisite on all of the plain squares between ramblers, or a 10-inch Feather Circle would be effective and considerably less work.

CROSS AND CROWN

This quaint old pattern with its  "firm-in-the-faith" title is really a variation of the lily blocks. They have flowers resembling these "crowns" combined with applique stems, leaves, or perhaps a pieced basket corner as was shown at another time. "Goose Tracks" is also quite similar in pattern but of course less dignified in name! This is one of the more simple quilts to piece, the finished effect varying considerably in relation to the way it is set together.
 
With red lattice strips joining white squares at the corner the pattern stands
out entirely different than when white strips or large squares are used, or again the background may be light with darker design. Allow seams extra; about 3-16 of an inch is right for this on all sides.

If 10-inch blocks set together with white strips 4 by 10 inches and 4-inch red squares, the quilt 6 blocks wide by 7 long will finish about 80 by 90 inches. For the 42 pieced blocks, the 71 white strips, and 30 red squares you will need 3 yards of red material, 21/2 yards white, 3 yards white strips and ¾ yard red for squares.  

ORDER NO. 11

The quilt  authorities  may identify this pattern as the "Hickory Leaf" and it is doubtless of the stock of that pioneer favorite. But the quilt from which we secured the pattern had such a thrilling history that it deserves its romantic special name—Order No. 11.

A dear old lady in her eighties who was a little girl in Jackson County, Missouri, back in war times, had seen her mother's choice new quilt snatched from the bed by marauders. She carried the memory of its striking pattern in her mind and years later translated it in terms of the white and peach and creamy yellow satine into a quilt, from which we secured this pattern.

A 12-inch square is the background upon which the nine curved sections applique.   Patterns here given are the line to crease and baste back to, so cut each unit a seam larger.

The quilt was 7 blocks wide by 8 long and finished about 81 by 92 inches. You will require 61/2 yards of white material, 2 yards of yellow and 11/4 yards of peach. This is for a design on every block, but really it would be lovely with less center and a scallop border of the "watermelon" type using an outer scallop of peach with an inner following of yellow.

OCEAN WAVE

The Ocean Wave is a decided favorite for one who is willing to put considerable piecing into making a lovely quilt. A block is made of four six-sided units of 24 triangles, all made exactly alike, but set together so that the groupings of dark and light triangles alternate as shown in the small sketch. Four of these six-sided units set together as shown in the small diagram finish into a block 18 inches square. These may set  together  with alternate 18-inch white blocks quilted in matching pattern.

Or, for the really old-time "set" of an Ocean Wave, omit the 4 large white corner triangles. Join the eight-sided blocks where the large triangles are shown in the sketch, with 6-inch white squares to fill in the center spaces between the blocks. Set the top together in such a way that all six-inch squares will set diagonally on the quilt. This plan makes an over-lapping design similar to the double wedding ring. Four blocks wide, with center squares diagonally placed make a top row. An identical four make a second row, but there will appear to be three intermediate blocks with two
halves at the sides between these first and second rows.

Material Estimate: In making this quilt, 4 blocks wide by 41/2 blocks long,
it will finish about 72 by 81 inches. This requires 16 whole pieced blocks,
without the four corner triangles and 4 half blocks set together with 6-inch
squares and half squares cut diagonally. This requires 31/2 yards of print, 51/2 yards white. Allow seams extra on all blocks.

THE LONE STAR QUILT

Lone Star, sometimes called "Star of the East" or "Star of Bethlehem," is one of the more ambitious projects in quilt making, and yet the result is so effective that many have completed coverlets of this design. In making any quilt, one should think of the top as a whole; in making a Lone Star it is imperative.

Using the unit diamond to finish the size here given, that is by allowing a seam extra all around, the large star will measure large enough for a very large spread, about 90 inches. Or by cutting the diamonds the pattern size and not allowing extra seams the large star is really a better size, about 68 inches across. Borders may be added in the proportion shown, widest at the bottom to make the quilt longer than wide. You must lay out your color scheme first on a checked diamond as here shown which represents 1/8 of the complete star. Any radiation of color may be planned, either extending out with all different hues or repeating to double back as in the color scheme suggested.

The diamonds are pieced together in rows, the rows then joined with careful corner matching to form the huge diamond, eight of which make the star. Background triangles have to be cut the exact number of inches that your star points finish—about 25 inches in the quilt shown.

For quilting we suggest a large Rising Sun to fill in the squares and half squares.

Material Estimate: The Lone Star quilt requires 4 inches of red, 12 inches
orange, 20 inches peach, 28 inches yellow, 36 inches lettuce green, 44 inches turquoise, which is four yards for the colored diamonds; four yards for the white diamonds and 31/2 yards for setting together as shown—111/2 yards in all.

WIND BLOWN SQUARE

The Wind Blown Square is a sort of topsy-turvy pattern originally pieced of white with light and dark prints. Of course analagous colors always make lovelier quilts as lavender and violet, buff and apricot, or pink and rose which is suggested. Contrasting colors may also be used as peach and
jade green, or yellow with blue-purple. Material Estimate: In making this quilt, 36 pieced blocks are set together with 36 plain 9-inch blocks, 8 Blocks wide by 9 blocks long. This finishes about 72 inches by 81 inches, and requires 1 yard of rose, 1 yard pink, and 51/2 yards of white.

The Four Flowers design would quilt beautifully on the alternate plain blocks.  

PIN WHEELS

Pin Wheels with   an   ancestral name older yet—"Flutter Wheels"—is one of the easiest of all patch-works to make.    We remember seeing this motif on "Barbara Fritchie's" quilt in her house at Frederick, Maryland.

The only bit of wisdom to proffer on making this pattern is to cut all triangles on the true diagonal, that is with threads parallel to the two shorter sides each time, and then to not stretch the bias edges in seaming them together.

This may be an all-over pattern or' the nine patch unit here shown may be used as a block and set together with lattice strips or plain squares. This is
a good design for using scrap material of the children's frocks and rompers—dainty bits of print and plain to commemorate happy days. Seams may or may not be allowed extra. A clever patchwork border to use between plain strips could be composed of little pin wheel squares set diagonally between triangles, like the center band from this block.

Material Estimate: If seams are allowed extra, the blocks will finish 18 inches square—16 blocks set together with 4-inch strips of white, will finish about 84 inches square. This requires 21/2 yards of yellow, 2 yards of green, and 4 yards of white, or 81/2 yards in all.

A Maple Leaf would be interesting quilted on each 6-inch square, with a narrow Cable on the strips between blocks.

BIRD'S NEST

A Bird's Nest in soft tan chambray or broadcloth is contrived along  modern angles  to  enclose nine bright blue-green cubist eggs. The whole  forms a really lovely  block  to use in a whole quilt or for a gay little patchwork pillow about 14 inches square. By the way, a boxed edge of the blue squares and white triangles would be a perfect finish for such a pillow. It would even be worth while to piece such a border for the quilt.

Cardboard cutting patterns are made from the 5 here given. Mark around these onto material, but cut a seam larger sewing back to the pencil line.

Material Estimate: This quilt sets together with plain white blocks and a six-inch border which makes it finish about 82 inches square. For the 13 pieced blocks and 12 plain ones and border you will need 11/2 yards of tan, 1/2 yard blue, and 7 yards of white.

A President's Wreath would exactly fit the plain squares and twisted cable border would space beautifully onto the 6-inch plain band.

THE DRESDEN PLATE QUILT

A Picturesque quilt named for exquisite old-world china comes to us as the Dresden Plate. It must  be  of  dainty  colors,  irregularly placed so the whole will blend as a flower garden.

MILKY WAY

Milky Way is a large block fifteen inches square, or by continuing two more rows top and side it could be made twenty-one inches square. It would make an unusual counterpane by piecing a border all around nine inches wide, which completes the dark and light star, to use with a center of solidly pieced blocks either square or oblong. This would leave a wide plain space of blue or white for quilting between the pieced center and the pieced border.

Milky Way is simple to piece and very effective as well. Seams are not allowed in the sizes here given. This design is even more attractive in very
small blocks and of course the two squares and one triangle can easily be reduced in size but kept the same relation to each other.

Material Estimate: To make this quilt with 15-inch blocks as described, make a large pieced center section 30 inches wide by 39 inches long. This is made of four 15-inch blocks, two blocks wide by two blocks long, plus three rows of small 3-inch blocks to make an oblong. Add a 12-inch strip of blue all around. Finish with a pieced border 9 inches wide—2 strips 9 inches wide by 81 inches long and 2 strips 9 inches wide by 54 inches long will be needed for the pieced border. This plan requires 2 yards blue, 3 yards gold, 4 yards of white, or 9 yards in all.

HOLLYHOCK WREATH

A Long with all the pieced blocks come a few small applique designs. This is a charmingly patterned block using 3 colors on a 16-inch white or unbleached background square. Sixteen squares, either all applique or half of them just plain quilted, make a 64-inch center, which with plain borders is ample for a quilt. There should be a wider border at the bottom both for use and better design.

Cardboard cutting patterns are made exact sizes of the 5 patterns here given. These do not allow for seams, so mark the goods around each pattern, but cut a seam larger and crease back to the pencil line. Baste very carefully, press and whip or blindstitch the units in place. Other plain colors or prints may be used, as lavender, blue or yellow with orange centers, pink with deeper rose or wine red with buff.

This is good size for an odd pillow, using scraps of silk on pongee or black
satine.

Material Estimate: In making this quilt 16-inch blocks are set together to make an all-over pattern. Sixteen blocks are required, 4 blocks wide and 4 blocks long, which plus a 6-inch border at top and sides and a 12-inch border at bottom finishes about 76 by 82" inches. This requires 1/4 yard coral, 11/2 yards apricot, 21/4 yards green and 61/2 yards white or unbleached for blocks and border, a total of 101/2 yards.

A President's Wreath is most appropriate on the plain squares. Outside of the quilted and appliqued wreaths, fill in with check quilting.  

RISING SUN

Rising Sun is an intricate pattern, but not enough so to daunt the quilt maker who aspires to a design that is both lovely and unusual.

The numbers on each pattern are, as always, for one block, although it does sound like a good many this time. Make cardboard cutting patterns, and mark lightly around them onto material. Then cut a seam larger all around and sew back to the pencil lines.

First piece four small triangles, two white and two color, into a block which in turn sews onto the curve block. When 12 of these are pieced sew the long seams which make it into a wheel. The "hub" is gathered into a crease around and appliqued on to finish. Thus this whole wheel or sun, may either be appliqued onto a 12-inch square or pieced in with the four white corner blocks as shown in the pattern. Flame red and orange with white, unbleached or yellow, makes a stunning counterpane from this pattern.

This quilt sets together with alternate white blocks, and contains 23 pieced
blocks and 28 plain ones, that is 7 blocks long by 8 wide, finishing about 77 by 88 inches. You will need 1/2 yard of red, 2 yards of orange, and 61/2 yards of white.

AN APPLIQUE RISING SUN

There are different versions of the Rising Sun, and the blocks of the one pictured here are to be appliquéd onto 18-inch white squares. Thirteen complete applique blocks, alternated with twelve 18-inch white blocks, will make a 90-inch quilt. This makes a charming large pillow to finish round or square.

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