THE QUILT'S PLACE IN AMERICAN HOMES
The dominant characteristics of quilt making are companionship and
concentrated interest. Both of these qualities, or--better
yet--virtues, must be in evidence in order to bring a quilt to
successful completion. The sociable, gossipy "quilting bee," where the
quilt is put together and quilted, has planted in every community in
which it is an institution the seeds of numberless lifelong
friendships. These friendships are being made over the quilting frames
to-day just as they were in the pioneer times when a "quilting" was
almost the only social diversion. Content with life, fixity of purpose,
development of individuality, all are brought forth in every woman who
plans and pieces a quilt. The reward of her work lies, not only in the
pleasure of doing, but also in the joy of possession--which can be
passed on even to future generations, for a well-made quilt is a
lasting treasure.
All this is quite apart from the strictly useful functions which
quilts perform so creditably in every home, for quilts are useful as
well as artistic. In summer nights they are the ideal emergency
covering for the cool hour before dawn, or after a rapid drop in
temperature, caused by a passing thunderstorm. But in the long chill
nights of winter, when the snow sifts in through the partly raised
window and all mankind snuggles deeper into the bed clothes, then all
quilts may be truly said to do their duty. And right well they do it,
too, as all those who love to linger within their cozy shelter on
frosty December mornings will testify.
[Illustration: THE DOGWOOD QUILT
Offers another choice in flower designs. The full-grown
blossoms on the green background remind us of the beauty
of trees and flowers in early spring]
As a promoter of good-will and neighbourly interest during the times
when our new country was being settled, and woman's social intercourse
was very limited, the "quilting bee" holds a worthy place close beside
the meeting-house. The feeling of coöperation so noticeable in all men
and growing communities, and which is really essential for their
success, is aptly described in the old "Annals of Tennessee,"
published by Dr. J. G. M. Ramsey in 1853 ("Dedicated to the surviving
pioneers of Tennessee"):
"To say of one he has no neighbours was sufficient, in those times of
mutual wants and mutual benefactions, to make the churl infamous and
execrable. A failure to ask a neighbour to a raising, clearing, a
chopping frolic, or his family to a quilting, was considered a high
indignity; such an one, too, as required to be explained or atoned for
at the next muster or county court. Each settler was not only willing
but desirous to contribute his share to the general comfort and public
improvement, and felt aggrieved and insulted if the opportunity to do
so were withheld. 'It is a poor dog that is not worth whistling for,'
replied the indignant neighbour who was allowed to remain at home, at
his own work, while a house raising was going on in the neighbourhood.
'What injury have I done that I am slighted so?'"
Quilts occupied a preëminent place in the rural social scheme, and the
quilting bees were one of the few social diversions afforded outside
of the church. Much drudgery was lightened by the joyful anticipation
of a neighbourhood quilting bee. The preparations for such an
important event were often quite elaborate. As a form of entertainment
quilting bees have stood the test of time, and from colonial days down
to the present have furnished much pleasure in country communities.
In a quaint little book published in 1872 by Mrs. P. G. Gibbons, under
the title, "Pennsylvania Dutch," is a detailed description of a
country quilting that Mrs. Gibbons attended. The exact date of this
social affair is not given, but judging from other closely related
incidents mentioned by the writer, it must have taken place about
1840, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The account reads as follows:
"Aunt Sally had her quilt up in her landlord's east room, for her own
was too small. However, at about eleven she called us over to dinner,
for people who have breakfasted at five or six have an appetite at
eleven.
"We found on the table beefsteaks, boiled pork, sweet potatoes,
'Kohl-slaw,' pickled cucumbers and red beets, apple butter and
preserved peaches, pumpkin and apple pie, sponge cake and coffee.
After dinner came our next neighbours, 'the maids,' Susy and Katy
Groff, who live in single blessedness and great neatness. They wore
pretty, clear-starched Mennonist caps, very plain. Katy is a
sweet-looking woman and, although she is more than sixty years old,
her forehead is almost unwrinkled, and her fine hair is still brown.
It was late when the farmer's wife came--three o'clock; for she had
been to Lancaster. She wore hoops and was of the 'world's people.'
These women all spoke 'Dutch,' for the maids, whose ancestors came
here probably one hundred and fifty years ago, do not speak English
with fluency yet.
"The first subject of conversation was the fall house-cleaning; and I
heard mention of 'die carpett hinaus an der fence' and 'die fenshter
und die porch,' and the exclamation, 'My goodness, es was schlimm.' I
quilted faster than Katy Groff, who showed me her hands, and said,
'You have not been corn husking, as I have.'
"So we quilted and rolled, talked and laughed, got one quilt done, and
put in another. The work was not fine; we laid it out by chalking
around a small plate. Aunt Sally's desire was rather to get her
quilting finished upon this great occasion than for us to put in a
quantity of fine needlework. About five o'clock we were called to
supper. I need not tell you all the particulars of this plentiful
meal; but the stewed chicken was tender and we had coffee again.
"Polly M's husband now came over the creek in the boat, to take her
home, and he warned her against the evening dampness. The rest of us
quilted a while by candles, and got the second quilt done at about
seven. At this quilting there was little gossip, and less scandal. I
displayed my new alpaca and my dyed merino and the Philadelphia bonnet
which exposes the back of my head to the wintry blast. Polly, for her
part, preferred a black silk sunbonnet; and so we parted, with mutual
invitations to visit."
The proverbial neatness of the ancestors of the Dutch colonists in
America was characteristic of their homes in the new land. This is
well illustrated in the following description of a Pennsylvania Dutch
farmer's home, similar to the one in which the quilting above
mentioned took place: "We keep one fire in winter. This is in the
kitchen which, with nice housekeepers, is the abode of neatness, with
its rag carpet and brightly polished stove. Adjoining the kitchen is a
state apartment, also rag-carpeted, and called 'the room.' Will you go
upstairs in a neat Dutch farmhouse? There are rag carpets again. Gay
quilts are on the best beds, where green and red calico, perhaps in
the form of a basket, are displayed on a white ground; or the beds
bear brilliant coverlets of red, white, and blue, as if to 'make the
rash gazer wipe his eyes.'"
There are many things to induce women to piece quilts. The desire for
a handsome bed furnishing, or the wish to make a gift of one to a dear
friend, have inspired some women to make quilts. With others, quilt
making is a recreation, a diversion, a means of occupying restless
fingers. However, the real inducement is love of the work; because the
desire to make a quilt exceeds all other desires. In such a case it is
worked on persistently, laid aside reluctantly, and taken up each time
with renewed interest and pleasure. It is this intense interest in the
work which produces the most beautiful quilts. On quilts that are made
because of the genuine interest in the work, the most painstaking
efforts are put forth; the passing of time is not considered; and the
belief of the majority of such quilt makers, though unconfessed,
doubtless, is the equivalent of the old Arab proverb that "Slowness
comes from God, but hurry from the devil."
All women who are lonely do not live in isolated farmhouses, prairie
shacks, or remote villages. In reality, there are more idle, listless
hands in the hearts of crowded bustling cities than in the quiet
country. City women, surrounded by many enticing distractions, are
turning more and more to patchwork as a fascinating yet nerve-soothing
occupation. Not only is there a sort of companionship between the
maker and the quilt, but there is also the great benefit derived from
having found a new interest in life, something worth while that can be
built up by one's own efforts.
An anecdote is told of a woman living in a quiet little New England
village who complained of her loneliness there, where the quilting
bees were the only saving features of an otherwise colourless
existence. She told the interested listener that in this
out-of-the-way hamlet she did not mind the monotony much because there
were plenty of "quiltings," adding that she had helped that winter at
more than twenty-five quilting bees; besides this, she had made a
quilt for herself and also helped on some of those of her immediate
neighbours.
[Illustration: THE WILD ROSE
That loves to grow in fragrant, tangled masses by the
roadside was made to march in prim rows on this child's
quilt]
American women rarely think of quilts as being made or used outside of
their own country. In reality quilts are made in almost every land on
the face of the earth. Years ago, when the first New England
missionaries were sent to the Hawaiian Islands, the native women were
taught to piece quilts, which they continue to do down to this day.
These Hawaiian women treasure their handiwork greatly, and some very
old and beautiful quilts are to be found among these islands. In
creating their patchwork they have wandered from the Puritanical
designs of their teachers, and have intermingled with the conventional
figures the gorgeous flowers that bloom beside their leaf-thatched,
vine-covered huts. To these women, also, patchwork fills a place. It
affords a means of expression for individuality and originality in the
same way that it does for the lonely New England women and for the
isolated mountaineers of Kentucky.
Harriet Beecher Stowe, immortalized by "Uncle Tom's Cabin," produced
other stories, not now so familiar to us as to our countrymen of the
Civil War period, which showed an intimate knowledge of the home life
of the American people as well as the vital questions of her day. In
her novel entitled the "Minister's Wooing," which ran first as a
serial in the _Atlantic Monthly_ in 1859, she describes a quilting
supposed to have been given about the year 1800. Here we can view at
close range a real old-fashioned quilting, and gain some insight into
its various incidents of sociability and gossip, typical of an early
New England seafaring village, as set forth in Mrs. Stowe's inimitable
style:
"By two o'clock a goodly company began to assemble. Mrs. Deacon
Twitchel arrived, soft, pillowy, and plaintive as ever, accompanied by
Cerinthy Ann, a comely damsel, tall and trim, with a bright black eye
and a most vigorous and determined style of movement. Good Mrs. Jones,
broad, expansive, and solid, having vegetated tranquilly on in the
cabbage garden of the virtues since three years ago, when she graced
our tea party, was now as well preserved as ever, and brought some
fresh butter, a tin pail of cream, and a loaf of cake made after a new
Philadelphia receipt. The tall, spare, angular figure of Mrs. Simeon
Brown alone was wanting; but she patronized Mrs. Scudder no more, and
tossed her head with a becoming pride when her name was mentioned.
"The quilt pattern was gloriously drawn in oak leaves, done in indigo;
and soon all the company, young and old, were passing busy fingers
over it, and conversation went on briskly.
"Madame de Frontignac, we must not forget to say, had entered with
hearty abandon into the spirit of the day. She had dressed the tall
china vases on the mantelpiece, and, departing from the usual rule of
an equal mixture of roses and asparagus bushes, had constructed two
quaint and graceful bouquets where garden flowers were mingled with
drooping grasses and trailing wild vines, forming a graceful
combination which excited the surprise of all who saw it.
"'It's the very first time in my life that I ever saw grass put into a
flower pot,' said Miss Prissy, 'but I must say it looks as handsome as
a picture. Mary, I must say,' she added, in an aside, 'I think that
Madame de Frontignac is the sweetest dressing and appearing creature I
ever saw; she don't dress up nor put on airs, but she seems to see in
a minute how things ought to go; and if it's only a bit of grass, or
leaf, or wild vine, that she puts in her hair, why, it seems to come
just right. I should like to make her a dress, for I know she would
understand my fit; do speak to her, Mary, in case she should want a
dress fitted here, to let me try it.'
"At the quilting Madame de Frontignac would have her seat, and soon
won the respect of the party by the dexterity with which she used her
needle; though, when it was whispered that she learned to quilt among
the nuns, some of the elderly ladies exhibited a slight uneasiness, as
being rather doubtful whether they might not be encouraging papistical
opinions by allowing her an equal share in the work of getting up
their minister's bed quilt; but the younger part of the company was
quite captivated by her foreign air and the pretty manner in which she
lisped her English; and Cerinthy Ann even went so far as to horrify
her mother by saying that she wished she'd been educated in a convent
herself, a declaration which arose less from native depravity than
from a certain vigorous disposition, which often shows itself in young
people, to shock the current opinions of their elders and betters. Of
course, the conversation took a general turn, somewhat in unison with
the spirit of the occasion; and whenever it flagged, some allusion to
a forthcoming wedding, or some sly hint at the future young Madame of
the parish was sufficient to awaken the dormant animation of the
company.
[Illustration: MORNING GLORY
It must be "early to bed and early to rise" for the
child who would see the sweet morning glory in all its
loveliness, as it must be found before all the dew is
gone]
"Cerinthy Ann contrived to produce an agreeable electric shock by
declaring that for her part she never could see into it how any girl
could marry a minister; that she should as soon think of setting up
housekeeping in a meeting-house.
"'Oh, Cerinthy Ann!' exclaimed her mother, 'how can you go on so?'
"'It's a fact,' said the adventurous damsel; 'now other men let you
have some peace, but a minister's always round under your feet.'
"'So you think the less you see of a husband, the better?' said one of
the ladies.
"'Just my views!' said Cerinthy, giving a decided snip to her thread
with her scissors. 'I like the Nantucketers, that go off on four
years' voyages, and leave their wives a clear field. If ever I get
married, I'm going up to have one of those fellows.'
"It is to be remarked, in passing, that Miss Cerinthy Ann was at this
very time receiving surreptitious visits from a consumptive-looking,
conscientious young theological candidate, who came occasionally to
preach in the vicinity, and put up at the house of the deacon, her
father. This good young man, being violently attacked on the doctrine
of election by Miss Cerinthy, had been drawn on to illustrate it in a
most practical manner, to her comprehension; and it was the
consciousness of the weak and tottering state of the internal garrison
that added vigour to the young lady's tones. As Mary had been the
chosen confidante of the progress of this affair, she was quietly
amused at the demonstration.
"'You'd better take care, Cerinthy Ann,' said her mother, 'they say
"that those who sing before breakfast will cry before supper." Girls
talk about getting married,' she said, relapsing into a gentle
melancholy, 'without realizing its awful responsibilities.'
"'Oh, as to that,' said Cerinthy, 'I've been practising on my pudding
now these six years, and I shouldn't be afraid to throw one up chimney
with any girl.'
"This speech was founded on a tradition, current in those times, that
no young lady was fit to be married till she could construct a boiled
Indian pudding of such consistency that it could be thrown up a
chimney and come down on the ground outside without breaking; and the
consequence of Cerinthy Ann's sally was a general laugh.
"'Girls ain't what they used to be in my day,' sententiously remarked
an elderly lady. 'I remember my mother told me when she was thirteen
she could knit a long cotton stocking in a day.'
"'I haven't much faith in these stories of old times, have you,
girls?' said Cerinthy, appealing to the younger members at the frame.
"'At any rate,' said Mrs. Twitchel, 'our minister's wife will be a
pattern; I don't know anybody that goes beyond her either in spinning
or fine stitching.'
"Mary sat as placid and disengaged as the new moon, and listened to
the chatter of old and young with the easy quietness of a young heart
that has early outlived life and looks on everything in the world from
some gentle, restful eminence far on toward a better home. She smiled
at everybody's word, had a quick eye for everybody's wants, and was
ready with thimble, scissors, or thread, whenever any one needed them;
but once, when there was a pause in the conversation, she and Mrs.
Marvyn were both discovered to have stolen away. They were seated on
the bed in Mary's little room, with their arms around each other,
communing in low and gentle tones.
"'Mary, my dear child,' said her friend, 'this event is very pleasant
to me, because it places you permanently near me. I did not know but
eventually this sweet face might lead to my losing you who are in some
respects the dearest friend I have.'
"'You might be sure,' said Mary, 'I never would have married, except
that my mother's happiness and the happiness of so good a friend
seemed to depend on it. When we renounce self in anything we have
reason to hope for God's blessing; and so I feel assured of a peaceful
life in the course I have taken. You will always be as a mother to
me,' she added, laying her head on her friend's shoulder.
"'Yes,' said Mrs. Marvyn; 'and I must not let myself think a moment
how dear it might have been to have you more my own. If you feel
really, truly happy, if you can enter on this life without any
misgivings----'
"'I can,' said Mary firmly.
"At this instant, very strangely, the string which confined a wreath
of seashells around her glass, having been long undermined by moths,
suddenly broke and fell down, scattering the shells upon the floor.
[Illustration: "KEEPSAKE QUILT"
The sunbonnet lassies suggest an outing or a call from
playmates on the morrow. These lassies may be dressed in
bits of the gowns of the little maid, and the quilt thus
become a "keepsake quilt"]
"Both women started, for the string of shells had been placed there
by James; and though neither was superstitious, this was one of those
odd coincidences that make hearts throb.
"'Dear boy!' said Mary, gathering the shells up tenderly; 'wherever he
is, I shall never cease to love him. It makes me feel sad to see this
come down; but it is only an accident; nothing of him will ever fall
out of my heart.'
"Mrs. Marvyn clasped Mary closer to her, with tears in her eyes.
"'I'll tell you what, Mary, it must have been the moths did that,'
said Miss Prissy, who had been standing, unobserved, at the door for a
moment back; 'moths will eat away strings just so. Last week Miss
Vernon's great family picture fell down because the moths eat through
the cord; people ought to use twine or cotton string always. But I
came to tell you that supper is all set, and the doctor out of his
study, and all the people are wondering where you are.'
"Mary and Mrs. Marvyn gave a hasty glance at themselves in the glass,
to be assured of their good keeping, and went into the great kitchen,
where a long table stood exhibiting all that plentitude of provision
which the immortal description of Washington Irving has saved us the
trouble of recapitulating in detail.
"The husbands, brothers, and lovers had come in, and the scene was
redolent of gayety. When Mary made her appearance, there was a
moment's pause, till she was conducted to the side of the doctor;
when, raising his hand, he invoked a grace upon the loaded board.
"Unrestrained gayeties followed. Groups of young men and maidens
chatted together, and all the gallantries of the times were enacted.
Serious matrons commented on the cake, and told each other high and
particular secrets in the culinary art which they drew from remote
family archives. One might have learned in that instructive assembly
how best to keep moths out of blankets, how to make fritters of Indian
corn undistinguishable from oysters, how to bring up babies by hand,
how to mend a cracked teapot, how to take out grease from a brocade,
how to reconcile absolute decrees with free will, how to make five
yards of cloth answer the purpose of six, and how to put down the
Democratic party.
"Miss Prissy was in her glory; every bow of her best cap was alive
with excitement, and she presented to the eyes of the astonished
Newport gentry an animated receipt book. Some of the information she
communicated, indeed, was so valuable and important that she could not
trust the air with it, but whispered the most important portions in a
confidential tone. Among the crowd, Cerinthy Ann's theological admirer
was observed in deeply reflective attitude; and that high-spirited
young lady added further to his convictions of the total depravity of
the species by vexing and discomposing him in those thousand ways in
which a lively, ill-conditioned young woman will put to rout a
serious, well-disposed young man, comforting herself with the
reflection that by and by she would repent of all her sins in a lump
together.
"Vain, transitory splendours! Even this evening, so glorious, so heart
cheering, so fruitful in instruction and amusement, could not last
forever. Gradually the company broke up; the matrons mounted soberly
on horseback behind their spouses, and Cerinthy consoled her clerical
friend by giving him an opportunity to read her a lecture on the way
home, if he found the courage to do so.
"Mr. and Mrs. Marvyn and Candace wound their way soberly homeward;
the doctor returned to his study for nightly devotions; and before
long sleep settled down on the brown cottage.
"'I'll tell you what, Cato,' said Candace, before composing herself to
sleep, 'I can't feel it in my bones dat dis yer weddin's gwine to come
off yit.'"
LIST OF QUILT NAMES
ARRANGED ALPHABETICALLY
Air Castle
Alabama Beauty
Album
All Tangled Up
Alpine Rose
American Log Patch
Apple Hexagon
Arabic Lattice
Arkansas Traveller
Art Square
Ashland Rose
Aunt Eliza's Star Point
Aunt Sukey's Patch
Autograph Quilt
Bachelor's Puzzle
Barrister's Blocks
Base Ball
Basket of Lilies
Basket Quilt
Bat's Wing
Bear's Foot
Bear's Paws
Bedtime
Beggar's Blocks
Big Dipper
Bird's Nest
Blackford's Beauty
Blazing Star
Blind Man's Fancy
Block Album
Bluebird
Boston Puzzle
Bounding Betty
Bouquet
Box Blocks
Boxed I's
Boy's Nonsense
Brick Pile
Brickwork Quilt
Broken Dish
Brown-tailed Moth
Brunswick Star
Bunnies
Bunnies and Baskets
Butterflies
Cactus Blossom
Cake Stand
California Oak Leaf
California Rose
California Star
Capital I
Carolina Lily
Carpenter's Rule
Carpenter's Square
Cats and Mice
Centennial
Charm
Charter Oak
Cherry Basket
Chicago Star
Children's Delight
Chimney Swallows
Christmas Tree
Chrysanthemums
Churn Dash
Circle Within Circle
Circuit Rider
Cleveland Lilies
Cluster of Stars
Coarse Woven Patch
Cockscomb
Cog Wheel
Columbian Puzzle
Columbia Star
Combination Star
Compass
Complex Rose
Confederate Rose
Continental
Corn and Beans
Cottage Tulip
Country Farm
Coxey's Camp
Crazy Ann
Crazy Quilt
Crib Quilt
Cross, The
Cross and Crown
Crosses and Losses
Crosses and Stars
Crossed Canoes
Cross Roads to Texas
Cross Within Cross
Crow's Foot
Cube Lattice
Cube Work
Cypress Leaf
Daffodils and Butterflies
Daisies
Democrat Rose
Devil's Claws
Devil's Puzzle
Diagonal Log Chain
Diamond, The
Diamond Cube
Diamond Design
Diamonds
Diamond Star
Disk, The
Dogwood
Domino
Domino and Square
Double Irish Chain
Double Peony
Double Squares
Double Wrench
Double X, No. 1
Double X, No. 2
Double X, No. 3
Double X, No. 4
Double Z
Dove in the Window
Dutchman's Puzzle
Dutch Rose
Drunkard's Patchwork
Drunkard's Path
Ducks and Ducklings
Ecclesiastical
Economy
Eight Hands Around
Eight-point Design
Eight-pointed Star
Enigma
Evening Star
Everybody's Favourite
Fan
Fan and Rainbow
Fan Patch
Fanny's Fan
Fantastic Patch
Feather Star
Ferris Wheel
Field Daisies
Five-pointed Star
Five Stripes
Fleur-de-Lis
Flower Basket
Flower Pot
Flutter Wheel
Flying Bat
Flying Star
Fool's Puzzle
Fool's Square
Forbidden Fruit Tree
Forest Pattern
Four E's
Four Frogs Quilt
Four Little Birds
Four Points
Four Stars Patch
Four X Star
French Basket
Friendship Quilt
Fruit Basket
Garden of Eden
Garfield's Monument
Gentleman's Fancy
Georgetown Circle
Girl's Joy
Globe, The
Golden Gates
Goose in the Pond
Goose Tracks
Gourd Vine
Grandmother's Choice
Grandmother's Dream
Grandmother's Own
Grape Basket
Grapes and Vines
Grecian Design
Greek Cross
Greek Square
Hairpin Catcher
Hand, The
Hands All Around
Handy Andy
Harrison Rose
Harvest Rose
Hearts and Gizzards
Hen and Chickens
Hexagonal
Hickory Leaf
Hobson's Kiss
Home Treasure
Honeycomb
Honeycomb Patch
Hour Glass
House That Jack Built
Ice Cream Bowl
Imperial Tea
Indiana Wreath
Indian Hatchet
Indian Plumes
Interlaced Blocks
Iris
Irish Puzzle
Jack's House
Jacob's Ladder
Job's Tears
Johnny Around the Corner
Joining Star
Jonquils
Joseph's Coat
Joseph's Necktie
Kansas Troubles
King's Crown
King's Crows
Ladies' Beautiful Star
Ladies' Delight
Ladies' Wreath
Lady Fingers
Lady of the Lake
Leap Frog
Letter H
Letter X
Lily of the Valley
Lily Quilt Pattern
Lincoln's Platform
Linton
Little Beech Tree
Little Red House, The
Live Oak Tree
Lobster, The
Log Cabin
Log Patch
London Roads
Love Rose
Lover's Links
Magic Circle
Maltese Cross, No. 1
Maltese Cross, No. 2
Maple Leaf
Mary's Garden
May Berry Leaf
Mayflower, The
Memory Blocks
Memory Circle
Mexican Rose
Missouri Beauty
Mollie's Choice
Moon and Stars
Morning Glory
Morning Glory Wreath
Morning Star
Mosaic (More than 25)
Mother's Fancy
Mrs. Cleveland's Choice
Mrs. Morgan's Choice
Needle Book
Necktie
New Album
New Four Patch
Nine Patch
New Star
No Name Quilt
None Such
Novel Star
Oak Leaf and Acorns
Oak Leaf and Tulip
Ocean Waves
Octagon
Octagon File
Odd Fellows' Chain
Odd Patchwork
Odd Pattern, An
Odds and Ends
Odd Star
Ohio Beauty
Oklahoma Boomer
Old Homestead, The
Old Maid's Puzzle
Old Patchwork, An
Old Scrap Patchwork
Old Bachelor's Puzzle
Old Tippecanoe
Olive Branch
Orange Peel
Paving Blocks
Pansies and Butterflies
Peacocks and Flowers
Peony Block
Persian Palm Lily
Philadelphia Beauty
Philadelphia Pavement
Philippines, The
Pickle Dish
Pilgrim's Pride
Pincushion
Pincushion and Burr
Pineapple Patterns (3 in number)
Pine Tree
Pinwheel Square
Poinsettia
Poppy
Prairie Rose
Premium Star
President's Quilt
Princess Feather
Priscilla, The
Pullman Puzzle
Puss-in-the-Corner
Puzzle File
Pyrotechnics
Quartette, The
Radical Rose
Railroad, The
Rainbow
Red Cross
Ribbon Squares
Ribbon Star
Right and Left
Rising Sun
Road to California
Robbing Peter to Pay Paul
Rockingham's Beauty
Rocky Glen
Rocky Road to California
Rocky Road to Kansas
Rolling Pinwheel
Rolling Star
Rolling Stone
Roman Cross
Roman Stripe
Rose
Rose Album
Rose and Feather
Rosebud and Leaves
Rose of Dixie
Rose of LeMoine
Rose of St. Louis
Rose of the Carolinas
Rose of Sharon
Rose Sprig
Royal, The
Royal Japanese Vase
Sarah's Favourite
Sashed Album
Sashed Star
Sawtooth Patchwork
Scissor's Chain
Seven Stars
Shelf Chain
Shield
Shoo Fly
Shooting Star
Simple Design
Single Sunflowers
Sister's Choice
Snail's Trail, The
Snowball
Snowflake
Solomon's Temple
Solomon's Crown
Spider's Den
Spider's Web
Spools
Square and a Half
Square and Swallow
Square and Triangle
Square Log Cabin
Squares and Stars
Squares and Stripes
Star, A
Star and Chains
Star and Cross
Star and Cubes
Star and Squares
Star of Bethlehem
Star of Many Points
Star of Texas
Star of the East
Star Lane
Star Puzzle
Star-Spangled Banner
Stars upon Stars
State House Steps
Steps to the Altar
St. Louis Star
Stone Wall
Storm at Sea
Strawberry
Stripe Squares
Sugar Loaf
Sunbonnet Lassies
Sunburst
Sunflowers
Sunshine
Swarm of Bees
Sweet Gum Leaf
Swinging Corners
Swing in the Centre
Tangled Garter
Tassel Plant
Tea Leaf
Temperance Tree
Texas Flower
Texas Tears
Three-flowered Sunflower
Tick-Tack-Toe
Tile Patchwork
Toad in the Puddle
Tree of Paradise
Triangular Triangle
Triangle Puzzle
True Lover's Knot
Tufted Cherry
Tulip Blocks
Tulip in Vase
Tulip Lady Finger
Tulip Tree Leaves
Tumbler, The
Twin Sisters
Twinkling Star
Twist and Turn
Twist Patchwork
Two Doves, The
Union
Union Calico Quilt
Union Star
Unknown Star
Valentine Quilt
Variegated Diamonds
Variegated Hexagons
Venetian Design
Vestibule
Vice-President's Quilt
Village Church
Virginia Gentleman
Washington's Puzzle
Washington's Plumes
Washington's Sidewalk
Watered Ribbon
Way of the World
Wedding Knot
Western Star
W. C. T. Union
Wheel, The
Wheel and Star
Wheel of Fortune
Whig Pattern
Whig Rose
White Day Lily
Widower's Choice
Wild Goose Chase
Wild Rose
Wind-blown Tulips
Winding Walk
Wind Mill
Wonder of the World
Workbox
World's Fair, The
World's Fair Blocks
World's Fair Puzzle
Wreath of Roses
X quisite, The
Yankee Puzzle
LIST OF REFERENCES
THE CAROLINA MOUNTAINS. _Margaret M. Morley._
THE MINISTER'S WOOING. _Harriet Beecher Stowe._
AUNT JANE IN KENTUCKY. _Hall._
COLONIAL DAYS AND WAYS. _Helen Evesten Smith._
THE STORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. _Charles Burr Todd,
1888._
THE SOCIAL HISTORY OF FLATBUSH. _Gertrude Lefferts
Vanderbilt, 1882._
SOCIAL HISTORY OF ANCIENT IRELAND. _P. W. Joyce._
CHATS ON OLD LACE AND NEEDLEWORK. _Mrs. Lowes._
THE CRUSADES. _Archer and Kingsford._
THE LURE OF THE ANTIQUE. _Walter A. Dyer._
ART IN NEEDLEWORK. _Lewis F. Day and Mary Buckle._
HOME LIFE IN COLONIAL DAYS. _Alice Morse Earle._
CUSTOMS AND FASHIONS IN OLD NEW ENGLAND. _Alice Morse
Earle._
PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH. _Mrs. P. E. Gibbon._
ON EDUCATION. _John Locke, 1632-1704._
OLD EMBROIDERIES. _Alan S. Cole in Home Needlework
Magazine, 1900-1901._
THE ANNALS OF TENNESSEE. _J. G. M. Ramsey, A. M., M. D.,
1853._
WOMAN'S HANDIWORK IN MODERN HOMES. _Constance Cary
Harrison, 1881._
PEASANT ART IN SWEDEN, IRELAND, AND LAPLAND. _Edited by
Charles Holmes._
FIRST STEPS IN COLLECTING. _Grace M. Vallois._
NEEDLEWORK. _Elizabeth Glaister._
EMBROIDERY AND TAPESTRY WEAVING. _Mrs. A. H. Christie._
THE ART OF NEEDLEWORK. _Edited by Countess Wilton._
ENGLISH SECULAR EMBROIDERY. _M. Jourdain._
THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. _Sir. J. Gardner Wilkinson,
D. C. L., F. R. S._
DE BELLO JUDAICO. _Flavius Josephus._
TURKEY OF THE OTTOMAN. _L. M. Garnett._
HISTOIRE DE L'ART DANS L'ANTIQUITÉ. _Perrot and
Chipiex._
ARTS AND CRAFTS IN THE MIDDLE AGES. _Julia de Wolf
Addison._
SACO VALLEY FAMILIES. _Ridlon._
* * * * * *
Transcriber's Note
Minor punctuation errors have been corrected without note.
This book contains some archaic spelling and dialect; all instances
have been kept as printed.
Hyphenation has been made consistent as follows:
Page vii--Bed-time amended to Bedtime
Page 125--Puss in the Corner amended to Puss-in-the-Corner
Page 144--oldtime amended to old-time
The following amendments have been made:
Page 5--Gerdin amended to Gardner--"Sir J. Gardner
Wilkinson, in his history ..."
Page 7--Judaics amended to Judaico--"In "De Bello Judaico,"
by Flavius Josephus, ..."
Page 8--Historic amended to Histoire--"... in their "Histoire
de l'Art dans l'Antiquité", publish ..."
Page 18--Phoenecians amended to Phoenicians--"... in Biblical
times by the Hebrews and Phoenicians."
Page 95--Eor amended to For--"For those who enjoy making
pieced quilts ..."
Page 131--amarylis amended to amaryllis--"... and even
scarlet amaryllis pale beside the glowing colours ..."
Page 143--excell amended to excel--"... the desire to
excel in the art of quilt making."
Page 174--repeated instance of St. Louis Star deleted.
Page 177--MOUNTAINA amended to MOUNTAINS--"THE CAROLINA
MOUNTAINS."
Page 177--M. amended to F., and AND amended to IN--"ART
IN NEEDLEWORK. _Lewis F. Day and Mary Buckle._"
Page 177--Alam amended to Alan--"_Alan S. Cole in ..._"
Page 178--S. C. L. amended to D. C. L.--"_Sir J. Gardner
Wilkinson, D. C. L., F. R. S._"
Page 178--JUDAICS amended to JUDAICO--"DE BELLO JUDAICO."
Page 178--DAMS amended to DANS--"HISTOIRE DE L'ART DANS
L'ANTIQUITÉ."
The following amendments have been made in the list of quilt names at
the end of the text, for consistency with the main text:
Aunt Eliza's Star Quilt amended to Aunt Eliza's Star Point (p. 169)
Baseball amended to Base Ball (p. 169)
Blindman's Fancy amended to Blind Man's Fancy (p. 169)
Cogwheels amended to Cog Wheel (p. 170)
Double Square amended to Double Squares (p. 171)
Duck and Ducklings amended to Ducks and Ducklings (p. 171)
Fleur de Lis amended to Fleur-de-Lis (p. 171)
French Baskets amended to French Basket (p. 171)
Hair Pin Catcher amended to Hairpin Catcher (p. 172)
Indian Plums amended to Indian Plumes (p. 172)
Needlebook amended to Needle Book (p. 173)
Road to Oklahoma amended to Road to California (p. 174)
Washington Puzzle amended to Washington's Puzzle (p. 176)
Windmill amended to Wind Mill (p. 176)
Xquisite, The amended to X quisite, The (p. 176)
Please note that not all of the quilt patterns mentioned in the main
text are included in the list.
The single oe ligature (in the word Phoenicians) has not been retained
in this version.
Illustrations have been moved slightly where necessary so that they
were not in the middle of a paragraph. The frontispiece illustration
has been moved to follow the title page.