Guide Post pattern, based on a diamond-shaped
block, from Mountain Mist.
I'm looking for an actual quilt in every pattern
indexed in my BlockBase program. Above is
one for #231a, one the few diamond blocks I can match up.
Quilt + Published History.
The diamond grids are not very common, but I have duplicates of several variations.
A detail of a fabulous quilt in the United Notions/Moda
collection---maybe 1830-1850.
The pattern and many of the fabrics were copied in this
kit sold last year in the Collections for a Cause:Community line.
Detail of Tammy Vonderschmitt's mini-repro
The example above (perhaps from 1870-1890) is from Laura Fisher Quilts.
The design is BlockBase #231b
I included the first published instance of a name in my Encyclopedia/BlockBase index so the Nancy Page newspaper column gets credit for Diamonds in 1933.
The Nancy Cabot column published it January 23, 1935.
You can shade it in a variety of ways and get variations
on argyle and harlequin designs.
Argyle sweater vest
This quilt of navy blue prints and yellow is about 1900.
Bright red sashing rather overwhelms this
four-patch diamond from the mid-20th-century.
The diagonal set adds to the drama.
A nine-patch in a diamond shape is another old pattern. The earliest version of #232 I've seen
is from the Massachusetts project on the Quilt Index.
Nine-patches alternate with a red and yellow chintz.
The maker gave some thought to alternating high contrast
and low contrast blocks, giving an argyle look.
I found several 19th-century "diamond nine-patches"
or "nine-patch diamonds" in the Massachusetts files.
Above the diamonds must be fairly small to focus on the dog's head conversational print.
Mid-19th century
A signature quilt from the Connecticut project,
also mid-19th century.
This one from an auction is about the same age.
The nine-patches above are all #232a, set point to point.
Another set: #232b with the diamonds stacked up.
#232 variation
I couldn't find an actual quilt alternating plain blocks
but here's one from about 1900 with the diamond blocks side by side.
BlockBase will print templates for these various diamond shaped blocks in any size.
Top from the mid-20th-century from Susan
at Sunrise Studios.
25 diamonds in a diamond block.
From Willy Wonky Quilts
25 but the black lines are pieced of diamonds too.
A spectacular Amish version from the
Faith and Stephen Brown collection.
I haven't found names or published design for these version with many diamonds per block. This one has 36 diamonds...
The quilt looks to be about 1900 with all those black and wine-colored prints.
Same block, set side by side from the Connecticut files.
Here's 16 diamonds with a great chintz border
from the Oaks Plantation in Anson County, North Carolina
on an online auction last spring.
49 diamonds in a diamond block.
The pieces are large enough here that only two fit across the
quilt top. The picture is from the Michigan project files.
It is quite possible that someone started out with this
in mind
Or this...
but went to plan B.
You know how it goes.
If it won't sit flat as a star maybe.....
No comments:
Post a Comment