Four Patch 2: Rectangles Only

Detail of a tied comforter from the Nebraska project and the Quilt Index.

#1110 in BlockBase

You may not see this as a four-patch.

But that's how it's indexed in my BlockBase Program.

#1110 is a four patch pieced of 8 rectangles: 2 to each of the four patches.

Endless Stairs is the published name from several early 20th century magazines. London Stairs from the Kansas City Star in 1934 and Winding Stairway from a Canadian newspaper column named Evangeline's.

Another way to shade it.

The basic pattern can have more rectangles.

4 x 3 has more shading options.

#1111

#1111d

Lora Wedd made the Farm Journal pattern Spirit of St. Louis in 1934

but it looked so much like the swastika of Hitler's Germany that no one

ever used it. It's in the collection of the Kansas Museum of History now.

https://www.kshs.org/km/items/view/306113

A detail of the top from about 1915 below.

It creates the illusion that it's woven.

#1111

Not every variation has a number.

I'm going to call those with more rectangles per square

 variations on #1114

And tell you it's a good thing to do with JellyRolls and other

precut strips.

Victorian Puzzle Revisited

Victorian Puzzle by Ann Rhode,

Quilted by Angie Woolman

2013

A couple of years ago I made several variations of this string-pieced diamond design.

I recently sold this one from my Etsy shop.

I called it Victorian Puzzle.

My inspiration: some late 19th-century quilts

in a pattern with no name.

It's a variation of a string quilt, narrow strips of different sizes, pieced over a foundation.

You have to see the pattern as a diamond to understand it.

Here are two posts: http://barbarabrackman.blogspot.com/2012/02/victorian-puzzle-saga-i.html
http://barbarabrackman.blogspot.com/2012/02/victorian-puzzle-saga-ii.html

I've found a few more examples since then.

As a signature quilt, Vevay County, Indiana

Someone gathered a few signatures on the black strips in the one above.

In this late-19th century silk example the shading changes. The central strips are narrow and multicolored and the diamond's points are large and mostly black...

Which creates a hexagon framed by several outlines.

Connecticut Project& the Quilt Index

It really is a puzzle. I think people sometimes gave up too easy.

If you want to make one:

See Sujata Shah's tutorial:

http://therootconnection.blogspot.com/2012/02/sunday-paper.html

Karen Griska sells a pattern for Diamond Dish

And EQ shows you how to draft it on their DoYouEQ page:

http://doyoueq.com/lessons/victorian-puzzle-lesson/

Four Patch 1: Just Plain Four Patch

Can I find a quilt for every pattern drawn in BlockBase?

We'll find out.

The Four Patches should be easy.

Especially those pieced of squares only.

Here's #1101, the basic four equal squares

About 1900

Blocks set on point with alternate plain squares

Same time, set on point with red sashing strips.

Ann Hermes has a pair of Pennsylvania pillowcases

in her Etsy store---mid-century.

What's the oldest four patch I have on file?

This one's dated 1830.

Alternate plain white squares with plain whites in the four patches too.

I was surprised I couldn't find any earlier example---

Nine patches seem to have been much more popular before 1830.

Then there's this variation

BlockBase #1103. Carrie Hall called it a Four-Patch

but I'd call it a Double Four Patch today.

That's the name I used to do a web search for some of these.

Supposed to be date-inscribed 1876.

All #1103

I'm surprised I haven't any vintage versions of #1105, which the Kansas

City Star published as the Carrie Nation Quilt

MsDolittle did one for my Grandmother's Choice Block of the Week

a few years ago.

I made one with my niece Natasha in 1987.

And one for her niece Sophia about 10 years ago.

#1107 A Nine Patch in a Four Patch

from about 1880.

I have seen a lot more four patches set in a nine patch

than I've seen of this pattern--- #1107.

Here's a great simple four patch:

#1107 alternating with a plain old four patch #1101.

From the Rick Rack Blog.

See a free pattern for a variation at my regular blog here:

http://barbarabrackman.blogspot.com/2016/11/double-four-patches-in-morris-earthly.html

I thought I didn't have a number for this interesting repeat

but I'm calling it a variation of #1104

if it's a double four patch and shaded like this.

Farm Journal called it Squares Upon Squares.

Set on point it could make a Valentine.