Tessellations: Hexagons 3--- Medallions

A hexagon medallion, perhaps from about 1950

One piece---a hexagon, shaded in concentric hexagonal rings.

Here's a variation of BlockBase #160 I hadn't indexed before.

I guess it's #160z

It's one of those vernacular designs that grows out of the geometry of hexagons.

An early version dated 1808 by Rebekah Morrison from

the collection of Natalie Norris,

and a tied wool version from the early 20th century.

Early 20th century

It was a popular idea with charm quilt stitchers

between 1870 and 1910. The example above

from Lynn at Vintage and Antique Quilts.

From Sandra Starley's Collection

As the fashion moved on quilters seem to have

forgotten about "no two pieces alike" and just

worked on rings of color.

1950's or '60's?

Susan McCord's late-19th-century version in the Henry Ford Museum,

photo from the Quilt Index.

http://www.quiltindex.org/news/category/documentation-projects/

It's a tempting idea. You start in the center with 

a conventional rosette and the rings just keep getting larger.

British quilt from Kerry Taylor Auction

But you have to remember that quilts have square

corners and hexagons don't.

You could  get a little bit fancy in the corners.

From the Koval collection

From French Antiques

Or a lot fancy.

Above and below, silk hexies from the last

half of the 19th century.

Copake Auctions.

But no matter what your plan pretty soon you have a lapful.

Some people go to Plan B.

Above a silk version of tiny hexagons.

Same solution to the problem in a mid-20th-century

cotton quilt from Stella Rubin at First Dibs.

1880-1900

From the collection of Iowa's Living History Farms

She tried to corral everything with

borders here

with some success.

This quilter was a little more skillful at framing.

From a British online auction.

She gave up early.

It looks like someone started the center about 1900

and then finished it up with random corners

twenty or thirty years later.

Plan C

Mid-20th Century

Plan D

Mid-19th century