Not My Favorite Pattern: Applique #19.7

Quilt by Isabelle Wiswall Herman in Herman, NY

1840-1900

Picture from my Clues in the Calico book 25 years ago.

A woman I knew had inherited this quilt from her New York ancestors.

Here's what I said in 1989:

"A quilt nearly identical to this one is in the collection of the University of Illinois. Most

appliqued patterns seem to have been passed around; there are few unique designs."

I'll agree with that.

It's  #19.72, #19.74 and #19.75 in my Encyclopedia of Applique.

I called the quilt above a Coxcomb in Quilters Newsletter.

Woodard and Greenstein called it Poppy Applique in their Crib Quilts

I saw this example in an online auction. Very similar.

Four-way symmetry with floral center, four-block set. 

Triangles in the border

and extra applique there too.

There are many of these out there.

IQSC 2004.016.0029

It's usually a four-block set. This one, found in Pennsylvania, is from the Carlson Collection

of Four-Block quilts at the International Quilt Study Center and Museum. They estimate the date as later in the 19th century. It doesn't have the reverse applique

cut-outs or the extra pieces.

Reverse applique, sort of heart shaped.

From an auction.

From an auction at Skinner.

You get the feeling the cardboard pattern is passed around and all

the edges have worn off. Instead of a flower the center is now a circle.

It's likely that these were cut paper designs

like a Valentine (which the above Pennsylvania example resembles.)

A 20th century version.

Two similar designs: The center is a star. The late 19th century version is from

an online auction.

(Strip border and tan color: both clues to late-19th century or early 20th)

Quilt attributed to Matie Beard, Carroll County, Maryland

 from the North Carolina project and the Quilt Index.

The form gives the name "Leaf and Plume," 

perhaps a family name.

http://www.quiltindex.org/fulldisplay.php?kid=4B-82-B28

Here's why it's not my favorite pattern. Human beings will see faces

anytime you give them two eyes and a mouth. Sometimes the faces

are threatening.

Halloween cut paper design by Peter Fritsch

Like in this angry bird.

The pattern in its variations doesn't seem to be a regional design either. The repeat block quilts are from New York. Maryland and Pennsylvania (although I guess that is a region----the Central Midlands???)

And here is one last distant relative.

A top from an online auction.

Anyone who's cut paper with a five year old knows what happened to the distant relative above.

It was supposed to have 4-way symmetry but one wrong snip.,,,

Not Square Blocks: Diamond Shaped Blocks 1

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.....