An unusual design from about 1910 found in the Iowa Project.
Lucy Kessler Eddy made the quilt. The family name was Friendly Hand
The pattern is BlockBase #2400 and here's a block
from Mary Barton's collection (also from Iowa.)
The block appeared in the Clara Stone patchwork pattern catalog from about 1910
as Nautilus
A block from the era
A top with blocks set all over
Alternate plain blocks
The spiral block is a square in a square in a square etc., with
an X in the center.
But wouldn't it work better as a spiral if the X were shaded differently?
I imported it from Block Base into Electric Quilt and reshaded it.
Ruby McKim must have thought the same thing as she published it about 1930
as Monkey Wrench with a four patch in the center.
BlockBase #2397
Inspiring many quilters
The Freedom Quilting Bee, maybe about 1980
The shading is tricky.
Here's an EQ pattern for Nautilus in a 12" block.
Those numbers are
A - 6-7/8"
B - 3-7/8"
C - 7-1/4"
D - 4-1/4"
And here's how that clever Lucy Kessler Eddy set her blocks. For a
12" block alternate with a 6 x 12" finished rectangle and offset the repeat.
Another great variation from the Wyoming Project.
The family name was Nautilus.
It's the same red and white square block---
let's say 12", set with a single alternate blue block half
that size---so 6"
The nautilus block is then set at a half-drop---
half way up, stair-stepped.