Martha's Choice
A lot of curved piecing
North Carolina project & the Quilt Index
Here's the pattern in a wonderful surviving document---
A quilt made by Mary Barnes who was once a slave.
There's another quilt inside, which probably has distorted
the quilt in washing. I bet it's heavy.
One odd block down in the corner with less of a curve and more
of an angle. Perhaps she got that as a pattern block.
If I were piecing it I'd go for the angle.
The only published source I've found: Nancy Cabot column in the Chicago Tribune in
1934. She gave it two names
Martha's Choice
Virginia's Choice
Two perfect Colonial Revival names....
Just like Nancy Cabot.
The pattern's older than 1934 though not as old as Martha Washington.
The two at the top of the page look at least 20 years older.
Maybe 1890-1925.
There some variety in drawing those curved shapes.
Friendship quilt dated 1938. Probably
from the Tribune pattern.
It probably derived from the far more popular Hearts & Gizzards
BlockBase #1500
But there is an extra seam.
Since there are three pieces:
Hearts, Gizzards, Chicken Livers.
#1501 has a lot of names.
BlockBase---4 patches with curved seams
the red & white one in the lower left corner is interesting.
Published often as Square & Compass, BlockBase #1493
And a lot of relatives
The Massachusetts project photographed this one, which is
filed as Martha's Choice in the Quilt Index. Made in Maine, Wendy.
It took me a while to figure it out.
It's just the #1501 on point, which gives a different look.
Nebraska project & the Quilt Index.
Online auction?
Once you start cutting those rectangles you might have a few left over for the border.
Lots of variation there! Perhaps some were a mis-read of the pattern or they wanted to change it.
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