both pieced and patched quilts, it really belongs to that type where
the design is cut from one fabric and applied upon another. "Sewed on"
and "laid quilts" are old terms given to appliqué or patched quilts.

The distinction between "pieced" and "patched" quilts is fittingly
described by Miss Bessie Daingerfield, the Kentuckian who has written
interestingly of her experiences with mountain quilt makers. She says:
"To every mountain woman her piece quilts are her daily interest, but
her patch quilts are her glory. Even in these days, you women of the
low country know a piece quilt when you see one, and doubtless you
learned to sew on a 'four-patch' square. But have you among your
treasures a patch quilt? The piece quilt, of course, is made of
scraps, and its beauty or ugliness depends upon the material and
colours that come to hand, the intricacy of the design, and one's
skill in executing it. I think much character building must be done
while hand and eye coöperate to make, for example, a star quilt with
its endless tiny points for fitting and joining, but a patch quilt
is a more ambitious affair. For this the pattern is cut from the whole
piece and appliquéd on unbleached cotton. The colours used are
commonly oil red, oil green, and a certain rather violent yellow, and
sometimes indigo blue. These and these only are considered reliable
enough for a patch quilt, which is made for the generations that come
after. The making of such a quilt is a work of oriental patience."

    [Illustration: ORIGINAL ROSE DESIGN MADE IN 1840

    The maker was lame, and only able to walk about in her
    garden. Colours: red, green, pink, and yellow]

    [Illustration: PINEAPPLE DESIGN

    Colours: red and green]

"Appliqué work is thought by some to be an inferior kind of
embroidery, although it is not. It is not a lower but another kind of
needlework in which more is made of the stuff than of the stitching.
In appliqué the craft to the needleworker is not carried to its limit,
but, on the other hand, it calls for great skill in design. Effective
it must be: coarse it may be: vulgar it should not be: trivial it can
hardly be: mere prettiness is beyond its scope: but it lends itself to
dignity of design and nobility of treatment." The foregoing quotation
is from "Art in Needlework" by Louis F. Day and Mary Buckle. It is of
interest because it explains how appliqué or "laid-on" needlework
ranks with other kinds.

After all the different parts of a quilt top are either pieced or
decorated with applied designs, they are joined together with narrow
seams upon the wrong side of the quilt. If a border is included in the
design it should harmonize in colour and design with the body of the
quilt. However, in many quilts, borders seem to be "a thing apart"
from the remainder of the top and, apparently, have been added as an
afterthought to enlarge the top after the blocks had been joined. In
old quilts a border frequently consisted of simple bands of colours
similar to those found in the body of the quilt, but more often new
material entirely different in colour and quality was added when
greater size was desired. Many old quilts were three yards or more
square, generous proportions being very essential in the old days of
broad four-posters heaped with feather beds.

    [Illustration: QUILTING DESIGNS

    (a) Diamonds
    (b) Hanging Diamonds
    (c) Broken Plaid]

The top being completed, the back or lining, of the same dimensions as
the top, is next made of some light-weight material, usually white
cotton. The quilt, to quote the usual expression, is then "ready for
the frames." In earlier days the quilting frame could be found in
every home, its simple construction making this possible. In its
usual form it consists of four narrow pieces of wood, two somewhat
longer than a quilt, and two shorter, perhaps half as long, with holes
bored in the ends of each piece. These pieces are made into an oblong
frame by fastenings of bolts or pegs, and are commonly supported on
the backs of chairs. More pretentious frames are made with round
pieces for the sides, and with ends made to stand upon the floor,
about the height of a table, these ends having round holes into which
the side pieces fit. Such a frame is then self-supporting and
frequently has a cogwheel attachment to keep the sides in place and to
facilitate the rolling and unrolling of the quilt. The majority of
frames are very plain, but occasionally a diligent quilter is
encountered who has one made to suit her particular requirements, or
has received an unusually well-built one as a gift. One old frame
worthy of mention was made of cherry with elaborate scroll designed
ends, cherry side bars, and a set of cogwheels also made of cherry;
all finished and polished like a choice piece of furniture.

    [Illustration: VIRGINIA ROSE

    This original rose design was made by Caroline Stalnaker
    of Lewis County, West Virginia. She was one of the
    thirteen children of Charles Stalnaker, who was a
    "rock-ribbed" Baptist, and an ardent Northern
    sympathizer. During the Civil War this quilt was buried
    along with the family silver and other valuables to
    protect it from depredations by Confederate soldiers.
    One of Caroline Stalnaker's neighbors and friends was
    Stonewall Jackson.

    In this quilt, as in many old ones, the border has been
    omitted on the side intended to go at the head of the
    bed. This quilt is still unfinished, having never been
    quilted]

    [Illustration: ROSE OF LEMOINE

    An old and distinctly American design]

Each side bar or roll of the quilting frame is tightly wound with
cotton strips or has a piece of muslin firmly fastened to its entire
length, to which is sewed the edges of the lining, one side to each
bar. Then the extra length is rolled up on one side of the frame, and
after being tightly stretched, the wooden pieces are securely
fastened. On this stretched lining or back of the quilt, the cotton or
wool used for filling or interlining is spread very carefully and
smoothly; then with even greater care the top is put in place, its
edge pinned or basted to the edge of the lining, and drawn tightly
over the cotton. The ends of the quilt must also be stretched. This is
done by pinning pieces of muslin to the quilt and wrapping them around
the ends of the frame. Great care is required to keep all edges true
and to stretch all parts of the quilt uniformly.

Upon this smooth top the quilting is drawn, for even the most expert
quilters require outlines to quilt by. If the quilt top is light in
colour the design is drawn with faint pencil lines; if the colours are
too dark to show pencil markings, then with a chalked line. It is a
fascinating thing to children to watch the marking of a quilt with the
chalk lines. The firm cord used for this is drawn repeatedly across a
piece of chalk or through powdered starch until well coated, then held
near the quilt, and very tightly stretched, while a second person
draws it up and lets it fly back with a snap, thus making a straight
white line. How closely the lines are drawn depends wholly upon the
ambition and diligence of the quilter. The lines may be barely a
quarter of an inch apart, or may be placed only close enough together
to perform their function of keeping the interlining in place.

Patterns of quiltings are not as plentiful as designs for the
patchwork tops of quilts; only about eight or ten standard patterns
being in general use. The simplest pattern consists of "single
diagonal" lines, spaced to suit the work in hand. The lines are run
diagonally across the quilt instead of parallel with the weave, in
order that they may show to better advantage, and also because the
cloth is less apt to tear or pull apart than if the quilting lines are
run in the same direction as the threads of the fabric. The
elaboration of the "single" diagonal into sets of two or more parallel
lines, thus forming the "double" and "triple" diagonals, is the first
step toward ornamentation in quilting. A further advance is made when
the quilting lines are crossed, by means of which patterns like the
"square," "diamond," and "hanging diamond" are produced.

    [Illustration: THE SUNFLOWER QUILT

    Shows a realistic, bold design of vivid colouring. The
    border is harmonious, suggesting a firm foundation for
    the stems. The quilting in the centre is a design of
    spider webs, leaves, and flowers]

Wavy lines and various arrangements of hoops, circles, and segments
of circles are among the more complex quilting patterns, which are not
particularly difficult. Plates and saucers of various diameters are
always available to serve as markers in laying out such designs. The
"pineapple," "broken plaid," and "shell" patterns are very popular,
especially with those who are more experienced in the art. One very
effective design used by many quilters is known as the "Ostrich
Feather." These so-called feathers are arranged in straight bands,
waved lines, or circles, and--when the work is well done--are very
beautiful. The "fan" and "twisted rope" patterns are familiar to the
older quilters but are not much used at the present time.

    [Illustration: QUILTING DESIGNS

    (a) Rope
    (b) Shell
    (c) Fan]

    [Illustration: QUILTING DESIGNS

    (a) Feathers in Bands
    (b) Feathers in Waved Lines
    (c) Feathers in Circles]

Frequently the quilting design follows the pieced or patched pattern
and is then very effective, especially when a floral pattern is used.
Some quilters show much originality and ingenuity in incorporating
into their work the outlines of the flowers and leaves of the quilt
design. Sometimes the pieced top is of such common material as to seem
an unworthy basis for the beautiful work of an experienced quilter,
who stitches with such patient hand, wasting, some may think, her
art upon too poor a subject. However, for the consolation of those who
consider quilting a wicked waste of time, it may be added that
nowadays expert quilters are very few indeed, and enthusiasts who have
spent weeks piecing a beautiful quilt have been known to wait a year
before being able to get it quilted by an expert in this art.

On the thin cotton quilts that have the elaborate quilting designs and
are the pride of the owner, the quilting is done with fine cotton
thread, about number seventy. The running stitch used in quilting
should be as small and even as it is possible for the quilter to make.
This is a very difficult feat to accomplish, since the quilt composed
of two thicknesses of cloth with an interlining of cotton is stretched
so tightly in the frame that it is quite difficult to push the needle
through. Also the quilter, while bending over the frame with one hand
above and one hand below, is in a somewhat unnatural strained
position. It requires much patience to acquire the knack of sitting in
the rather uncomfortable quilter's position without quickly tiring.

Skill and speed in quilting can be acquired only through much
practice. Perfect quilting cannot be turned out by a novice in the
art, no matter how skilful she may be at other kinds of needlework.
The patience and skill of the quilter are especially taxed when, in
following the vagaries of some design, she is forced to quilt lines
that extend away from her instead of toward her. As the result of many
years spent over the quilting frame, some quilters acquire an unusual
dexterity in handling the needle, and occasionally one is encountered
who can quilt as well with one hand as with the other.

    [Illustration: ORIGINAL DESIGNS FROM OLD QUILTS]

    [Illustration: CHARTER OAK

    With the American eagle in the border]

    [Illustration: PUFFED QUILT OF SILK

    This is a very popular pieced quilt, composed of carefully
    saved bits of silks and velvets]

Quilting is usually paid for by the amount of thread used, no
consideration being given to the amount of time expended on the work.
A spool of cotton thread, such as is found in every dry-goods store,
averaging two hundred yards to the spool, is the universal measure.
The price charged is more a matter of locality than excellence of
workmanship. A certain price will prevail in one section among all
quilters there, while in another, not far removed, two or three times
that price will be asked for the same work. When many of the old
quilts, now treasured as remembrances of our diligent and ambitious
ancestors, were made, one dollar per spool was the usual price paid
for quilting. However, as the number of quilters has decreased, the
price of quilting has increased, until as much as five dollars per
spool is now asked in some parts of the country. Even at the advanced
prices, it is exceedingly difficult to find sufficient quilters to
complete the many pieced and appliqué quilts being made.

After the space of some twelve inches, which is as far as the quilter
can reach conveniently, has been quilted, the completed portion is
rolled up on the side of the frame nearest the quilter. From the other
side another section is then unrolled and marked for quilting, and
quilted as far as the worker can reach. Thus quilting and rolling are
continued until the whole quilt is gone over, after which it is taken
from the frame and the edges neatly bound with a narrow piece of bias
material, either white or of some harmonizing colour. Since all of the
stitches are taken entirely through the quilt, the design worked into
the top is repeated on the lining, so that the back makes a white
spread of effective pattern in low relief. Very often the back or
reverse side is as beautiful as the top, and many lovely quilts have
ended their years of service as white counterpanes during that period
when the vogue for white beds reigned. Now, however, owners are glad
to display them in all their gorgeousness, and they no longer
masquerade as white bedspreads.

Occasionally the date of making and the initials of the maker are
quilted in a corner, but it is seldom that even this much is visible
to tell of the quilt's origin. How interesting it would be if some
bits of the story of the maker could have been sewed into a few of the
old quilts; for such works of art, that are so long in making, deserve
to have some facts relating to them live at least as long as they.

When a bedcover of exceptional warmth is desired, several sheets of
cotton or wool prepared for that purpose are laid one over the other
between the top and back. As this is too thick to allow a needle to be
pushed through easily, and even stitches cannot be taken, then
quilting gives way to tying or knotting. Threads of silk, cotton,
linen, or wool are drawn through with coarse needles and the ends tied
in tight, firm knots. These knots are arranged at close, regular
intervals to prevent the interlining from slipping out of place. To
this kind of covering is applied the very appropriate name of
"comfort." Holland, Germany, Switzerland, and all of Scandinavia use
quilted down and feather comforts. In fact, the down comfort has
become international in its use. It is found in almost every home in
the colder regions of Europe and America, and on chilly nights is a
comfort indeed. They are usually made in one colour and, aside from
the quilting, which is in bold, artistic designs, are without other
decoration. The quilting on down comforts is done by machines made
expressly for that work.

Quilting is not confined to the making of quilts. The petticoats worn
by the women of Holland are substantial affairs made of either woollen
cloth or satin, as the purse permits, heavily interlined and
elaborately quilted. The Dutch belle requires from four to nine of
these skirts to give her the figure typical of her country. Both the
Chinese and Japanese make frequent use of quilting in their thickly
padded coats and kimonos, and it may be that from them the early Dutch
voyagers and traders brought back the custom to Holland.

    (a) Design from an Old English Quilt
    (b) Medallion Design
    (c) Pineapple Design]

    [Illustration: VARIEGATED HEXAGON, SILK

    Colours: cherry, light blue, pink, black, and a yellow
    centre]

    [Illustration: ROMAN STRIPE, SILK]

A knowledge of the simplest form of sewing is all that is necessary to
piece quilts. The running stitch used for narrow seams is the first
stitch a beginner learns. There are other stitches needed to make
a patchwork quilt, which frequently develops into quite an elaborate
bit of needlework. The applied designs should always be neatly hemmed
to the foundation; some, however, are embroidered and the edges of the
designs finished with a buttonhole stitch, and other fancy stitches
may be introduced.

In quilt making, as in every other branch of needlework, much
experience is required to do good work. It takes much time and
practice to acquire accuracy in cutting and arranging all the
different pieces. A discriminating eye for harmonizing colours is also
a great advantage. But above all requirements the quilt maker must be
an expert needleworker, capable of making the multitude of tiny
stitches with neatness and precision if she would produce the perfect
quilt.

Appreciation of nature is an attribute of many quilt makers, as shown
by their efforts to copy various forms of leaf and flower. There are
many conventionalized floral patterns on appliqué quilts that give
evidence of much ability and originality in their construction. For
the pioneer woman there was no convenient school of design, and when
she tired of the oft-repeated quilt patterns of her neighbourhood she
turned to her garden for suggestions. The striking silhouettes of
familiar blossoms seen on many quilts are the direct result of her
nature study.

CHAPTER VI

QUILT NAMES

Among the most fascinating features of quilt lore are the great number
and wonderful variety of names given to quilt designs. A distinct
individuality is worked into every quilt by its maker, which in most
instances makes it worthy of a name. The many days spent in creating
even a simple quilt give the maker ample time in which to ponder over
a name for the design, so that the one selected generally reflects
some peculiarity in her personality. History, politics, religion,
nature, poetry, and romance, all are stitched into the gayly coloured
blocks and exert their influence on quilt appellations. Careful
consideration of a large number of quilts reveals but few that have
been named in a haphazard way; in nearly every instance there was a
reason or at least a suggestion for the name.

In most cases the relation between name and design is so evident that
the correct name at once suggests itself, even to the novice in quilt
making. The common "star" pattern, in which one star is made the
centre of each block, is invariably known as the "Five-pointed Star."
A variation in the size of the stars or the number of colours entering
into their composition has not resulted in any new name.

It is quite usual, however, when there is a slight deviation from a
familiar pattern, resulting from either the introduction of some
variation or by the omission of a portion of the old design, to make a
corresponding change in the name. Good illustrations of this custom are
the minor alterations which have been made in the tree trunk of the
"tree" pattern. These may be so slight as to be entirely unobserved by
the casual admirer, yet they are responsible for at least three new
names: "Pine Tree," "Temperance Tree," and "Tree of Paradise." A minor
change in the ordinary "Nine Patch," with a new name as a result, is
another striking example of how very slight an alteration may be in
order to inspire a new title. In this case, the central block is cut
somewhat larger than in the old "Nine Patch," and the four corner
blocks are, by comparison with the centre block, quite small. This
slight change is in reality a magical transformation, for the staid
"Nine Patch" has now become a lively "Puss-in-the-Corner." The changes
in some patterns have come about through efforts to make a limited
amount of highly prized colour brighten a whole quilt. This
circumstance, as much as any other, has been the cause of new names.

    [Illustration: AMERICAN LOG CABIN, SILK AND WOOL

    In Colonial days this was known as a "pressed" quilt]

    [Illustration: DEMOCRAT ROSE

    Made in Pennsylvania about 1845]

Important events occurring during the construction periods of old
quilts are quite frequently recalled to us by their names. The
stirring frontier activities and the great men of history made
impressions on the mind of the housewife which found expression in the
names of her quilts. "Washington's Plumes," "Mexican Rose," and "Rose
of Dixie" are old quilt names reflecting domestic interest in
important events. The hardships and vicissitudes endured by the sturdy
pioneers were constantly in the minds of the early American quilters
and inspired many names. "Pilgrim's Pride," "Bear's Paws," "Rocky Road
to Kansas," "Texas Tears," and "Rocky Road to California" have great
interest as they reveal to us the thoughts of our great-grandmothers
over their quilting frames.

The names having political significance, which were attached to
quilts, show that the women as well as the men had a keen interest in
the affairs of our country in its earlier days. "Old Tippecanoe,"
"Lincoln's Platform," "Harrison Rose," "Democrat Rose," "Whig Rose,"
and "Radical Rose" are all suggestive of the great discussion over
slavery. Of the last name, an old lady, famous for her quilt making,
said: "Here's my 'Radical Rose.' I reckon you've heard I was the first
human that ever put black in a Radical Rose. Thar hit is, right plumb
in the middle. Well, whenever you see black in a Radical Rose you can
know hit war made atter the second year of the war (Civil War). Hit
was this way, ever' man war a-talkin' about the Radicals and all the
women tuk to makin' Radical Roses. One day I got to studying that thar
ought to be some black in that thar pattern, sence half the trouble
was to free the niggers, and hit didn't look fair to leave them out.
And from that day to this thar's been black in ever' Radical Rose."

Other names having patriotic, political, or historical significance
are:

    Union
    Yankee Puzzle
    Continental
    Union Calico Quilt
    Star-Spangled Banner
    Confederate Rose
    Boston Puzzle

There is also the "Centennial" in commemoration of the Centennial
Exposition held at Philadelphia in 1876, and "The World's Fair,"
"World's Fair Puzzle," and "World's Fair Blocks" to perpetuate the
grandeurs of the great exposition held at Chicago in 1893.

Religion is closely associated with the life of the industrious,
sober-minded dwellers of our villages and farms, and it is the most
natural thing in the world for the Biblical teachings to crop out in
the names of their quilts, as the following names indicate:

    Garden of Eden
    Golden Gates
    Jacob's Ladder
    Joseph's Coat
    Solomon's Temple
    Solomon's Crown
    Star of Bethlehem
    Tree of Paradise
    Forbidden Fruit Tree

The glories of the sky enjoy ample prominence among quilt names.
Beginning with the "Rising Sun," of which there are several different
designs, there follow "Sunshine" and "Sunburst," then "Rainbow," and
finally a whole constellation of "Stars":

    Blazing Star
    Brunswick Star
    Combination Star
    Chicago Star
    Columbia Star
    Crosses and Stars
    Cluster of Stars
    California Star
    Diamond Star
    Eight-pointed Star
    Evening Star
    Feather Star
    Five-pointed Star
    Flying Star
    Four X Star
    Four Stars Patch
    Joining Star
    Ladies' Beautiful Star
    Morning Star
    New Star
    Novel Star
    Odd Star
    Premium Star
    Ribbon Star
    Rolling Star
    Sashed Star
    Seven Stars
    Star Lane
    Star of Bethlehem
    Star and Chains
    Star of Many Points
    Star and Squares
    Star and Cubes
    Star Puzzle
    Shooting Star
    Star of the West
    Star and Cross
    Star of Texas
    Stars upon Stars
    Squares and Stars
    St. Louis Star
    Star, A
    Twinkling Star
    Union Star
    Wheel and Star
    Western Star

In connection with the "Star" quilt names it is worthy of notice that
geometric names outnumber those of any other class. "Squares,"
"triangles," and "circles" are well represented, but the "Stars"
easily lead with nearly fifty names.

Names of various other geometric patterns appear below:

    Art Square
    Barrister's Blocks
    Beggar's Blocks
    Box Blocks
    Circle within Circle
    Cross within Cross
    Cross and Crown
    Cube Work
    Cube Lattice
    Diamonds
    Diamond Cube
    Diamond Design
    Double Squares
    Domino and Square
    Eight-point Design
    Five Stripes
    Fool's Square
    Four Points
    Greek Cross
    Greek Square
    Hexagonal
    Interlaced Blocks
    Maltese Cross
    Memory Blocks
    Memory Circle
    New Four Patch
    New Nine Patch
    Octagon
    Pinwheel Square
    Red Cross
    Ribbon Squares
    Roman Cross
    Sawtooth Patchwork
    Square and Swallow
    Square and a Half
    Squares and Stripes
    Square and Triangle
    Stripe Squares
    The Cross
    The Diamond
    Triangle Puzzle
    Triangular Triangle
    Variegated Diamonds
    Variegated Hexagons

    [Illustration: "PINK ROSE" DESIGN]

Names of a nautical turn are to be expected for quilts which originate
in seaside cottages and seaport villages. "Bounding Betty," "Ocean
Waves," and "Storm at Sea" have a flavour as salty as the spray which
dampens them when they are spread out to sun by the sandy shore.

That poetry and romance have left their mark on the quilt is shown by
the names that have been drawn from these sources. "Lady of the
Lake," "Charm," "Air Castle," "Wheel of Fortune," and "Wonder of the
World" are typical examples. Sentimental names are also in evidence,
as "Love Rose," "Lovers' Links," "True Lovers' Knot," "Friendship
Quilt," and "Wedding Knot."

Nature furnishes more suggestions for beautiful quilt designs than any
other source. So frequently are her models resorted to by quilt makers
the world over that many different designs have been inspired by the
same leaf or flower. The rose especially is used again and again, and
will always be the favourite flower of the quilter. There are at least
twenty "rose" names to prove how this flower has endeared itself to
the devotees of piece-block and quilting frame:

    Rose
    California Rose
    Complex Rose
    Confederate Rose
    Democrat Rose
    Dutch Rose
    Harrison Rose
    Harvest Rose
    Love Rose
    Mexican Rose
    Prairie Rose
    Rose of Sharon
    Rose of Dixie
    Rose of the Carolinas
    Rosebud and Leaves
    Rose Album
    Rose of LeMoine
    Radical Rose
    Whig Rose
    Wild Rose
    Wreath of Roses

Other flowery names are also popular:

    Basket of Lilies
    Bouquet
    Cleveland Lilies
    Cactus Blossom
    Chrysanthemums
    Double Peony
    Daisies
    Daffodils and Butterflies
    Field Daisies
    Flower Basket
    Iris
    Jonquils
    Lily Quilt Pattern
    Lily of the Valley
    Morning Glory
    Morning Gray Wreath
    Persian Palm Lady
    Poppy
    Pansies and Butterflies
    Single Sunflowers
    Sunflowers
    Tulip in Vase
    Tassel Plant
    Tulip Blocks
    Three-flowered Sunflower
    The Mayflower
    Tulip Lady Finger
    White Day Lily

When seeking flowers that lend themselves readily to quilt designs it
is best to choose those whose leaves and blossoms present clear,
distinct, and easily traced outlines. The names of many of the quaint
varieties that flourish in old-fashioned gardens, as lilacs, phlox,
larkspur, and marigolds, are absent from the list. This is because
their lacy foliage and complex arrangement of petals cannot be
reproduced satisfactorily in quilt materials.

Even the lowly vegetables secure some mention among quilt names with
"Corn and Beans." The fruits and trees are well represented, as noted
by the following list:

    Apple Hexagon
    Cherry Basket
    California Oak Leaf
    Cypress Leaf
    Christmas Tree
    Fruit Basket
    Grape Basket
    Hickory Leaf
    Imperial Tea
    Indian Plum
    Live Oak Tree
    Little Beech Tree
    Maple Leaf
    May Berry Leaf
    Olive Branch
    Orange Peel
    Oak Leaf and Tulip
    Oak Leaf and Acorns
    Pineapple
    Pine Tree
    Sweet Gum Leaf
    Strawberry
    Tea Leaf
    Tufted Cherry
    Temperance Tree
    Tulip Tree Leaves

The names of birds and insects are almost as popular as those of
flowers, as this list will bear witness:

    Bluebird
    Brown-tailed Moth
    Butterflies
    Bird's Nest
    Crow's Foot
    Chimney Swallows
    Cockscomb
    Dove in the Window
    Duck and Ducklings
    Four Little Birds
    Goose Tracks
    Goose in the Pond
    Honeycomb
    Honeycomb Patch
    Hen and Chickens
    King's Crows
    Peacocks and Flowers
    Spider's Den
    Shoo Fly
    Spider's Web
    Swarm of Bees
    The Two Doves
    Wild Goose Chase

    [Illustration: ORIGINAL ROSE NO. 3

    Made in Indiana about 75 years ago. Colors: red and
    green]

    [Illustration: WHITE QUILT, WITH STUFFED QUILTING
    DESIGNS

    This quilt was made in New England, and was finished in
    1801, but how long a period was occupied in the making
    is unknown. It was designed by a young architect for an
    ambitious young quilter]

The animals also must be credited with their share of names:

    Bear's Foot
    Bear's Paws
    Bat's Wings
    Bunnies
    Cats and Mice
    Flying Bat
    Four Frogs Quilt
    Leap Frog
    Puss-in-the-Corner
    The Snail's Trail
    Toad in the Puddle
    The Lobster (1812)

Occasionally the quilt maker was honoured by having her name given to
her handiwork, as "Mrs. Morgan's Choice," "Mollie's Choice," "Sarah's
Favourite," and "Fanny's Fan." Aunts and grandmothers figure as
prominently in the naming of quilts as they do in the making of them.
"Aunt Sukey's Patch," "Aunt Eliza's Star Point," "Grandmother's Own,"
"Grandmother's Dream," and "Grandmother's Choice" are typical
examples.

Quilt names in which reference is made to persons and personalities
are quite numerous, as is proved by the list given below:

    Coxey's Camp
    Crazy Ann
    Dutchman's Puzzle
    Everybody's Favourite
    Eight Hands Around
    Grandmother's Choice
    Garfield's Monument
    Gentleman's Fancy
    Handy Andy
    Hands All Around
    Hobson's Kiss
    Indian Plumes
    Indian Hatchet
    Jack's House
    Joseph's Necktie
    King's Crown
    Lady Fingers
    Ladies' Wreath
    Ladies' Delight
    Mary's Garden
    Mrs. Cleveland's Choice
    Old Maid's Puzzle
    Odd Fellows' Chain
    Princess Feather
    President's Quilt
    Sister's Choice
    The Tumbler
    The Hand
    The Priscilla
    Twin Sisters
    Vice-President's Quilt
    Widower's Choice
    Washington's Puzzle
    Washington's Sidewalk
    Washington's Plumes

Names derived both from local neighbourhoods and foreign lands occupy
a prominent place in the quilt list:

    Arabic Lattice
    American Log Patch
    Arkansas Traveller
    Alabama Beauty
    Blackford's Beauty
    Boston Puzzle
    Columbian Puzzle
    Cross Roads to Texas
    Double Irish Chain
    French Basket
    Grecian Design
    Indiana Wreath
    Irish Puzzle
    Kansas Troubles
    Linton
    London Roads
    Mexican Rose
    Oklahoma Boomer
    Philadelphia Beauty
    Philadelphia Pavement
    Rocky Glen
    Royal Japanese Vase
    Rocky Road to Kansas
    Rocky Road to California
    Road to California
    Roman Stripe
    Rockingham's Beauty
    Rose of Dixie
    Rose of the Carolinas
    Star of Texas
    Texas Flower
    The Philippines
    Texas Tears
    Venetian Design
    Village Church
    Virginia Gentleman

Sometimes the names of a flower and a locality are combined, as in
"Persian Palm Lily" and "Carolina Lily." This latter design is quite a
popular one in the Middle West, where it is known also as "Star
Flower."

Figures and letters come in for some attention, for a few of the
designs thus named are quite artistic. The best known are "Boxed I's,"
"Capital I," "Double Z," "Four E's," "Fleur-de-Lis," "Letter H,"
"Letter X," and "T Quartette."

Inanimate objects, particularly those about the house, inspired many
names for patterns, some of which are quite appropriate. A number of
such names are given here:

    Album
    Base Ball
    Basket Quilt
    Block Album
    Brickwork Quilt
    Carpenter's Rule
    Carpenter's Square
    Churn Dash
    Cog Wheel
    Compass
    Crossed Canoes
    Diagonal Log Chain
    Domino
    Double Wrench
    Flutter Wheel
    Fan
    Fan Patch
    Fan and Rainbow
    Ferris Wheel
    Flower Pot
    Hour Glass
    Ice Cream Bowl
    Log Patch
    Log Cabin
    Necktie
    Needle Book
    New Album
    Pincushion and Burr
    Paving Blocks
    Pickle Dish
    Rolling Pinwheel
    Rolling Stone
    Sashed Album
    Shelf Chain
    Snowflake
    Snowball
    Stone Wall
    Sugar Loaf
    Spools
    Shield
    Scissor's Chain
    Square Log Cabin
    The Railroad
    The Disk
    The Globe
    The Wheel
    Tile Patchwork
    Watered Ribbon
    Wind Mill

Occasionally the wag of the family had his opportunity, for it took
some one with a strain of dry humour to suggest "Old Bachelor's
Puzzle," "Drunkard's Path," and "All Tangled Up," or to have
ironically called one quilt a "Blind Man's Fancy."

Imagination was not lacking when it came to applying apt names to some
of the simplest designs. To have called rows of small triangles
running diagonally across a quilt the "Wild Goose Chase," the maker
must have known something of the habits of wild geese, for as these
migrate from North to South and back again following the summer's
warmth, they fly one behind the other in long V-shaped lines. The
resemblance of these lines, swiftly moving across the sky, to her
neat rows of triangles supplied the quilt maker with her
inspiration.

    [Illustration: WHITE QUILT

    A very beautiful and original design, made in New
    England over 125 years ago. Only part of the design has
    been stuffed]

    [Illustration: OLD LADIES QUILTING]

Names that are grotesque, or fanciful, or so descriptive that their
mention is sure to provoke a grin, occur with pleasing frequency. Who
can help but smile at "Hairpin Catcher," "Hearts and Gizzards," or
"Tangled Garters?" Other grotesque names worthy of mention are:

    An Odd Pattern
    Autograph Quilt
    Boy's Nonsense
    Brick Pile
    Broken Dish
    Cake Stand
    Crazy Quilt
    Devil's Puzzle
    Fantastic Patch
    Fool's Puzzle
    No Name Quilt
    Pullman Puzzle
    Puzzle File
    Robbing Peter to Pay Paul
    State House Steps
    Steps to the Altar
    Swing in the Centre
    The X quisite
    Tick-Tack-Toe
    Vestibule

The everyday quilts, not particularly beautiful, perhaps, but
nevertheless so essential to the family comfort, are also considered
worthy of names. Homely and prosaic as their owners, the following
names have a peculiar rugged quality entirely lacking in the fanciful
ones given to their more artistic sisters:

    An Old Patchwork
    Bedtime
    Coarse Woven Patch
    Country Farm
    Crib Quilt
    Crosses and Losses
    Economy
    Home Treasure
    Odds and Ends
    Odd Patchwork
    Old Scrap Patchwork
    Right and Left
    Simple Design
    Swinging Corners
    The Old Homestead
    Twist and Turn
    Twist Patchwork
    Winding Walk
    Workbox

In the old days grown-up folks were not the only ones who had to do
with naming the quilts; children shared in the honour, and many of the
quaint and fantastic names were the result of humouring their fancies.
There was no "B'rer Rabbit" in quilt lore, but he was not missed when
the two or three youngsters who cuddled in the old-fashioned trundle
bed could have so many other fascinating names for their quilts. "Four
Little Birds," "Ducks and Ducklings," "Children's Delight," "The
Little Red House," "Goose in the Pond," "The House That Jack Built,"
"Toad in the Puddle," and "Johnny Around the Corner" are some of the
old names still in use to-day. Any one of these patterns made up into
a quilt was a treasure to imaginative children, and it was doubly so
when they could pick out among the tiny blocks bits of colour that
were once in their own gay dresses and pinafores.

Clinging lavender wisteria, sweet jasmine, and even scarlet amaryllis
pale beside the glowing colours displayed during sunny spring days on
the gallery rails of many country homes through Delaware and Virginia.
These picturesque scenes, in which the familiar domestic art supplies
the essential touch of colour, are aptly described by Robert and
Elizabeth Shackleton, those indefatigable searchers for the beautiful
among the relics of our forefathers.

"In many a little village, and in many an isolated mountain home, the
old-time art of making patchwork coverlets is remembered and
practised. Some may be found that are generations old; others are new,
but made in precisely the old-time way, and after the same patterns.
Many are in gorgeous colours, in glowing yellows, greens, and purples;
and being a matter of housewifely pride, they are often thrown over
the 'gallery rail' so their glory may be seen.

"One guest bed had nineteen quilts! Not to sleep under such a padded
mountain, but it was the most natural method of display. Each quilt
had its name. There was the "Western Star," the "Rose of the
Carolinas," the "Log Cabin," the "Virginia Gentleman," the "Fruit
Basket," the "Lily of the Valley"--as many special names as there are
designs."

CHAPTER VII

QUILT COLLECTIONS AND EXHIBITIONS

In spite of their wide distribution and vast quantity, the number of
quilts readily accessible to those who are interested in them is
exceedingly small. This is particularly true of those quilts which
possess artistic merit and historic interest, and a considerable
amount of inquiry is sometimes necessary in order to bring forth even
a single quilt of more than ordinary beauty. It is unfortunate for
this most useful and pleasant art that its masterpieces are so shy and
loath to display their charms, for it is mainly from the rivalry
induced by constant display that all arts secure their best stimulus.
However, some very remarkable achievements in quilting have been
brought to light from time to time, to the great benefit of this best
of household arts.

There is in existence to-day no complete collection of quilts readily
available to the public at large. No museum in this country or abroad
has a collection worthy of the name, the nearest approach to it being
in the great South Kensington Museum in London. While many
institutions possess one or more specimens, these have been preserved
more often on account of some historic association than because of
exceptional beauty or artistic merit. It is only in the rare instance
of a family collection, resulting from the slow accumulation by more
than one generation of quilt enthusiasts, that a quilt collection at
all worth while can be found. In such a case the owner is generally so
reticent concerning his treasures that the community as a whole is
never given the opportunity to profit by them.

In families where accumulations have reached the dignity in numbers
that will justify being called collections, the quilts belonging to
different branches of the family have been passed along from one
generation to another, until they have become the property of one
person. Among collections of this sort are found many rare and
beautiful quilts, as only the best and choicest of all that were made
have been preserved. There are also occasional large collections of
quilts that are the work of one industrious maker who has spent the
greater portion of her life piecing and quilting. The Kentucky
mountain woman who had "eighty-three, all different, and all her own
makin'," is a typical example of this class.

    [Illustration: THE "WIND-BLOWN TULIP" DESIGN

    Seems to bring a breath of springtime both in form and
    colour. Even the border flowers seem to be waving and
    nodding in the breeze]

The vastness of their numbers and the great extent of their everyday
use serve to check the collecting of quilts. As a whole, quilts are
extremely heterogeneous and democratic; they are made so generally
over the whole country that no distinct types have been developed, and
they are possessed so universally that there is little social prestige
to be gained by owning an uncommonly large number. Consequently even
the most ardent quilt lovers are usually satisfied when they possess
enough for their own domestic needs, with perhaps a few extra for
display in the guest chambers.

Much of the social pleasure of the pioneer women was due to their
widespread interest in quilts. Aside from the quilting bees, which
were notable affairs, collecting quilt patterns was to many women a
source of both interest and enjoyment. Even the most ambitious woman
could not hope to make a quilt like every design which she admired,
so, to appease the desire for the numerous ones she was unable to
make, their patterns were collected. These collections of quilt
patterns--often quite extensive, frequently included single blocks of
both pieced and patched designs. There was always a neighbourly and
friendly interest taken in such collections, as popular designs were
exchanged and copied many times. Choice remnants of prints and
calicoes were also shared with the neighbours. Occasionally from
trunks or boxes, long hidden in dusty attics, some of these old blocks
come to light, yellowed with age and frayed at the edges, to remind us
of the simple pleasures of our grandmothers.

At the present time there is a marked revival of interest in quilts
and their making. The evidences of this revival are the increasing
demand for competent quilters, the desire for new quilt patterns, and
the growing popularity of quilt exhibitions. Concerning exhibits of
quilts, there is apparent--at least in the northern part of the United
States--a noticeable increase in popular appreciation of those held at
county and state fairs. This is a particularly fortunate circumstance
for the development of the art, because the county fair, "our one
steadfast institution in a world of change," is so intimately
connected with the lives and is so dear to the hearts of our people.

    [Illustration: QUILTS ON A LINE]

    [Illustration: GRAPES AND VINES]

In addition to the pleasures and social diversions which that annual
rural festival--the county fair--affords, it is an educational force
that is not sufficiently appreciated by those who live beyond the
reach of its spell. At best, country life contains long stretches of
monotony, and any interest with which it can be relieved is a most
welcome addition to the lives of the women in rural communities. At
the fair women are touched to new thoughts on common themes. They come
to meet each other and talk over the latest kinks in jelly making, the
progress of their children, and similar details of their family
affairs. They come to get standards of living and to gather ideas of
home decoration and entertainment for the long evenings when
intercourse, even with the neighbours, becomes infrequent.

There is not the least doubt concerning the beneficial influence of
the local annual fair on the life of the adjacent neighbourhood. At
such a fair the presence of a varied and well-arranged display of
needlework, which has been produced by the womenfolk, is of the
greatest assistance in making the community one in which it is worth
while to live. Not only does it serve as a stimulus to those who look
forward to the fair and put into their art the very best of their
ability in order that they may surpass their competitor next door, but
it also serves as an inspiration to those who are denied the faculty
of creating original designs, yet nevertheless take keen pleasure in
the production of beautiful needlework. It is to this latter class
that an exhibition of quilts is of real value, because it provides
them with new patterns that can be applied to the quilts which must be
made. With fresh ideas for their inspiration, work which would
otherwise be tedious becomes a real pleasure.

For the women of the farm the exhibit of domestic arts and products
occupies the preëminent place at the county fair. In this exhibit the
display of patchwork is sure to arouse the liveliest enthusiasm. A
visitor at a fair in a western state very neatly describes this
appreciation shown to quilts: "We used to hear a great deal about the
sad and lonely fate of the western farmer's wife, but there was little
evidence of loneliness in the appearance of these women who surrounded
the quilts and fancywork in the Domestic Arts Building."

In connection with the display of needlework at rural fairs, it is
interesting to note how ancient is this custom. In the "Social History
of Ancient Ireland" is the following description of an Irish fair held
during the fourth century--long before the advent of St. Patrick and
Christianity: "The people of Leinster every three years during the
first week of August held the 'Fair of Carman.' Great ceremony and
formality attended this event, the King of Leinster and his court
officiating. Music formed a prominent part of the amusement. One day
was set apart for recitation of poems and romantic tales, another for
horse and chariot racing. In another part of the Fair people indulged
in uproarious fun, crowded around showmen, jugglers, clowns with
painted faces or hideously grotesqued masks. Prizes publicly presented
by King or dignitary were given to winners of various contests.
Needlework was represented by 'the slope of the embroidering women,'
where women actually did their work in the presence of spectators."

A very important factor in the recent revival of interest in quilts
has been the springing up of impromptu exhibits as "benefits" for
worthy causes, the raising of funds for which is a matter of popular
interest. Does a church need a new roof, a hospital some more
furnishings, or a college a new building? And have all the usual
methods of raising money become hackneyed and uninspiring to those
interested in furthering the project? To those confronted with such a
money-raising problem the quilt exhibition offers a most welcome
solution. For not only does such an exhibition offer a new form of
entertainment, but it also has sources of interesting material from
which to draw that are far richer than commonly supposed.

Not so very long ago "The Country Contributor" undertook the task of
giving a quilt show, and her description of it is distinctly worth
while:

"My ideas were a bit vague. I had a mental picture of some beautiful
quilts I knew of hung against a wall somewhere for people to come and
look at and wonder over. So we announced the quilt show and then went
on our way rejoicing. A good-natured school board allowed us to have
the auditorium at the high school building for the display and the
quilt agitation began.

    [Illustration: AS GOLDEN BUTTERFLIES AND PANSIES

    Are so often playmates of little ones in the garden, and
    beloved by them, they were chosen for the motifs of this
    child's quilt]

"A day or two before the show, which was to be on a Saturday, it began
to dawn upon me that I might be buried under an avalanche of quilts.
The old ones were terribly large. They were made to cover a fat
feather bed or two and to hang down to hide the trundle bed
underneath, and, though the interlining of cotton was very thin and
even, still the weight of a quilt made by one's grandmother is
considerable.

"We betook ourselves to the school building at an early hour on
Saturday morning and the fun began. We were to receive entries until
one o'clock, when the exhibition was to begin.

"In looking back now at this little event, I wonder we could have been
so benighted as to imagine we could do it in a day! After about an
hour, during which the quilts came in by the dozen, I sent in a
general alarm to friends and kindred for help. We engaged a carpenter,
strung up wires and ropes, and by some magic of desperation we got
those quilts on display, 118 of them, by one o'clock.

"One lovely feature of this quilt show was the reverence with which
men brought to us the quilts their mothers made. Plain farmers, busy
workers, retired business men, came to us, their faces softened to
tenderness, handed us, with mingled pride and devotion, their big
bundle containing a contribution to the display, saying in softened
accents, 'My mother made it.' And each and every quilt brought thus
was worthy of a price on its real merit--not for its hallowed
association alone.

"Time and space would fail if I should try to tell about the quilts
that came in at our call for an exhibition. There were so many prize
quilts (fully two thirds of the quilts entered deserved prizes) that
it is difficult to say what finally decided the blue ribbon. However,
the quilt which finally carried it away was fairly typical of those of
the early part of the nineteenth century. A rose pattern was applied
in coloured calicoes on each alternate block. The geometrical
calculation, the miraculous neatness of this work, can scarcely be
exaggerated. But this is not the wonder of the thing. The real wonder
is the quilting. This consisted in copying the design, petal for
petal, leaf for leaf, in needlework upon every alternate block of
white muslin. How these workers accomplished the raised designs on
plain white muslin is the mystery. How raised flowers, leaves, plumes,
baskets, bunches of fruit, even animal and bird shapes, could be shown
in bas-relief on these quilt blocks without hopelessly 'puckering'
the material, none of us can imagine."

No other inspiration that can equal our fairs has been offered to the
quilters of our day. Public recognition of good work and the premiums
which accompany this recognition augment the desire to excel in the
art of quilt making. The keen competition engendered results in the
most exact and painstaking work possible being put upon quilts that
are entered for the "blue ribbon." The materials, designs, and colours
chosen for these quilts are given the most careful consideration, and
the stitchery is as nearly perfect as it is possible to make it.

Some of the finest old quilts that have been preserved are repeatedly
exhibited at county and state fairs, and have more than held their own
with those made in recent years. One shown at an exhibition of quilts
and coverlets, held in a city in southern Indiana in 1914, had been
awarded the first premium at thirty-seven different fairs. This
renowned and venerable quilt had been made more than seventy-five
years before. Its design is the familiar one known as the "Rose of
Sharon"; both the needlework on the design and the quilting are
exquisite, the stitches being all but invisible.

A striking instance of the influence of fairs upon quilt making is
shown in the number of beautiful quilts that have been made expressly
for display in exhibitions at state fairs in the Middle West. One such
collection, worthy of special notice, consists of seven quilts: three
of elaborate designs in patchwork and four made up of infinitesimal
pieces. Every stitch, both on the handsome tops and in the perfect
quilting, was wrought with careful patience by an old-time quilt
maker. The aggregate amount of stitching upon these seven quilts seems
enough to constitute the work of a lifetime. The material in these
quilts, except one which is of silk, is fine white muslin and the
reliable coloured calicoes of fifty years ago.

This extraordinary and beautiful collection is now being carefully
preserved by an appreciative daughter, who tells how it was possible
for her mother to accomplish this great task of needlework. The maker
was the wife of a busy and prosperous farmer of northern Indiana. As
on all farms in that region during the pioneer days, the home was the
centre of manufacture of those various articles necessary to the
welfare and comfort of the family. This indulgent farmer, realizing
that his wife's quilt making was work of a higher plane than routine
housekeeping, employed two stout daughters of a less fortunate
neighbour to relieve her of the heavier household duties. Such work
that required her direct supervision, as jelly making and fruit
canning, was done in the evenings. This allowed the ambitious little
woman ample time to pursue her art during the bright clear hours of
daylight.

Belonging to the collections of individuals are many old quilts which
possess more than ordinary interest, not so much on account of their
beauty or unusual patterns, but because of their connection with some
notable personage or historic event. The number of quilts which are
never used, but which are most carefully treasured by their owners on
account of some sentimental or historic association, is far greater
than generally supposed. While most of the old quilts so jealously
hidden in closet and linen chest have no extraordinary beauty, yet
from time to time there comes into notice one which possesses--in
addition to its interesting connection with the past--an exquisite
and mellow beauty which only tasteful design enhanced by age can give.

Quite often beautiful quilts are found in old trunks and bureaus,
which have gathered dust for untold years in attics and storerooms.
Opportunities to ransack old garrets are greatly appreciated by
collectors, as the uncertainty of what may be found gives zest to
their search. It was of such old treasure trove that the hangings were
found to make what Harriet Beecher Stowe in her novel, "The Minister's
Wooing," calls "the garret boudoir." This was a cozy little enclosure
made by hanging up old quilts, blankets, and coverlets so as to close
off one corner of the garret. Her description of an old quilt used in
this connection is especially interesting. It "was a bed quilt pieced
in tiny blocks, none of them bigger than a sixpence, containing, as
Mrs. Katy said, pieces of the gowns of all her grandmothers, aunts,
cousins, and female relatives for years back; and mated to it was one
of the blankets which had served Mrs. Scudder's uncle in his bivouac
at Valley Forge."

    [Illustration: THE "SNOWFLAKE" QUILT DESIGN

    Brings to one's imagination the sharp-pointed,
    glistening snowflakes against a background of blue sky.
    The quilting in fine stitches simulates the applied
    pattern, and the border suggests drifts of snow as one
    sees them after a winter's storm]

To view the real impromptu exhibitions of quilts--for which, by the
way, no admission fee is charged--one should drive along any
country road on a bright sunny day in early spring. It is at this time
that the household bedding is given its annual airing, and
consequently long lines hung with quilts are frequent and interesting
sights. During this periodical airing there becomes apparent a
seemingly close alliance between patchwork and nature, as upon the
soft green background of new leaves the beauty of the quilts is thrown
into greater prominence. All the colours of the rainbow can be seen in
the many varieties of design, for there is not a line that does not
bear a startling "Lone Star of Texas," "Rising Sun," or some equally
attractive pattern. Gentle breezes stir the quilts so that their
designs and colours gain in beauty as they slowly wave to and fro.
When the apple, cherry, and peach trees put on their new spring
dresses of delicate blossoms and stand in graceful groups in the
background, then the picture becomes even more charming.

This periodical airing spreads from neighbour to neighbour, and as one
sunny day follows another all the clothes lines become weighted with
burdens of brightest hues. Of course, there is no rivalry between
owners, or no unworthy desire to show off, yet, have you ever seen a
line full of quilts hung wrong side out? It has been suggested that at
an exhibition is the logical place to see quilts bloom. Yet, while it
is a rare chance to see quilts of all kinds and in all states of
preservation, yet it is much like massing our wild Sweet Williams,
Spring Beauties, and Violets in a crowded greenhouse. They bravely do
their best, but you can fairly see them gasping for the fresh, free
air of their woodland homes. A quilt hung on a clothes line in the
dooryard and idly flapping in the wind receives twice the appreciation
given one which is sedately folded across a wire with many others in a
crowded, jealous row.

CHAPTER VIII

THE QUILT'S PLACE IN AMERICAN HOMES

The dominant characteristics of quilt making are companionship and
concentrated interest. Both of these qualities, or--better
yet--virtues, must be in evidence in order to bring a quilt to
successful completion. The sociable, gossipy "quilting bee," where the
quilt is put together and quilted, has planted in every community in
which it is an institution the seeds of numberless lifelong
friendships. These friendships are being made over the quilting frames
to-day just as they were in the pioneer times when a "quilting" was
almost the only social diversion. Content with life, fixity of purpose,
development of individuality, all are brought forth in every woman who
plans and pieces a quilt. The reward of her work lies, not only in the
pleasure of doing, but also in the joy of possession--which can be
passed on even to future generations, for a well-made quilt is a
lasting treasure.

All this is quite apart from the strictly useful functions which
quilts perform so creditably in every home, for quilts are useful as
well as artistic. In summer nights they are the ideal emergency
covering for the cool hour before dawn, or after a rapid drop in
temperature, caused by a passing thunderstorm. But in the long chill
nights of winter, when the snow sifts in through the partly raised
window and all mankind snuggles deeper into the bed clothes, then all
quilts may be truly said to do their duty. And right well they do it,
too, as all those who love to linger within their cozy shelter on
frosty December mornings will testify.

    [Illustration: THE DOGWOOD QUILT

    Offers another choice in flower designs. The full-grown
    blossoms on the green background remind us of the beauty
    of trees and flowers in early spring]

As a promoter of good-will and neighbourly interest during the times
when our new country was being settled, and woman's social intercourse
was very limited, the "quilting bee" holds a worthy place close beside
the meeting-house. The feeling of coöperation so noticeable in all men
and growing communities, and which is really essential for their
success, is aptly described in the old "Annals of Tennessee,"
published by Dr. J. G. M. Ramsey in 1853 ("Dedicated to the surviving
pioneers of Tennessee"):

"To say of one he has no neighbours was sufficient, in those times of
mutual wants and mutual benefactions, to make the churl infamous and
execrable. A failure to ask a neighbour to a raising, clearing, a
chopping frolic, or his family to a quilting, was considered a high
indignity; such an one, too, as required to be explained or atoned for
at the next muster or county court. Each settler was not only willing
but desirous to contribute his share to the general comfort and public
improvement, and felt aggrieved and insulted if the opportunity to do
so were withheld. 'It is a poor dog that is not worth whistling for,'
replied the indignant neighbour who was allowed to remain at home, at
his own work, while a house raising was going on in the neighbourhood.
'What injury have I done that I am slighted so?'"

Quilts occupied a preëminent place in the rural social scheme, and the
quilting bees were one of the few social diversions afforded outside
of the church. Much drudgery was lightened by the joyful anticipation
of a neighbourhood quilting bee. The preparations for such an
important event were often quite elaborate. As a form of entertainment
quilting bees have stood the test of time, and from colonial days down
to the present have furnished much pleasure in country communities.

In a quaint little book published in 1872 by Mrs. P. G. Gibbons, under
the title, "Pennsylvania Dutch," is a detailed description of a
country quilting that Mrs. Gibbons attended. The exact date of this
social affair is not given, but judging from other closely related
incidents mentioned by the writer, it must have taken place about
1840, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The account reads as follows:

"Aunt Sally had her quilt up in her landlord's east room, for her own
was too small. However, at about eleven she called us over to dinner,
for people who have breakfasted at five or six have an appetite at
eleven.

"We found on the table beefsteaks, boiled pork, sweet potatoes,
'Kohl-slaw,' pickled cucumbers and red beets, apple butter and
preserved peaches, pumpkin and apple pie, sponge cake and coffee.
After dinner came our next neighbours, 'the maids,' Susy and Katy
Groff, who live in single blessedness and great neatness. They wore
pretty, clear-starched Mennonist caps, very plain. Katy is a
sweet-looking woman and, although she is more than sixty years old,
her forehead is almost unwrinkled, and her fine hair is still brown.
It was late when the farmer's wife came--three o'clock; for she had
been to Lancaster. She wore hoops and was of the 'world's people.'
These women all spoke 'Dutch,' for the maids, whose ancestors came
here probably one hundred and fifty years ago, do not speak English
with fluency yet.

"The first subject of conversation was the fall house-cleaning; and I
heard mention of 'die carpett hinaus an der fence' and 'die fenshter
und die porch,' and the exclamation, 'My goodness, es was schlimm.' I
quilted faster than Katy Groff, who showed me her hands, and said,
'You have not been corn husking, as I have.'

"So we quilted and rolled, talked and laughed, got one quilt done, and
put in another. The work was not fine; we laid it out by chalking
around a small plate. Aunt Sally's desire was rather to get her
quilting finished upon this great occasion than for us to put in a
quantity of fine needlework. About five o'clock we were called to
supper. I need not tell you all the particulars of this plentiful
meal; but the stewed chicken was tender and we had coffee again.

"Polly M's husband now came over the creek in the boat, to take her
home, and he warned her against the evening dampness. The rest of us
quilted a while by candles, and got the second quilt done at about
seven. At this quilting there was little gossip, and less scandal. I
displayed my new alpaca and my dyed merino and the Philadelphia bonnet
which exposes the back of my head to the wintry blast. Polly, for her
part, preferred a black silk sunbonnet; and so we parted, with mutual
invitations to visit."

The proverbial neatness of the ancestors of the Dutch colonists in
America was characteristic of their homes in the new land. This is
well illustrated in the following description of a Pennsylvania Dutch
farmer's home, similar to the one in which the quilting above
mentioned took place: "We keep one fire in winter. This is in the
kitchen which, with nice housekeepers, is the abode of neatness, with
its rag carpet and brightly polished stove. Adjoining the kitchen is a
state apartment, also rag-carpeted, and called 'the room.' Will you go
upstairs in a neat Dutch farmhouse? There are rag carpets again. Gay
quilts are on the best beds, where green and red calico, perhaps in
the form of a basket, are displayed on a white ground; or the beds
bear brilliant coverlets of red, white, and blue, as if to 'make the
rash gazer wipe his eyes.'"

There are many things to induce women to piece quilts. The desire for
a handsome bed furnishing, or the wish to make a gift of one to a dear
friend, have inspired some women to make quilts. With others, quilt
making is a recreation, a diversion, a means of occupying restless
fingers. However, the real inducement is love of the work; because the
desire to make a quilt exceeds all other desires. In such a case it is
worked on persistently, laid aside reluctantly, and taken up each time
with renewed interest and pleasure. It is this intense interest in the
work which produces the most beautiful quilts. On quilts that are made
because of the genuine interest in the work, the most painstaking
efforts are put forth; the passing of time is not considered; and the
belief of the majority of such quilt makers, though unconfessed,
doubtless, is the equivalent of the old Arab proverb that "Slowness
comes from God, but hurry from the devil."

All women who are lonely do not live in isolated farmhouses, prairie
shacks, or remote villages. In reality, there are more idle, listless
hands in the hearts of crowded bustling cities than in the quiet
country. City women, surrounded by many enticing distractions, are
turning more and more to patchwork as a fascinating yet nerve-soothing
occupation. Not only is there a sort of companionship between the
maker and the quilt, but there is also the great benefit derived from
having found a new interest in life, something worth while that can be
built up by one's own efforts.

An anecdote is told of a woman living in a quiet little New England
village who complained of her loneliness there, where the quilting
bees were the only saving features of an otherwise colourless
existence. She told the interested listener that in this
out-of-the-way hamlet she did not mind the monotony much because there
were plenty of "quiltings," adding that she had helped that winter at
more than twenty-five quilting bees; besides this, she had made a
quilt for herself and also helped on some of those of her immediate
neighbours.

    [Illustration: THE WILD ROSE

    That loves to grow in fragrant, tangled masses by the
    roadside was made to march in prim rows on this child's
    quilt]

American women rarely think of quilts as being made or used outside of
their own country. In reality quilts are made in almost every land on
the face of the earth. Years ago, when the first New England
missionaries were sent to the Hawaiian Islands, the native women were
taught to piece quilts, which they continue to do down to this day.
These Hawaiian women treasure their handiwork greatly, and some very
old and beautiful quilts are to be found among these islands. In
creating their patchwork they have wandered from the Puritanical
designs of their teachers, and have intermingled with the conventional
figures the gorgeous flowers that bloom beside their leaf-thatched,
vine-covered huts. To these women, also, patchwork fills a place. It
affords a means of expression for individuality and originality in the
same way that it does for the lonely New England women and for the
isolated mountaineers of Kentucky.

Harriet Beecher Stowe, immortalized by "Uncle Tom's Cabin," produced
other stories, not now so familiar to us as to our countrymen of the
Civil War period, which showed an intimate knowledge of the home life
of the American people as well as the vital questions of her day. In
her novel entitled the "Minister's Wooing," which ran first as a
serial in the _Atlantic Monthly_ in 1859, she describes a quilting
supposed to have been given about the year 1800. Here we can view at
close range a real old-fashioned quilting, and gain some insight into
its various incidents of sociability and gossip, typical of an early
New England seafaring village, as set forth in Mrs. Stowe's inimitable
style:

"By two o'clock a goodly company began to assemble. Mrs. Deacon
Twitchel arrived, soft, pillowy, and plaintive as ever, accompanied by
Cerinthy Ann, a comely damsel, tall and trim, with a bright black eye
and a most vigorous and determined style of movement. Good Mrs. Jones,
broad, expansive, and solid, having vegetated tranquilly on in the
cabbage garden of the virtues since three years ago, when she graced
our tea party, was now as well preserved as ever, and brought some
fresh butter, a tin pail of cream, and a loaf of cake made after a new
Philadelphia receipt. The tall, spare, angular figure of Mrs. Simeon
Brown alone was wanting; but she patronized Mrs. Scudder no more, and
tossed her head with a becoming pride when her name was mentioned.

"The quilt pattern was gloriously drawn in oak leaves, done in indigo;
and soon all the company, young and old, were passing busy fingers
over it, and conversation went on briskly.

"Madame de Frontignac, we must not forget to say, had entered with
hearty abandon into the spirit of the day. She had dressed the tall
china vases on the mantelpiece, and, departing from the usual rule of
an equal mixture of roses and asparagus bushes, had constructed two
quaint and graceful bouquets where garden flowers were mingled with
drooping grasses and trailing wild vines, forming a graceful
combination which excited the surprise of all who saw it.

"'It's the very first time in my life that I ever saw grass put into a
flower pot,' said Miss Prissy, 'but I must say it looks as handsome as
a picture. Mary, I must say,' she added, in an aside, 'I think that
Madame de Frontignac is the sweetest dressing and appearing creature I
ever saw; she don't dress up nor put on airs, but she seems to see in
a minute how things ought to go; and if it's only a bit of grass, or
leaf, or wild vine, that she puts in her hair, why, it seems to come
just right. I should like to make her a dress, for I know she would
understand my fit; do speak to her, Mary, in case she should want a
dress fitted here, to let me try it.'

"At the quilting Madame de Frontignac would have her seat, and soon
won the respect of the party by the dexterity with which she used her
needle; though, when it was whispered that she learned to quilt among
the nuns, some of the elderly ladies exhibited a slight uneasiness, as
being rather doubtful whether they might not be encouraging papistical
opinions by allowing her an equal share in the work of getting up
their minister's bed quilt; but the younger part of the company was
quite captivated by her foreign air and the pretty manner in which she
lisped her English; and Cerinthy Ann even went so far as to horrify
her mother by saying that she wished she'd been educated in a convent
herself, a declaration which arose less from native depravity than
from a certain vigorous disposition, which often shows itself in young
people, to shock the current opinions of their elders and betters. Of
course, the conversation took a general turn, somewhat in unison with
the spirit of the occasion; and whenever it flagged, some allusion to
a forthcoming wedding, or some sly hint at the future young Madame of
the parish was sufficient to awaken the dormant animation of the
company.

    [Illustration: MORNING GLORY

    It must be "early to bed and early to rise" for the
    child who would see the sweet morning glory in all its
    loveliness, as it must be found before all the dew is
    gone]

"Cerinthy Ann contrived to produce an agreeable electric shock by
declaring that for her part she never could see into it how any girl
could marry a minister; that she should as soon think of setting up
housekeeping in a meeting-house.

"'Oh, Cerinthy Ann!' exclaimed her mother, 'how can you go on so?'

"'It's a fact,' said the adventurous damsel; 'now other men let you
have some peace, but a minister's always round under your feet.'

"'So you think the less you see of a husband, the better?' said one of
the ladies.

"'Just my views!' said Cerinthy, giving a decided snip to her thread
with her scissors. 'I like the Nantucketers, that go off on four
years' voyages, and leave their wives a clear field. If ever I get
married, I'm going up to have one of those fellows.'

"It is to be remarked, in passing, that Miss Cerinthy Ann was at this
very time receiving surreptitious visits from a consumptive-looking,
conscientious young theological candidate, who came occasionally to
preach in the vicinity, and put up at the house of the deacon, her
father. This good young man, being violently attacked on the doctrine
of election by Miss Cerinthy, had been drawn on to illustrate it in a
most practical manner, to her comprehension; and it was the
consciousness of the weak and tottering state of the internal garrison
that added vigour to the young lady's tones. As Mary had been the
chosen confidante of the progress of this affair, she was quietly
amused at the demonstration.

"'You'd better take care, Cerinthy Ann,' said her mother, 'they say
"that those who sing before breakfast will cry before supper." Girls
talk about getting married,' she said, relapsing into a gentle
melancholy, 'without realizing its awful responsibilities.'

"'Oh, as to that,' said Cerinthy, 'I've been practising on my pudding
now these six years, and I shouldn't be afraid to throw one up chimney
with any girl.'

"This speech was founded on a tradition, current in those times, that
no young lady was fit to be married till she could construct a boiled
Indian pudding of such consistency that it could be thrown up a
chimney and come down on the ground outside without breaking; and the
consequence of Cerinthy Ann's sally was a general laugh.

"'Girls ain't what they used to be in my day,' sententiously remarked
an elderly lady. 'I remember my mother told me when she was thirteen
she could knit a long cotton stocking in a day.'

"'I haven't much faith in these stories of old times, have you,
girls?' said Cerinthy, appealing to the younger members at the frame.

"'At any rate,' said Mrs. Twitchel, 'our minister's wife will be a
pattern; I don't know anybody that goes beyond her either in spinning
or fine stitching.'

"Mary sat as placid and disengaged as the new moon, and listened to
the chatter of old and young with the easy quietness of a young heart
that has early outlived life and looks on everything in the world from
some gentle, restful eminence far on toward a better home. She smiled
at everybody's word, had a quick eye for everybody's wants, and was
ready with thimble, scissors, or thread, whenever any one needed them;
but once, when there was a pause in the conversation, she and Mrs.
Marvyn were both discovered to have stolen away. They were seated on
the bed in Mary's little room, with their arms around each other,
communing in low and gentle tones.

"'Mary, my dear child,' said her friend, 'this event is very pleasant
to me, because it places you permanently near me. I did not know but
eventually this sweet face might lead to my losing you who are in some
respects the dearest friend I have.'

"'You might be sure,' said Mary, 'I never would have married, except
that my mother's happiness and the happiness of so good a friend
seemed to depend on it. When we renounce self in anything we have
reason to hope for God's blessing; and so I feel assured of a peaceful
life in the course I have taken. You will always be as a mother to
me,' she added, laying her head on her friend's shoulder.

"'Yes,' said Mrs. Marvyn; 'and I must not let myself think a moment
how dear it might have been to have you more my own. If you feel
really, truly happy, if you can enter on this life without any
misgivings----'

"'I can,' said Mary firmly.

"At this instant, very strangely, the string which confined a wreath
of seashells around her glass, having been long undermined by moths,
suddenly broke and fell down, scattering the shells upon the floor.

    [Illustration: "KEEPSAKE QUILT"

    The sunbonnet lassies suggest an outing or a call from
    playmates on the morrow. These lassies may be dressed in
    bits of the gowns of the little maid, and the quilt thus
    become a "keepsake quilt"]

"Both women started, for the string of shells had been placed there
by James; and though neither was superstitious, this was one of those
odd coincidences that make hearts throb.

"'Dear boy!' said Mary, gathering the shells up tenderly; 'wherever he
is, I shall never cease to love him. It makes me feel sad to see this
come down; but it is only an accident; nothing of him will ever fall
out of my heart.'

"Mrs. Marvyn clasped Mary closer to her, with tears in her eyes.

"'I'll tell you what, Mary, it must have been the moths did that,'
said Miss Prissy, who had been standing, unobserved, at the door for a
moment back; 'moths will eat away strings just so. Last week Miss
Vernon's great family picture fell down because the moths eat through
the cord; people ought to use twine or cotton string always. But I
came to tell you that supper is all set, and the doctor out of his
study, and all the people are wondering where you are.'

"Mary and Mrs. Marvyn gave a hasty glance at themselves in the glass,
to be assured of their good keeping, and went into the great kitchen,
where a long table stood exhibiting all that plentitude of provision
which the immortal description of Washington Irving has saved us the
trouble of recapitulating in detail.

"The husbands, brothers, and lovers had come in, and the scene was
redolent of gayety. When Mary made her appearance, there was a
moment's pause, till she was conducted to the side of the doctor;
when, raising his hand, he invoked a grace upon the loaded board.

"Unrestrained gayeties followed. Groups of young men and maidens
chatted together, and all the gallantries of the times were enacted.
Serious matrons commented on the cake, and told each other high and
particular secrets in the culinary art which they drew from remote
family archives. One might have learned in that instructive assembly
how best to keep moths out of blankets, how to make fritters of Indian
corn undistinguishable from oysters, how to bring up babies by hand,
how to mend a cracked teapot, how to take out grease from a brocade,
how to reconcile absolute decrees with free will, how to make five
yards of cloth answer the purpose of six, and how to put down the
Democratic party.

"Miss Prissy was in her glory; every bow of her best cap was alive
with excitement, and she presented to the eyes of the astonished
Newport gentry an animated receipt book. Some of the information she
communicated, indeed, was so valuable and important that she could not
trust the air with it, but whispered the most important portions in a
confidential tone. Among the crowd, Cerinthy Ann's theological admirer
was observed in deeply reflective attitude; and that high-spirited
young lady added further to his convictions of the total depravity of
the species by vexing and discomposing him in those thousand ways in
which a lively, ill-conditioned young woman will put to rout a
serious, well-disposed young man, comforting herself with the
reflection that by and by she would repent of all her sins in a lump
together.

"Vain, transitory splendours! Even this evening, so glorious, so heart
cheering, so fruitful in instruction and amusement, could not last
forever. Gradually the company broke up; the matrons mounted soberly
on horseback behind their spouses, and Cerinthy consoled her clerical
friend by giving him an opportunity to read her a lecture on the way
home, if he found the courage to do so.

"Mr. and Mrs. Marvyn and Candace wound their way soberly homeward;
the doctor returned to his study for nightly devotions; and before
long sleep settled down on the brown cottage.

"'I'll tell you what, Cato,' said Candace, before composing herself to
sleep, 'I can't feel it in my bones dat dis yer weddin's gwine to come
off yit.'"

LIST OF QUILT NAMES

ARRANGED ALPHABETICALLY

    Air Castle
    Alabama Beauty
    Album
    All Tangled Up
    Alpine Rose
    American Log Patch
    Apple Hexagon
    Arabic Lattice
    Arkansas Traveller
    Art Square
    Ashland Rose
    Aunt Eliza's Star Point
    Aunt Sukey's Patch
    Autograph Quilt

    Bachelor's Puzzle
    Barrister's Blocks
    Base Ball
    Basket of Lilies
    Basket Quilt
    Bat's Wing
    Bear's Foot
    Bear's Paws
    Bedtime
    Beggar's Blocks
    Big Dipper
    Bird's Nest
    Blackford's Beauty
    Blazing Star
    Blind Man's Fancy
    Block Album
    Bluebird
    Boston Puzzle
    Bounding Betty
    Bouquet
    Box Blocks
    Boxed I's
    Boy's Nonsense
    Brick Pile
    Brickwork Quilt
    Broken Dish
    Brown-tailed Moth
    Brunswick Star
    Bunnies
    Bunnies and Baskets
    Butterflies

    Cactus Blossom
    Cake Stand
    California Oak Leaf
    California Rose
    California Star
    Capital I
    Carolina Lily
    Carpenter's Rule
    Carpenter's Square
    Cats and Mice
    Centennial
    Charm
    Charter Oak
    Cherry Basket
    Chicago Star
    Children's Delight
    Chimney Swallows
    Christmas Tree
    Chrysanthemums
    Churn Dash
    Circle Within Circle
    Circuit Rider
    Cleveland Lilies
    Cluster of Stars
    Coarse Woven Patch
    Cockscomb
    Cog Wheel
    Columbian Puzzle
    Columbia Star
    Combination Star
    Compass
    Complex Rose
    Confederate Rose
    Continental
    Corn and Beans
    Cottage Tulip
    Country Farm
    Coxey's Camp
    Crazy Ann
    Crazy Quilt
    Crib Quilt
    Cross, The
    Cross and Crown
    Crosses and Losses
    Crosses and Stars
    Crossed Canoes
    Cross Roads to Texas
    Cross Within Cross
    Crow's Foot
    Cube Lattice
    Cube Work
    Cypress Leaf

    Daffodils and Butterflies
    Daisies
    Democrat Rose
    Devil's Claws
    Devil's Puzzle
    Diagonal Log Chain
    Diamond, The
    Diamond Cube
    Diamond Design
    Diamonds
    Diamond Star
    Disk, The
    Dogwood
    Domino
    Domino and Square
    Double Irish Chain
    Double Peony
    Double Squares
    Double Wrench
    Double X, No. 1
    Double X, No. 2
    Double X, No. 3
    Double X, No. 4
    Double Z
    Dove in the Window
    Dutchman's Puzzle
    Dutch Rose
    Drunkard's Patchwork
    Drunkard's Path
    Ducks and Ducklings

    Ecclesiastical
    Economy
    Eight Hands Around
    Eight-point Design
    Eight-pointed Star
    Enigma
    Evening Star
    Everybody's Favourite

    Fan
    Fan and Rainbow
    Fan Patch
    Fanny's Fan
    Fantastic Patch
    Feather Star
    Ferris Wheel
    Field Daisies
    Five-pointed Star
    Five Stripes
    Fleur-de-Lis
    Flower Basket
    Flower Pot
    Flutter Wheel
    Flying Bat
    Flying Star
    Fool's Puzzle
    Fool's Square
    Forbidden Fruit Tree
    Forest Pattern
    Four E's
    Four Frogs Quilt
    Four Little Birds
    Four Points
    Four Stars Patch
    Four X Star
    French Basket
    Friendship Quilt
    Fruit Basket

    Garden of Eden
    Garfield's Monument
    Gentleman's Fancy
    Georgetown Circle
    Girl's Joy
    Globe, The
    Golden Gates
    Goose in the Pond
    Goose Tracks
    Gourd Vine
    Grandmother's Choice
    Grandmother's Dream
    Grandmother's Own
    Grape Basket
    Grapes and Vines
    Grecian Design
    Greek Cross
    Greek Square

    Hairpin Catcher
    Hand, The
    Hands All Around
    Handy Andy
    Harrison Rose
    Harvest Rose
    Hearts and Gizzards
    Hen and Chickens
    Hexagonal
    Hickory Leaf
    Hobson's Kiss
    Home Treasure
    Honeycomb
    Honeycomb Patch
    Hour Glass
    House That Jack Built

    Ice Cream Bowl
    Imperial Tea
    Indiana Wreath
    Indian Hatchet
    Indian Plumes
    Interlaced Blocks
    Iris
    Irish Puzzle

    Jack's House
    Jacob's Ladder
    Job's Tears
    Johnny Around the Corner
    Joining Star
    Jonquils
    Joseph's Coat
    Joseph's Necktie

    Kansas Troubles
    King's Crown
    King's Crows

    Ladies' Beautiful Star
    Ladies' Delight
    Ladies' Wreath
    Lady Fingers
    Lady of the Lake
    Leap Frog
    Letter H
    Letter X
    Lily of the Valley
    Lily Quilt Pattern
    Lincoln's Platform
    Linton
    Little Beech Tree
    Little Red House, The
    Live Oak Tree
    Lobster, The
    Log Cabin
    Log Patch
    London Roads
    Love Rose
    Lover's Links

    Magic Circle
    Maltese Cross, No. 1
    Maltese Cross, No. 2
    Maple Leaf
    Mary's Garden
    May Berry Leaf
    Mayflower, The
    Memory Blocks
    Memory Circle
    Mexican Rose
    Missouri Beauty
    Mollie's Choice
    Moon and Stars
    Morning Glory
    Morning Glory Wreath
    Morning Star
    Mosaic (More than 25)
    Mother's Fancy
    Mrs. Cleveland's Choice
    Mrs. Morgan's Choice

    Needle Book
    Necktie
    New Album
    New Four Patch
    Nine Patch
    New Star
    No Name Quilt
    None Such
    Novel Star

    Oak Leaf and Acorns
    Oak Leaf and Tulip
    Ocean Waves
    Octagon
    Octagon File
    Odd Fellows' Chain
    Odd Patchwork
    Odd Pattern, An
    Odds and Ends
    Odd Star
    Ohio Beauty
    Oklahoma Boomer
    Old Homestead, The
    Old Maid's Puzzle
    Old Patchwork, An
    Old Scrap Patchwork
    Old Bachelor's Puzzle
    Old Tippecanoe
    Olive Branch
    Orange Peel

    Paving Blocks
    Pansies and Butterflies
    Peacocks and Flowers
    Peony Block
    Persian Palm Lily
    Philadelphia Beauty
    Philadelphia Pavement
    Philippines, The
    Pickle Dish
    Pilgrim's Pride
    Pincushion
    Pincushion and Burr
    Pineapple Patterns (3 in number)
    Pine Tree
    Pinwheel Square
    Poinsettia
    Poppy
    Prairie Rose
    Premium Star
    President's Quilt
    Princess Feather
    Priscilla, The
    Pullman Puzzle
    Puss-in-the-Corner
    Puzzle File
    Pyrotechnics

    Quartette, The

    Radical Rose
    Railroad, The
    Rainbow
    Red Cross
    Ribbon Squares
    Ribbon Star
    Right and Left
    Rising Sun
    Road to California
    Robbing Peter to Pay Paul
    Rockingham's Beauty
    Rocky Glen
    Rocky Road to California
    Rocky Road to Kansas
    Rolling Pinwheel
    Rolling Star
    Rolling Stone
    Roman Cross
    Roman Stripe
    Rose
    Rose Album
    Rose and Feather
    Rosebud and Leaves
    Rose of Dixie
    Rose of LeMoine
    Rose of St. Louis
    Rose of the Carolinas
    Rose of Sharon
    Rose Sprig
    Royal, The
    Royal Japanese Vase

    Sarah's Favourite
    Sashed Album
    Sashed Star
    Sawtooth Patchwork
    Scissor's Chain
    Seven Stars
    Shelf Chain
    Shield
    Shoo Fly
    Shooting Star
    Simple Design
    Single Sunflowers
    Sister's Choice
    Snail's Trail, The
    Snowball
    Snowflake
    Solomon's Temple
    Solomon's Crown
    Spider's Den
    Spider's Web
    Spools
    Square and a Half
    Square and Swallow
    Square and Triangle
    Square Log Cabin
    Squares and Stars
    Squares and Stripes
    Star, A
    Star and Chains
    Star and Cross
    Star and Cubes
    Star and Squares
    Star of Bethlehem
    Star of Many Points
    Star of Texas
    Star of the East
    Star Lane
    Star Puzzle
    Star-Spangled Banner
    Stars upon Stars
    State House Steps
    Steps to the Altar
    St. Louis Star
    Stone Wall
    Storm at Sea
    Strawberry
    Stripe Squares
    Sugar Loaf
    Sunbonnet Lassies
    Sunburst
    Sunflowers
    Sunshine
    Swarm of Bees
    Sweet Gum Leaf
    Swinging Corners
    Swing in the Centre

    Tangled Garter
    Tassel Plant
    Tea Leaf
    Temperance Tree
    Texas Flower
    Texas Tears
    Three-flowered Sunflower
    Tick-Tack-Toe
    Tile Patchwork
    Toad in the Puddle
    Tree of Paradise
    Triangular Triangle
    Triangle Puzzle
    True Lover's Knot
    Tufted Cherry
    Tulip Blocks
    Tulip in Vase
    Tulip Lady Finger
    Tulip Tree Leaves
    Tumbler, The
    Twin Sisters
    Twinkling Star
    Twist and Turn
    Twist Patchwork
    Two Doves, The

    Union
    Union Calico Quilt
    Union Star
    Unknown Star

    Valentine Quilt
    Variegated Diamonds
    Variegated Hexagons
    Venetian Design
    Vestibule
    Vice-President's Quilt
    Village Church
    Virginia Gentleman

    Washington's Puzzle
    Washington's Plumes
    Washington's Sidewalk
    Watered Ribbon
    Way of the World
    Wedding Knot
    Western Star
    W. C. T. Union
    Wheel, The
    Wheel and Star
    Wheel of Fortune
    Whig Pattern
    Whig Rose
    White Day Lily
    Widower's Choice
    Wild Goose Chase
    Wild Rose
    Wind-blown Tulips
    Winding Walk
    Wind Mill
    Wonder of the World
    Workbox
    World's Fair, The
    World's Fair Blocks
    World's Fair Puzzle
    Wreath of Roses

    X quisite, The

    Yankee Puzzle

LIST OF REFERENCES

    THE CAROLINA MOUNTAINS. _Margaret M. Morley._

    THE MINISTER'S WOOING. _Harriet Beecher Stowe._

    AUNT JANE IN KENTUCKY. _Hall._

    COLONIAL DAYS AND WAYS. _Helen Evesten Smith._

    THE STORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. _Charles Burr Todd,
    1888._

    THE SOCIAL HISTORY OF FLATBUSH. _Gertrude Lefferts
    Vanderbilt, 1882._

    SOCIAL HISTORY OF ANCIENT IRELAND. _P. W. Joyce._

    CHATS ON OLD LACE AND NEEDLEWORK. _Mrs. Lowes._

    THE CRUSADES. _Archer and Kingsford._

    THE LURE OF THE ANTIQUE. _Walter A. Dyer._

    ART IN NEEDLEWORK. _Lewis F. Day and Mary Buckle._

    HOME LIFE IN COLONIAL DAYS. _Alice Morse Earle._

    CUSTOMS AND FASHIONS IN OLD NEW ENGLAND. _Alice Morse
    Earle._

    PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH. _Mrs. P. E. Gibbon._

    ON EDUCATION. _John Locke, 1632-1704._

    OLD EMBROIDERIES. _Alan S. Cole in Home Needlework
    Magazine, 1900-1901._

    THE ANNALS OF TENNESSEE. _J. G. M. Ramsey, A. M., M. D.,
    1853._

    WOMAN'S HANDIWORK IN MODERN HOMES. _Constance Cary
    Harrison, 1881._

    PEASANT ART IN SWEDEN, IRELAND, AND LAPLAND. _Edited by
    Charles Holmes._

    FIRST STEPS IN COLLECTING. _Grace M. Vallois._

    NEEDLEWORK. _Elizabeth Glaister._

    EMBROIDERY AND TAPESTRY WEAVING. _Mrs. A. H. Christie._

    THE ART OF NEEDLEWORK. _Edited by Countess Wilton._

    ENGLISH SECULAR EMBROIDERY. _M. Jourdain._

    THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. _Sir. J. Gardner Wilkinson,
    D. C. L., F. R. S._

    DE BELLO JUDAICO. _Flavius Josephus._

    TURKEY OF THE OTTOMAN. _L. M. Garnett._

    HISTOIRE DE L'ART DANS L'ANTIQUITÉ. _Perrot and
    Chipiex._

    ARTS AND CRAFTS IN THE MIDDLE AGES. _Julia de Wolf
    Addison._

    SACO VALLEY FAMILIES. _Ridlon._

Transcriber's Note

Minor punctuation errors have been corrected without note.

This book contains some archaic spelling and dialect; all instances
have been kept as printed.

Hyphenation has been made consistent as follows:

    Page vii--Bed-time amended to Bedtime
    Page 125--Puss in the Corner amended to Puss-in-the-Corner
    Page 144--oldtime amended to old-time

The following amendments have been made:

    Page 5--Gerdin amended to Gardner--"Sir J. Gardner
    Wilkinson, in his history ..."

    Page 7--Judaics amended to Judaico--"In "De Bello Judaico,"
    by Flavius Josephus, ..."

    Page 8--Historic amended to Histoire--"... in their "Histoire
    de l'Art dans l'Antiquité", publish ..."

    Page 18--Phoenecians amended to Phoenicians--"... in Biblical
    times by the Hebrews and Phoenicians."

    Page 95--Eor amended to For--"For those who enjoy making
    pieced quilts ..."

    Page 131--amarylis amended to amaryllis--"... and even
    scarlet amaryllis pale beside the glowing colours ..."

    Page 143--excell amended to excel--"... the desire to
    excel in the art of quilt making."

    Page 174--repeated instance of St. Louis Star deleted.

    Page 177--MOUNTAINA amended to MOUNTAINS--"THE CAROLINA
    MOUNTAINS."

    Page 177--M. amended to F., and AND amended to IN--"ART
    IN NEEDLEWORK. _Lewis F. Day and Mary Buckle._"

    Page 177--Alam amended to Alan--"_Alan S. Cole in ..._"

    Page 178--S. C. L. amended to D. C. L.--"_Sir J. Gardner
    Wilkinson, D. C. L., F. R. S._"

    Page 178--JUDAICS amended to JUDAICO--"DE BELLO JUDAICO."

    Page 178--DAMS amended to DANS--"HISTOIRE DE L'ART DANS
    L'ANTIQUITÉ."

The following amendments have been made in the list of quilt names at
the end of the text, for consistency with the main text:

    Aunt Eliza's Star Quilt amended to Aunt Eliza's Star Point (p. 169)
    Baseball amended to Base Ball (p. 169)
    Blindman's Fancy amended to Blind Man's Fancy (p. 169)
    Cogwheels amended to Cog Wheel (p. 170)
    Double Square amended to Double Squares (p. 171)
    Duck and Ducklings amended to Ducks and Ducklings (p. 171)
    Fleur de Lis amended to Fleur-de-Lis (p. 171)
    French Baskets amended to French Basket (p. 171)
    Hair Pin Catcher amended to Hairpin Catcher (p. 172)
    Indian Plums amended to Indian Plumes (p. 172)
    Needlebook amended to Needle Book (p. 173)
    Road to Oklahoma amended to Road to California (p. 174)
    Washington Puzzle amended to Washington's Puzzle (p. 176)
    Windmill amended to Wind Mill (p. 176)
    Xquisite, The amended to X quisite, The (p. 176)

Please note that not all of the quilt patterns mentioned in the main
text are included in the list.

The single oe ligature (in the word Phoenicians) has not been retained
in this version.

Illustrations have been moved slightly where necessary so that they
were not in the middle of a paragraph. The frontispiece illustration
has been moved to follow the title page.