Star and Crescent (and The Colonial Quilt Book)

 Today's block from Mother's Quilt is Star and Crescent.

 

This block adds to the mystery, "Who is Mother?" Virginia Watson is a member of a family unrelated to Lizzy Shoup, and there are five blocks belonging to this family on the quilt.  

This Star and Crescent was made by Velma Shoup, so although the women on the quilt are unrelated they certainly like to share their patterns.

The pattern for Star and Crescent isn't in the usual newspapers.*  The following comes from The Cincinnati (Ohio)  Enquirer.  Don't you just love the border crosses?

This is another delightful old-time favorite patchwork quilt design that today’s women are enjoying to the fullest in reproducing.  This pattern has lived for generations and when completed makes a very beautiful quilt.  Any color combination can be used, white or plain colors or prints and white makes a lovely effect.

Quilting Design No. Q532, price 10c (for tracing), and Patchwork Border No. 817, price 10c, complete this beautiful quilt.

Be sure to send today for our beautiful Colonial Quilt Book – 32 pages, showing over 200 of the most popular designs in lovely color combinations.  As a special offer, we are giving you free, one quilt pattern with each order for this attractive book, which is only 25c.  Single patchwork patterns, of quilting patterns (for tracing), are 10c each, or three for 25c.  A special combination, No. 322C of the book, patchwork pattern, quilting design and patchwork border pattern is given for 40c.  Inclose clipping or state number of pattern desired.  Send order with coin to

Needleart Department of the Cincinnati Enquirer, 

609 South Paulina Street,

Chicago, Illinois.

 

 

* Well knock my socks off!  I googled the Needleart Department of the Cincinnati Enquirer and they were very proud of their newspaper patchwork patterns.  "The quilt patterns appearing daily in The Enquirer are the most beautiful designs from a collection numbering well over 100,000."  100,000 patterns is a whopper of a collection.  And the Colonial Quilt Book can be downloaded free!

Colonial Quilt Book

Introducing Mother's Quilt

This friendship quilt has been in my collection for a few years. It hasn't received a lot of attention. I don't even have a good photo of the whole quilt, it's quite large.  I call it Mother's Quilt because there are not one but two blocks that say "Mother"; the second one has the date 1936.

 I spent two days on Ancestry.com and I now know a lot more about the quilt and its makers.  I found the majority of names in the 1930 census for Richland Township, Clarion County, Pennsylvania.  Very conveniently, most of the names were recorded in just three or four pages of the census.

I think that "Mother" is most likely Lizzie Shoup with blocks made by four daughters, three daughters-in-law, three granddaughters, a few nieces and so on.

 

 

 

One of the likely resources for design ideas was Grandma Dexter Applique and Patchwork Designs, Book 36A, published by Virginia Snow Studios about 1932. This 24 page book contained a small picture of each pattern and full size templates to trace. Instructions were minimal.  The applique block at the start of this post is Sweet Pea Wreath.  

This block is Tropical Butterfly.  Note that the template for the insect body is included, then you just "Embroider wings."

 

 

 Baseball. This block shows the quilting, free-form flowers joined with stems around each applique.

 

 

Dervish Star.  This pattern was particularly popular, there are four in the quilt. 

 

 

Grandmother's Flower Garden, a classic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Triple Stripe in Grandma Dexter, more usually named The House Jack Built.  The maker's name is Avanell Shoup, one of the daughters-in-law.

I can't wait for chapter 2 of Mother's Quilt, hope you join me then!