Kansas Troubles quilt
Nancy Page was a fictional quilt diva invented by Florence La Ganke. We have meet Nancy Page before in this blog, with the Snowflake Quilt and The Perfect Hostess. The Nancy Page Quilt Club members were the readers of the newspaper column, and the printed patterns were accompanied by dialogue between Nancy and her imaginary quilting friends. Patterns cost 3¢ each.
“By rights, I suppose this quilt should be made in colors of dust. Of course, Kansas has the marvelous sunsets and sunrisings, too, so perhaps we can change the color schemes. But sunsets are not troubles. They are glorious, especially in Kansas. If you use gay colors I suggest you change the name of this block to ‘Kansas Glories.’ But whatever you call it, you will be making a traditional and fine old pattern when you make this one.”
“I like it because I think I can use up all sorts of odd, small pieces. I can get plain colors and print for the large triangles, but use all sorts of pieces for the points.”
“Yes, so you can, but you won’t be making the design quite as it was planned. You see the prints of the large triangle are repeated in the small points and the plain is found again in the neighboring block.”
The members of the Nancy Page quilt club studied the possibilities of this fine old block. They decided that it could be used as an allover pattern or as a square block to be set into the quilt corner-wise with plain square blocks adjoining. Some members decided to put the pieced blocks together with sashing. You can take your choice.
Birmingham News, Alabama
February 25, 1936
The pattern Kansas Trouble was previously printed in the Kansas City Star in 1934.
This quilt takes its name from the troubled days of early Kansas history, when a pioneer woman pieced this block and sent it to her New England home. The contributor states that the quilt may be in odd scraps or in solid colors.
Kansas City Star March 7, 1934
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