I have put the pictures of my quilt on this website: picasaweb.google.com/mamad1930 Please let me know if you can see it. The album name is Quilts
- posted
15 years ago
I have put the pictures of my quilt on this website: picasaweb.google.com/mamad1930 Please let me know if you can see it. The album name is Quilts
That's one of the simpler blocks. One name for it is Shoo Fly.
The quilt block is known as Shoo Fly. According to Block Base (a computer program based on a book of quilt blocks and their history), it is also known as The Eight-Cornered Box, Simplicity, Fence Row (set on a diagonal in a zigzag setting) and Fifty Four or Fight (when set with strips and squares). You may be able to find the book Block Base through your local library. Barbara Brackman is the author.
While I usually associate that block with the 1930s, the first date listed for it in Block Base was in 1896. There are 5 quilts listed here
Nice looking quilt you have there!
Mary
Perfect! I knew I should have waited for an expert!
Wow, Kathyl - is Barbara Brackman's encyclopaedia available as a disc or something? That would be superb. I use mine a lot. . In message , KJ writes
Barbara Brackman's "Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns" identifies that block by several names. "Shoo Fly" is the one she lists first, and I think that would be the most common name. Other names she lists are "The Eight-Cornered Box", "Fence Row" (set on a diagonal in a zigzag set), "Fifty-four Forty or Fight" (set with strips and squares), and "Simplicity". "Fifty-four Forty or Fight" more commonly refers to the block at
Julia > I have put the pictures of my quilt on this website:
Thank you! I had heard/seen mention of Block Base, but I didn't realise that was what it is. I will look into it. Might mean I wouldn't have to rack my brains for the next birthday/Christmas present! . In message , KJ writes
I love this sort of question so much that I looked it up myself though I knew others would have gotten the answer first. Sure enough, my answer matches everyone else's.
_The Quilter's Album of Blocks & Borders_ by Jinny Beyer lists the block as "shoo-fly" and gives 1898 as the first time she found the pattern published. It was in _Ladies' Art Company_.
I was also interested in seeing the fabrics in your quilt. There are lots of reproductions of 1930s fabrics, fabrics characterized by small designs on solid backgrounds. I haven't seen a reproduction of those red, yellow, and white flowers on the light blue. Will you tell us more about what you know of your quilt's history?
--Lia
Yes...put this at the top of your gift list to yourself. You can spend hours looking through the blocks and descriptions. I love the search feature.
Yikes! That's more expensive than the book version was when I bought it years ago. I guess I'll stick with the book.
But you get a lot for the price. The search features alone are worth a mint, in my opinion. You also have the options to print templates/rotary cutting/foundation patterns in your choice of size. And if you have EQ it will link and you have just added all those blocks to your block libraries in EQ. I had borrowed the book at one time to look for some "state Fair" related blocks. Found several in the book. One of which has 16 seams intersecting in the middle. There was a dot in the picture of the block in the book, but I thought it was just where the intersecting lines sort of made a dot. When I checked the software, I was able to see that there is actually supposed to be a small circle of fabric over the center intersection. Would have been a lot easier to do if I had known that.
While you can't design an actual quilt with BlockBase, you can collect a set of blocks and all sorts of stuff. I am very happy with having BlockBase and did look at the book, but it was almost as expensive without all the bonus stuff.
Pati, > >
That's a really good assessment of the program Pati. You've done it again!
You make very good points, Pati; but I've had the book for about 15 years now -- since before BlockBase was available. When I bought it, I was working and could afford to splurge on things like that. Now I have to pick my splurges. ;) Maybe someday someone in the family will get it for me for an occasion; I'll keep that in mind as a suggestion. :)
Oh, KJ!! Did you have to show me that? Now I want it, right now. That's all of my spending money for 2 whole weeks, but it just might be worth it. Better yet, do you suppose my DH would get for me for Mother's Day? Hmmm! I'll have to send him the link.
TerriLee >
Mother's Day! Yessssssssssss!
Very pretty Shoo Fly quilt, Marilyn. Debra in VA See my quilts at:
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