Old Quilt Books

Last week my mother gave me some quilt pattern books that she had cleaned out of a closet. My mother did sew when I was growing up but never made a quilt of any size. She thought about it a few times but never made one. Even after rotary cutters came on the scene, she has not been able to convince herself to make a quilt. She said always wanted to sew things she could start and finish in one day. She does crochet afghans that take more than one day but says those are easy for her to pick up and put down.

These booklets are from the lates 60's and early 70's. Here is the first one published by Parade Magazine in 1974 --- Nifty Fifty Quilts - 50 patchwork and applique quilts


In the back of this one is an advertisement to order more books. The three below were 50 Cents each, add 25 cents each for postage and handling.



Quilt Book # 1 - has a variety of 16 showpiece quilts. Patch patterns, complete directions for each quilt. (no copyright date)




Museum Quilt Book #2 - Patterns for 15 quilts dating from 1815 to mid 19th century. Quilting Designs, yardages. (no copyright date)

Quilts for Today's Living - 15 bold, bright modern designs -- all easy to cut, piece. Also quilte for baby. (copyright 1968)

The patterns are for single beds and double beds. The quilts for children refer to "junior bed" size. The books are in colored print but not photographs except for the cover of book 1. Of course this was way before rotary cutters and strip piecing so the directions are along the line of "cut 796 of pattern A". That's the sort of thing that kept me from quilting for many years. I think it also kept my mother from quilting. All the piecing and quilting was done by hand as well. I love to sew and even enjoy some handwork but hand piecing is not for me.

Some of the quilt patterns include:

Presidential Quilt - Has a large applique eagle grasping the 3 arros and olive granch. This was based on a quilt in the Smithsonion made in 1846.

Cowboy - Youngters Favorite Lovely in many Gay Colors -- it is a bucking bronco with a ragdoll looking cowboy appliqued on 7 1/2 inch squares which are set on point. Is it just me or is this cowboy wearing bell bottoms and high heel boots?

There are star quilts with many pieces, pinwheels, nine-patch, clamshells, corn and beans, grandmother's flower patch hexagons and a "old time crazy quilt".

One that looks like a ripple pattern you would see in an afghan. The title says "The tailored quilt for the he-man who likes his comfort". Then it says "This pieced quilt is tailored enough to please the most viril man. It is made of 192 blocks for the single bed or 224 blocks for the double bed."