January 22, 1939

Detroit News Quilt History Project; Michigan State University Museum; Susan Salser; Clarke, Harriet

Detroit, Michigan, United States

A pattern for the Blossom Time quilt

The Detroit News
Public Service Bureau
The Home Newspaper
Radio Station WWJ
Interior Decoration

Blossom Time Quilt Pattern - Part One

The quilt-maker who has been working on something large, like a bedspread, will welcome this quilt design which consists of 32 small appliqued blocks. Made in checkerboard style, the entire quilt consists of 63 blocks about eight and a half inches square, with an eight and three-quarters-inch border all around, which makes the finished quilt measure about 83 by 100 inches.

This is a very simple quilt to figure out and cut blocks for, since one yard of material cuts exactly into 16 nine-inch squares. The border is equally easy to cut, for it consists of enough nine-inch strips to go around the quilt.

The applique in this design is simple, and suitable for a beginner. Patches are small, and therefore easy to place smoothly and correctly. In many of the blocks simple shapes are used for flowers and leaves and these are duplicated wherever possible. Of course the centers of flowers are not appliqued - embroidery is more effective for small decorations and twice as fast to do. For all the stems a chain stitch is practicable, for it makes a heavier line, giving more body to the stems. The flowers will appear top-heavy if an outline stitch is used, unless all six strands of the embroidery cotton are used at once.

In laying out the quilt blocks, the designs are first traced on the 31 blocks, each of the seven designs is repeated four times except three which are repeated five times). Old carbon paper can be used if one is very careful. New carbon paper is so fully inked it is apt to smudge, but old carbon paper which has had much use in a typewriter is still good for tracing purposes.

After tracing all the blocks, individual flowers are traced on the materials desired. As the various patches are traced for each block, they may be cut out and laid on the block, which may be then folded and put away until the worker has time to do the applique work. Thus the whole quilt may be laid out, traced, and the patches cut, ready for the sewing at a leisure time.

Each block may have an entirely different color-scheme, but it is important to choose colors with care so that colors in the whole quilt blend, as well as those in each block. It is well to have a predominant color in mind: whatever color is used for the plain alternate blocks should appear often in the appliqued blocks. The border may be of the same shade as the plain blocks, or it may be a little deeper, or even a harmonizing color. But beware of bright and gaudy colors, unless a startling color-scheme is desired. Plain green is advised for the leaves in these designs, but any tiny prints or plain pastel shades may be used for the flowers. Use only fine materials, for a quilt is no better than the matericals which comprise it, no matter how much work is put on it.

There are seven different designs in this quilt pattern, which allows a different design in each applique block of every two rows. The four extra blocks in the bottom row are duplicates of the three designs which the quilt-maker likes best.

Materials required: for the background of the quilt, two yards of white for the appliqued blocks and two yards of a plain shade (a light yellow is suggested) for alternate blocks. The border will require two and a quarter yards. The back of the quilt requires seven yards.

The Completed Blossom Time Quilt

1967-ID35

Two of the three flowers in this design are composed of four different petals. These petals may be all of one color, or of various prints, or of two different harmonizing shades, opposite petals being used in keeping the patches in order of the same shade. Care must be so that the quilt-maker knows which petal goes where. Since no two petals are quite the same shape, each patch should be numbered on the back to correspond with a number placed on the design. Then there is no question where each patch belongs. The five leaves in this design may be made from one pattern; then they will need no numbering, being all the same size.

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These three flowers are all alike in size and are therefore interchangeable if rearrangement of patches is desired after the patches are cut. But the petals in each flower are all of different shapes (though they look much alike), so the patches should be numbered to correspond to numbers placed on the design, so there will be no confusion. The petals look well appliqued in plain shades, with the flower center in small prints or darker plain colors. Use outline stitch to embroider flower centers. One of the leaves is too tiny to applique and should be embroidered.

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As in the preceding design, the flowers of this design are all alike and one pattern may be used for each flower. They are simple to applique and can be of plain colors or tiny prints. Outline stitch may be sued for the two center circles in each flower or two appliqued patched may be added if desired. The seven leaves in this design are all of different sizes, so each should be numbered according to numbers placed on the design.

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Courtesy of The Detroit News Archives.

2016.5.76; 6119.82.39