BACK TO PUBLICATIONS
Horoscope Quilt - Pattern No. 03
October 27, 1932
Detroit News Quilt History Project; Michigan State University Museum; Harriet Clarke
Detroit, Michigan, United States
A pattern leaflet for the Aries quilt block. This is the third in a series of pattern leaflets for The Horoscope Quilt. "Pioneering - Intuitive - Eloquent - Audacious (Aries)"
pioneering
intuitive
eloquent
audacious
(Aries)>
Last week you had four white strips cut six and one-half inches long by three and one-half inches wide. And you seamed them to the blue square, putting the four, three and one-half inch blocks in the corners. A blue star has been appliqued on each of these corners and the block has been pressed.
Now cut a piece of carbon paper six inches by three inches. Lay it over one of the strips and then trace lightly, using a sharp pencil, the word "pioneering." Place it so that the start of the first letter is close to the side seam and up about an inch and a quarter on the block.
Words Form Circle.
Now trace the remaining three words, each one on a strip and each one starting at about the same place. That gives you four words which form a circle around the square block and which just about fill the space. Disregard the word "Aries" in small print. That is on the block for identification only.
Embroider these, using heavy close outline or chain stitches. Use blue the same color as the center block. Strands of blue or fast color twist cotton may be used. There! The first block is finished, and next week we will start on the second one.
Meaning of 'Aries.'
I suppose you have been wondering what the word "Aries" stands for - well it certainly does stand for something - the horns of a ram. And here is the story. Years and years ago, oh, centuries before grandmother's almanac was printed or even thought of, the ancients used to spend hours looking at the stars in the sky. They had time and imagination. You see, printing and spelling had not been invented and there were no lights other than the campfire light, so they had plenty of time to look up at the stars.
They saw one group of stars that looked to them like a dipper, another like a ram, the head of a ram, another like a crab and so on.
Told Time By Stars.
They did not have a calendar year like we have with months and days so they more or less told the time by the position of the stars. Every so often the stars are in a certain place in the heaven, you know. Well, they thought of the season starting when things began to grow. That occurred in what we now know as spring, so their year started when the arrangement of the stars which looked like the ram's horn was high in the heavens.
That's why we start our almanac quilt back where the ancients did - at the beginning of their year.
Noticed characteristics.
The ancients noticed something else - or thought they did. They found that not only one person or two, but many, many of them who were born when the ram's head stars were in the ascendant or high in the heavens, had certain characteristics. They noticed that they were pioneering and audacious. So they did what most of us do today, drew a general conclusion from a few facts. They said that people born under the sign of the ram's head, or Aries, were good orators, good promoters.
In addition, but there, let's go to work on our block and I'll tell you more when we get ready to outline the ram. We are going to use a block with a ram in the border. So I'll have plenty of chances to talk about it, anon.
Have you a home, health, beauty, financial, household or some other problem which seemingly defies solution? If so, perhaps one of the editors of The Detroit News can help you. The various editorial departments of The News receive more than a half million letters eacy year from interested readers, so feel perfectly free to write for any information you may be seeking.
1039-10-27-32
Courtesy of The Detroit News Archives.
intuitive
eloquent
audacious
(Aries)>
Last week you had four white strips cut six and one-half inches long by three and one-half inches wide. And you seamed them to the blue square, putting the four, three and one-half inch blocks in the corners. A blue star has been appliqued on each of these corners and the block has been pressed.
Now cut a piece of carbon paper six inches by three inches. Lay it over one of the strips and then trace lightly, using a sharp pencil, the word "pioneering." Place it so that the start of the first letter is close to the side seam and up about an inch and a quarter on the block.
Words Form Circle.
Now trace the remaining three words, each one on a strip and each one starting at about the same place. That gives you four words which form a circle around the square block and which just about fill the space. Disregard the word "Aries" in small print. That is on the block for identification only.
Embroider these, using heavy close outline or chain stitches. Use blue the same color as the center block. Strands of blue or fast color twist cotton may be used. There! The first block is finished, and next week we will start on the second one.
Meaning of 'Aries.'
I suppose you have been wondering what the word "Aries" stands for - well it certainly does stand for something - the horns of a ram. And here is the story. Years and years ago, oh, centuries before grandmother's almanac was printed or even thought of, the ancients used to spend hours looking at the stars in the sky. They had time and imagination. You see, printing and spelling had not been invented and there were no lights other than the campfire light, so they had plenty of time to look up at the stars.
They saw one group of stars that looked to them like a dipper, another like a ram, the head of a ram, another like a crab and so on.
Told Time By Stars.
They did not have a calendar year like we have with months and days so they more or less told the time by the position of the stars. Every so often the stars are in a certain place in the heaven, you know. Well, they thought of the season starting when things began to grow. That occurred in what we now know as spring, so their year started when the arrangement of the stars which looked like the ram's horn was high in the heavens.
That's why we start our almanac quilt back where the ancients did - at the beginning of their year.
Noticed characteristics.
The ancients noticed something else - or thought they did. They found that not only one person or two, but many, many of them who were born when the ram's head stars were in the ascendant or high in the heavens, had certain characteristics. They noticed that they were pioneering and audacious. So they did what most of us do today, drew a general conclusion from a few facts. They said that people born under the sign of the ram's head, or Aries, were good orators, good promoters.
In addition, but there, let's go to work on our block and I'll tell you more when we get ready to outline the ram. We are going to use a block with a ram in the border. So I'll have plenty of chances to talk about it, anon.
Have you a home, health, beauty, financial, household or some other problem which seemingly defies solution? If so, perhaps one of the editors of The Detroit News can help you. The various editorial departments of The News receive more than a half million letters eacy year from interested readers, so feel perfectly free to write for any information you may be seeking.
1039-10-27-32
Courtesy of The Detroit News Archives.
6119.81.9
-
Museum
Michigan State University Museum Michigan Quilt Project
-
Collection
Detroit News Quilt History Project
Salser, Susan
-
Collection
Clarke Family Quilt Collection
Michigan State University Museum
Load More
