October 21, 1932

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

Detroit, Michigan, United States

A Beauty in the Home column including letters from Quilt Club members, an advertisement for the first pattern leaflet for the Horoscope quilt, and a coupon for Quilt Club membership.

Beauty in the Home

by Edith B. Crumb
This department seeks to give assistance to all who are interested in beautifying their homes and will be glad to answer questions pertaining to interior decoration. In order to serve all who, seek advice promptly no more than three problems will be discussed in any one reply. Readers are invited to write to this department as often as they wish, but to limit each letter to three questions. State your question clearly, write on only one side of the paper, enclosing a self-addressed, stamped envelope, and address Beauty in the Home Department, Detroit News. Letters with their answers will be published for the benefit of all homemakers, but names and addresses will not be made public.

A very delightful living-dining room such as one might wish to create in an apartment is shown in the accompanying illustration.

Furniture of good design does not mean furniture that is expensive, and therefore for a moderate sum one may have a very smart apartment without spending a great deal.

Of course, one might not be fortunate enough to find an apartment which had walls paneled with pine on two opposite sides; but with the pine wall paper that is now being manufactured a very unusual background may be created.

The other two walls may be treated with Toile pattern paper in green and cream and that woodwork throughout the room (including the frieze) should be finished to match the pine walls.

For the floor covering a large sized rug in a hooked rug pattern would be effective. If one wishes to keep the early American style, and this may be in green, buff, black, yellow and dull red.

For the glass curtains, one will find a large square mesh net very practical, for while it screens the windows it does not keep out the sunlight as is often the case if a heavy casement cloth is selected for this purpose. These curtains may be finished with hems and made long enough to reach to the sills.

The over-draperies may be of plain green chintz to match the green in the wall paper, the edges being trimmed with a pleating of plain red chintz, this also being used for the tie-backs.

The furniture might be of maple or maple finished wood and consist of sofa, easy chair, wing chair, secretary, butterfly table, drop-leaf table, two single Windsor chairs, foot-stools or crickets, portable book-cases, mirror with jigsaw frame, pottery table lamps, bridge lamps with wrought iron and pewter bases, and pewter candlesticks for the mantel shelf.

If this paper were in redd and cream instead of the scheme as suggested, the rest of the scheme might remain as it is.

The covering for the sofa in the first might be of plain red rep and this would also be pleasing for the second, and the wing chair may be equipped with a slip covering of light yellow-ground flowered chintz, piped in either green or red.

Quilt Club Corner.
Today our most distant member is in St. Ignace, Michigan; and we are wondering what tomorrow's mail will bring.

The letters are just pouring in, so don't wait too long before telling us what you think about quilt-making, for we want to print your letter. If you do not see it in the daily paper, be sure to watch for it in the Sunday edition for there will be a column devoted to this each Sunday in the woman's section, during the distribution of the Horoscope quilt patterns.

All quilt-makers are invited to become members of the Beauty in the Home Quilt Club and all members are invited to write to the Quilt Club Corner.

Here are a few letters which have reached the Corner within the past few days: -

I am writing on my fourteenth quilt - only working since last December, and four are quilted.
Mrs. L. R. K.

Why, Mrs. K., how do you ever find time to do such a large amount of piecing patching and quilting? It certainly is interesting to realize how quickly quilts may be worked up when one is so interested in this occupation.

I have made a quilt this year from the Detroit News Dresden Plate pattern which I received from you a year ago this month. The quilt is finished entirely and given to a grand-daughter for her hope chest. The main color is lavender and it has been much admired. The grand-daughter lives in Tennessee. I have many of your paptterns.
Mrs. E. W. R.

Well, Tennessee is represented in our club even if not by membership; but we are always interested to know where the quilts go as well as the patterns.

I have finished the Detroit News Garden Quilt, so I have sent in my enrollment blank.
Mrs. W. E. K.

Glad to receive your application, Mrs. K., and hope that you will enjoy making the Horoscope quilt.

Please enter my name in your Quilt Club. I made one of the Flower Garden quilts, also two baby sized quilts using the Dresden Plate pattern for the center. I finished them off with two-inch strips, using plain pink, white, and a small pink checked material. This makes a very nice baby quilt.

I think the Quilt Club will be very interesting and I enjoy the many letters you print from other readers.
Mrs. F. D.

Your name has been entered and filed and you are now a member of the club, Mrs. D. You are the first to write us about that idea for the small sized quilts using the Dresden Plate for the centers. Thank you so much for telling us.

Bride of Day Spanked.
Has Husband Arrested.

Cleveland, Oct. 21 - A spanking on the first day of married life was too much and too soon for Mrs. Nellie Viola, 23 years old, so there is an assault and battery warrent out for Frank Viola, her husband.

She said her husband became angry and punished her because she talked to another man on the day they were married.

Pattern No. 1 of Horoscope Quilt

We are all ready to start, for we have for you the first design in the Horoscope quilt. This is on a leaflet with all directions, colors, methods, etc. and you are certain to find this a very interesting occupation.

Do not fail to send right away for your pattern as it is ready to be mailed right out to you. And when sending in for this do not fail to enclose the membership blank so that you may become a member of the Beauty in the Home Quilt club. There will be no dues - just your interest and enthusiasm are required, and we know that we will have that for the club is certainly going to be interesting.

We not only expect lots of new members but also applications from those who have made quilts from other Detroit News patterns.

In sending in your request for the leaflet of pattern No. 1, please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope. If you prefer you may obtain this leaflet free of charge at the Detroit News Public Service Bureay in either the Majestic Building or the General Motors Building.

Beauty in the Home Editor:
Please enter my name as a member of the Beauty in the Home Quilt Club.

Name………………
Street and number……………
City………………………State…………………

This enrollment in the Beauty in the Home Quilt Club entitles the member to enter her quilt in the exhibit which will be held after the completion of the series of Horoscope patterns. Date of announcement will be made later.

Anyone who has completed a quilt from any Detroit News pattern will be eligible to become a member and enter this contest.

Courtesy of The Detroit News Archives.