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Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Calling All Quilt Detectives!

I’m putting out an APQB --- That’s an All Points Quilt Bulletin!

I need your assistance in helping me track down the name and source of this block pattern!

Alicia L writes:

Hi,

I am sorry to bother you, but I have a quilt top and do not know what the pattern is called. I thought that you might be familiar with it. It seems so familiar yet I just cannot find any reference to it anywhere. I hope you know it.

I live in Southeast Oklahoma and am a retired school counselor. I quilt----mostly for my family. I grew up in South Texas but did not really get an interest in quilts until about 15 or 20 years ago.

This quilt top I bought recently in Conway, Arkansas. And it is a beauty. I have not decided what to do with it. I look forward to your insight.

Thank you, Alicia L

Do you recognize this block?

alicialaws1

It seems to be related to a kaleidoscope in some way, but I didn’t have the time to really go looking for this specific pattern, and thought you could help me do some detective work!

If you know what this block is called, or where the pattern could be found, can you leave a comment below? I’ll have Alicia come check the comments section for any helps you can give her while I am away!

alicialaws2

Isn’t this just a wonderful scrappy mess of color? Rolling on the floor laughing

If anyone can help her, I know my readers can!

30 comments:

  1. Barbara Brackman book says "The Jewel Quilt - KC Star 5/3/50" the only difference is the one I referenced has a 4 patch in the center.

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  2. Looks like a variation of an unknown block in an antique quilt (http://strawberrypatch.blogspot.com/2011/08/wheel-of-fortune.html) being reproducted by KD of Lee Haven (http://leehaven.com/2011/08/28/visit-my-cutie-blocks-theyre-kinda-cutie/)

    I've looked for the block but haven't seen anything like it.

    Hope this helps.

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  3. Misha has done her homework. That is the only reference I can find that comes close, as well. I thought it might show up in "Carrie Hall Blocks", but no such luck.

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  4. I found a variation in DEAR JANE by Brenda Papadakis--Also, I know the woman who runs this site perhaps you can ask her?? www.womenfolk.com/historyofquilts/ they are pretty knowledgeable there :-) *~*CAROLE*~*

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  5. There is also Arrowhead #3952 in Barbara Brackman's Encuclopedia that looks very close to the same. The only difference I see is that the center star has the points towards the corner stones of the block instead of north/south and east/west.

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  6. Boy, my fingers sure didn't hit the keyboard right on spelling encyclopedia in my comment above! Kind of like a scrap quilt. Throw anything in there.

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  7. In The QUilter's Album of Patchwork Patterns by Jinny Beyer I found a block called "Sparkling Jewel" right next to "The Jewel Quilt" block (see Misha's commet). No 4-patch in the center, but the kaleidoscope points are diagonal rather than north, south, east, west. Sparkling Jewel is attributed to Nancy Cabot 1937.
    What great fabrics in this quilt and such a fun block and setting. You found quite a treasure, Alicia.

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  8. Anonymous10:24 AM EDT

    It's not in Ruby McKim's 101 quilt patterns but I'm sure I've seen it!

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  9. To me it looks like one of those very old impossible to do Kansas City newspaper blocks. LOL. I live close to Conway AR so hello neighbor!

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  10. Would that be the African Double Star design?

    hugz

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  11. beautiful quilt - I love it!

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  12. Okay, the African Double star pattern is one for making strings, but it could be used to make just the points of the star. Here is the link to the site with the pattern.

    https://ssl29.chi.us.securedata.net/sewfabulous.com/merchantmanager/product_info.php?products_id=2

    hope that is what you are looking for...

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  13. The four-pointed star in the center is called Crossed Canoes, but it probably has a different name because of the four outside corners. The CC name came from the political slogan "Tippycanoe and Tyler too!" whatever that meant.

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  14. Looks similar to a pattern published by Fig Tree Quilts called Saltwater Taffy but with sashing between the blocks. http://figtreequilts.com/details.php?prodId=221&category=5

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  15. almost looks like a modified storm at sea block mixed with a priscilla block....

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  16. I'm back again...lol, I really wanted to help nail down the name of that block. I don't seem to find it although I'm sure I've seen that pattern. I agree with anyone who has identified that the pattern can be achieved by manipulating Marti Mitchel's Kaleidoscope patterns. She has a book and the tools here...
    http://www.frommarti.com/KABCs.shtml
    hugz

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  17. Yesterdays blog post "From the Strawberry Patch" had a very similar block posted - she called it a Four Pointed Star -

    http://strawberrypatchquiltworks.blogspot.com/

    Looks like she did a great job on writing up a template for the block.

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  18. In Jinny Beyer's, 'The Quilter's Album of Patchwork Patterns', this block is called Priscilla or World Without End (pgs 64, 65 & 413 for the continuous pattern). According to Beyer, the pattern was produced in 1935 by Carrie Hall, but it also appeared in the Chicago Tribune attributed to Nancy Cabot. The continuous pattern (pg 413 #10) is from Home Art Studios in the World Herald Nov. 7, 1933. The author of your quilt seems to have cut them into blocks and added sashings instead.

    Congratulations on such a find.

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  19. "Tippecanoe and Tyler, too" -- apparently not mentioned anymore in US history classes, just google it and check wikipedia, honey!

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  20. susiequilter@hotmail.com1:07 PM EDT

    Tippecanoe and Tyler Too was the campaign slogan used by William Henry Harrison and John Tyler in the 1840 Presidential Election. Harrison was the general at the battle of Tippecanoe in Indiana. This is the battle where Tecumseh the great Indian warrior was defeated.

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  21. The Kansas City Star printed this pattern exactly as it is in 1959. They numbered it #979 & called it Sparkling Jewels, 9" square. I got this from page 70 of the Ultimate Illustrated Index to the Kansas City Star Quilt Pattern Collection put out by the Central Oklahoma Quilters Guild, Inc.

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  22. 3945 and 3948 are similiar in Block Base 3945 is Windmill star and 3948 is the jewel. They both are a bit different, the jewel has a four patch in the center and the windmill star doesn't have the squares in the corner.

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  23. According to page 44 of the 1962 edition of "ONE HUNDRED AND ONE PATCHWORK PATTERNS" by Ruby Short McKim, it is a "Kaleidoscope" someone else annotated that it was also called "World Without End".
    The sewer of the quilt Alicia has really left off the outside of the block and sashed each block. She used what she had! Looks like the quilter might be one of Bonnies ancestors! Truly a scrap quilt. Beautiful!

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  24. I sure like that jewel box title. My books are in Japanese and it is just a Morning star variation.

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  25. That is 1 fab quilt. I see a block in "5500 Quilt Block Designs #4243 called Diamond Head NC (page 327).
    It does not have the squares in the corners just the star and the diamond kind of shapes- but the center is a square in a square. It sounds like somebody else has already nailed it tho. Anyway- thanks for sharing- it is quite a find!

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  26. It looks like my Grandma's "Job's Tears" except hers is an all over pattern. However, if someone put it in the middle of a square and included a fraction of the adjoining blocks, it would look like this. (She died in 1932 and was sick for several years prior to that so her quilt top is probably from the mid 20's.)

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  27. I have no idea! But it seems to me that is could go by MANY different names!

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  28. Anonymous11:40 PM EDT

    I am working on a hand piecing project from Love of Quilting mag.Mar/Apr 2004 that looks very similar and is called the hummingbird block. And Darlene Zimmerman has an updated pattern that uses tri recs tools. Have fun!!!

    Anita
    anitasena@zoomtown.com

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  29. Anonymous8:34 AM EDT

    Throwing this into the mix...The Romance of the Patchwork Quilt by Hall/Kretsinger calls it Four Pointed Star or Job's Tears.

    Halgrimson in Great Scrap-Bag Quilts calls it Four Pointed Star. I noticed that the background is 8 triangles..2 to a side around the star.

    Also noticed that it makes up GREAT as a string pieced thing in the star area. MMMM I think I've found my next empty the scrap bag project.

    Diann Smith kyquiltymama@hotmail.com

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  30. I believe it is the Star of Alamo? At least it looks very much like it... Cathy in TN

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