the quilt catalogue: the pinwheel pattern

row one
*shabby* pinwheel quilt by carolina patchworks
pinwheel patchwork blankie by frolicdesign
pinwheel quilt, maker unknown, circa 1900-1920

row two
pinwheel quilt blocks in progress by momtwoangel's photostream
pinwheels quilt via by red pepper quilts
bright scrappy illusion quilt by twiddletails

row three
quilt top by CampFollowerBagLady
moda bakeshop's fabulous pinwheel baby quilt pattern
pinwheels by philistine made

row four
pinwheels quilt by casual attitude
spinning in the wind quilt by NoDuplicates
pinwheels by solgrim

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ah, quilting & patchwork! it's one of my true delights in life. and the patterns that have shaped the vibrant history of quilting thrill me. i love when modern works build on the strong foundation of historical handmade arts. in this new rikrak studio series, the quilt catalogue, we'll be exploring some fabulous traditional quilt patterns, the stories behind them, a dozen different takes on the theme, patterns to make one yourself, and an opportunity for you to share your own quiltworks! so sit back, and let's meander down a wonderful handcrafted needle-arts path!

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as warmly summer turns to windy autumn, i see pinwheels spinning in delight in neighbourhood gardens. and it's no wonder to me that these wonderful, colorful whirligiggs captured the imagination of some of the earliest patchwork quilters in north america!

let's explore: the pinwheel quilt!

the basic formation:
it's a patchwork, 2-square quilting design.
1 block is traditionally made from four half-square triangle units.

a little history on the pattern:

reddawn notes in her quilt history that circa 1795, (shortly after the invention of the cotton gin) the "pieced pinwheel block pattern developed" in the US. And that "patchwork blocks and pieced borders begin to be incorporated into quilts" at that same time, while the most popular quilt remained an "overall {quilt} design with a center medallion with one or more borders."

although most quilt patterns were "unnamed" in their early incarnations, as quilt historian laurette carroll notes in her lovely article, "quilt patterns names" , she also points out that the "Godey’s Lady’s Book" was the first American periodical to publish a quilt pattern in the US in 1835", and history has shown us that the pinwheel pattern was already very popular by that time in the Americas.

the "pinwheel" name fits well into the popular notion of traditional quilt patterns reflecting the homelife & outdoor aspects of the quiltmaker's daily lives! ( i think of the dresden plate, log cabin , churn dash, hole in the barn door, grandmother's flower garden and rail fence to name a few everyday life patterns.)


personally, i think of the pinwheel as a beautiful foundational pieced block in the *quilting canon*, that's for certain! i also love how the pinwheel pattern lends itself well to other beautiful variations such as the double pinwheel, cartwheel (whirligiggle), kaleidoscope, virginia reel , flying kite, whirling pinwheel, and has birthed numerous other wonderful variations on the theme!

now... let's make one!

{some great how to's:}

:: basic block construction link ::

:: basic pinwheel quilt pattern ::

:: a fun pattern for making a pinwheel quilt out of fat quarters ::

:: a more advanced pinwheel block here on mccalls. ::
: & a wonderful & adorable little pinwheel baby quilt pattern by moda bakeshop! ::

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i must say, i think pinwheel quilts are delightful. i especially love a two-tone quilt with contrasting colours (i.e. light and dark) and the wonderful contemporary quilts of this and the 20th century incorporating a variety of fabrics on a pale background. i've tried my hand at a few pinwheel quilts myself, but gosh -
perfectly fitting those pinwheel points is not my forte! heavens!
i so admire a great point setter!

ever made a pinwheel quilt? we'd love to see it!
please add a link to an image of it below...

(i hope to do a followup post on reader's quilts each series & include yours!!)

have a pinwheel quilt tale to share?

have a favourite quilting block pattern? do tell!

happy stitching!

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the quilt catalogue: grandmother's flower garden pattern

beautiful handmade grandmother's flower garden quilts!

row one
karrielyne's day 93 close up
grandmother's flower garden by jill in cottonwood
grandmother's flower garden patch 3 by michelle conley

row two
grandmother's flower garden vintage quilt via ricracandbuttons
grandmother's flower garden 1 by twiddletails
grandmother's flower garden precut quilt kit by scrappykwiltkits

row three
grandmother's flower garden via robholland
grandmother's flower garden quilt via craftster
quilt kit by mysunshinecottage

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ah, quilting & patchwork! it's one of my true delights in life. and the patterns that have shaped the vibrant history of quilting thrill me. i love when modern works build on the strong foundation of historical handmade arts. in this young rikrak studio series, the quilt catalogue, we'll be exploring some fabulous traditional quilt patterns, the stories behind them, a dozen different takes on the theme, patterns to make one yourself, and an opportunity for you to share your own quiltworks! read installment #1: the pinwheel pattern. so sit back, and let's meander down a wonderful handcrafted needle-arts path!

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as spring gardens explode to delight those of us in the northern hemisphere, nostalgic thoughts fill my head. i walk down the street and see flower after flower that i first came to know & love in my own grandparents' splendid country garden. ah, our grandmother's flower gardens! aren't they an amazing thing!

for more then 100 years, quilters throughout north america have loved the nostalgic charm of these fond garden memories, too, and have stitched those fond images into the well-loved grandmother's flower garden quilt!

certainly one of the best loved vintage quilt patterns around {in my humble opinion!} the grandmother's flower garden is also known also as the hexagon flower garden, or the French Rose Garden. Famous quilt historian & scholar Barbara Brackman states that "the Grandmother's Flower Garden was the most popular pattern {in North American quilting} after 1925" and that " many women who never made another quilt finished a Grandmother's Flower Garden."

I've personally always thought it to be one of the loveliest, yet most terribly daunting, patterns! All those tiny little hexagons, so perfectly pieced! EEK! So ... let's explore!

the basic formation:

this pattern is a hexagon or honeycomb tessellation pattern, usually stitched by hand.

most often, the "English Paper Piecing" technique, that stabilizes fabric with a paper template, is used to make each of the hexagons, and guarantee accuracy! In short, { via the illinois state museum site } "(the english paper piecing) method involves a paper hexagon placed on the wrong side of a fabric hexagon and held with a pin. The fabric is cut 1/4 inch larger than the paper on all sides. The extra fabric is turned down over the edge of the paper and basted in place. This process is repeated for every small hexagon in the quilt. " Learn more about the English Paper Piecing technique here.

images:
top: english paper piecing techinque
middle: isn't this fabulous? look at all of those amazing antique pieces of paper used as foundations in this quilt! it's a whole history unto itself! love it!
{via the state museum of pennsylvania}
bottom: fabulous visuals by sunshinecreations on the english paper piecing method by hand.

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after that, each small hexagon is pieced to the next, creating the overall pattern, dependent on the fabrics used, and their colour placement.

i would agree also with womenfolk.com that very few new grandmother's flower garden quilts are made, as it's such a labor intensive quilt pattern, usually pieced and quilted by hand. i haven't made one (yet!) but i sure do adore the one my own master quilter grandmother made!

a little history on the pattern

womenfolk.com writes: "In the 19th century hexagon quilts were known as Mosaic quilts, Honeycomb quilts or Six Sided Patchwork. By the 20th century hexagon quilts were usually made in the Grandmother's Flower Garden pattern. These contained a center hexagon circled by six colorful printed or solid hexagons with another row of 12 hexagons around that. The centers were sometimes yellow to represent the flower's center. Between each flower was a row of colored solid hexagons to represent the background."

the "grandmother's flower garden" name fits well into the popular notion of traditional quilt patterns reflecting the homelife & outdoor aspects of the quiltmaker's daily lives! ( i think of the dresden plate, log cabin , churn dash, hole in the barn door, pinwheel, and rail fence to name a few everyday life patterns.)

and just as my own personal aside, i think the familiar nostalgic feel of remembering our dear grandmother's beautiful flower gardens gives an extra-precious feel to this pattern and the quilts made. i think of my own grandma talking about the flower garden quilt she made, years ago, while remembering her own grandmother's flower garden. and when i see that same quilt now i think of my own grandmother's beautiful garden, and the memories: hers, mine, others', intricately sewn into it. i think it's an amazing piece of art (and history!) that can move us so emotively like that!

flower garden quilt by Q is for Quilter

now... let's make one! { some great how-to's!}
:: a visually helpful pattern with instructions on quilterscache.com ::

:: make your own quilting pattern here on ehow.com ::

:: watch kaye wood's helpful HELPFUL hexagon cutting video! ::

:: new to quilting? tune into one of alex anderson's helpful
simply quilts episodes on hgtv online for lots of tips, tricks and more! ::

:: here's a great VISUAL tutorial on sunshinescreations for english paper piecing. ::

:: i really enjoyed reading doodle-head.com's visual flower garden quilt progress.
so nice to see the quilt coming together step by step!

:: visit the flickr English paper piecing photo group for lots of helpful images and ideas!

:: and check out the world's biggest hexagon quilt! ::

have a grandmother's flower garden quilt story to share?
have you ever made one?
ever tried *english paper piecing?*

i'd love to see it!
happy stitching, nicies!

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the quilt catalogue: red & white quilts

 beautiful red & white quilts via dfainfo.com

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good heavens!

this just takes my breath away. 

honestly, i GASPED when i saw this image (thanks to *making it fun*)

oh how i would have LOVED to have seen this exhibition in person....

from the private collection of joanna rose, the american folk art museum show: infinite variety: three centuries of red and white quilts showcased 651 gorgeous gorgeous colour blocked quilts! kudos to the amazing handmakers that created each beautiful quilt and to the show curators for the brilliant show space design!

we have a cherished red & white quilt at the rikrak home.

handmade years ago by mr. rikrak's wonderful quilting grandma, it's used with love on a daily basis. i

just love the contrast of a two-tone quilt.

brilliant!

do you have a red & white quilt in your home? 

ever made one? 

have a cozy, wrapped in a quilt kinda day lovelies!

hope you'll check out the other 

rikrak studio quilt catalogues here:

• grandmother's flower garden quilt pattern

• pinwheel pieced quilt pattern

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beautiful red & white quilts via dfainfo.com

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