Our Ties to Indiana quilt consists of Necktie blocks, a name used interchangeably with Bowtie. After rising to popularity during the 1800s, the Ladies Art Company published this block pattern in 1895. Just for fun, try rotating and
rearranging some of the Necktie blocks in your quilt to appreciate a few different configurations. This quilt is also a great scrap buster for those quilters looking to trim down their leftover fabrics!
This whimsical quilt block goes by a slew of names, including Windmill, Millwheel, and Water Wheel, among many others. Our instructions for this most traditional of patterns include a contemporary technique to make half-square triangle units eight at a time. With it, you begin with slightly oversize pieces and then trim to size, which helps ensure accurate blocks where the points all meet in the middle.
You may see Tempus Fugit on the faces of some clocks, particularly grandfather clocks. It is Latin for “Time Flies,” and it is our take on the traditional Double Hourglass quilt. Multiple triangle squares are what rank this block in the intermediate level. Cutting and sewing accuracy is important so that you don’t chop off any points, as seen in the photo. Our method of sewing triangle squares slightly oversize and then trimming them down to size helps ensure accuracy.
Although the Blazing Star block featured in this quilt dates as far back as 1850, it enjoyed renewed popularity in the
1930s, which is likely when this quilt top was made. Pink and green were popular color options during the Great Depression.
This sunny quilt is a multigenerational quilt. The top was made by Effie Ella Bryant of Stella, Arkansas. She was
close to her granddaughter, Mona M. Richards, who inherited the quilt top. Mona quilted and finished the quilt,
and when she passed, her daughter, Rhonda Lee Lother, inherited it.
This quilt top was made by Effie Ella Bryant, great-grandmother of one of our editors, Rhonda Lee Lother. Effie
lived in Stella, Arkansas, and was a prolific quilter who carded her own batting from cotton she grew on their
farm.
This quilt was made in the 1880s in Demopolis, Alabama, and was gifted to one of our editors. It is rare to find a Lone Star quilt completed and in such good condition, despite its many years of use.
Bouncing Betty is also known as Crosses and Losses. Although the block is made up almost entirely of triangles, our method of cutting oversize squares that are then sewn together and trimmed to size ensures accuracy.
The French Bouquet quilt block dates to 1935. Judging by the fabrics used in this quilt, that is likely around the time
this quilt was made. The quilt originated in Pennsylvania, although the quiltmaker is unknown. The small hexagons make this an ideal project for a portable hand-sewing project.
With inspiration ranging from the wildflowers of Great Britain to the kurrajong tree she can see from her home studio in Australia, Lynette Anderson is truly a worldwide quilter.