McKim Monday

This month let's look at McKim's Aster Quilt, a pattern that we know mostly as Dresden Plate. This is a great illustration of how a pattern might be referenced in a variety of ways.  If you are interested in learning more about the various names of patterns, I suggest you pick up Barbara Brackman's BlockBase or one of her encyclopedias of quilt patterns.

Ruby's pattern has many MANY "petals" and although I have many dresden plate quilts, I only have one that has the correct amount of petals (or blades):

This is a quilt top that was made locally and is made up of a variety of 1930s fabrics on a field of green.

 I like that this piece doesn't have a center appliqued atop.  I find this a more soothing arrangement. 

Have a wonderful week and enjoy the fantastic weather!!!

McKim Monday ( a day late)

Happy Labor Day (a day late)!

Clara Lemlich

Apologies for the late post!  I hope you had a wonderful holiday!!!

This month, I'm featuring a quilt top that is a variation of the pattern that Mckim referred to as "Indian Hatchet".  The pattern was published in McKim's book, One Hundred and One Patterns which was published in 1931.  It was also published in the Kansas City Star in 1935.  

Later that decade, Kansas City Star would feature my variation as "A Quilt of Variety"; Nancy Page quilt patterns would refer to it as "Lattice".  The variation is simple, the middle sections meet to form an X.  

I love the wild and scrappy look of this piece.  It seems to have everything in it but the kitchen sink and I find it cheerful and inspiring.  I hope you do too!

McKim Monday: Fruit Basket

Summertime is the time of enjoying and preserving fresh fruit!

Ruby Short McKim's "Fruit Basket Quilt" was a series quilt published in 1932.  A few years ago, I found this top:

The pattern was meant to be appliqued and embroidered but this one was drawn and colored with crayon.

I've now seen a few quilts with various colored baskets that had fruit colored with crayons.  Because it was a top, I knew I could make a point that I often make in my embroidery program: embroidery can make a quilt better.  

I've done some outline work on a few of the baskets to make my point.

I like to see how well people did with crayon, partially because it's not as easy as it looks and also because the Lehigh Valley is the home of Crayola Crayons factory.

Ad from Needlecraft The Home Arts Magazine, May 1933

Most of the quilts done in this pattern were appliqued and embroidered.  Probably the best example is on the McKim website, here.

Enjoy the opportunity to eat fresh local fruit and happy quilting!

McKim Monday: Happy Fourth of July!

Published in 1930, the Colonial History Quilt seems like a perfect way to celebrate the Fourth of July!  There are 24 blocks in the embroidery set, including pieces depicting Vikings, Native Americans, and settlers.  The pattern was published in 1930.

One of my favorites includes George Washington at Valley Forge:

I bought these blocks a few years ago and am grateful to have found this blue fabric with stars.  I hope to get it completed in the coming year (along with my other long list of UFOs).

Wishing you a safe and happy holiday!

McKim Monday: Oriental Poppy

June is the month of poppies and the oriental poppies in my garden look wonderful this year:

 This variety is Cedric Morris Salmon Pink

In the late 1920s, Ruby McKim offered an oriental poppy 

quilt design of her own:

It's one of the patterns she is most known for (outside of the embroidery patterns).  I've been asked by some young quilters if this is a "modern quilt"--as in the current modern quilt movement.  I always joke, "yes, but it's from the first modern quilt movement in the early twentieth century."

McKim Monday: Flower Garden Quilt

April Showers DO bring May flowers!  Our garden is loving the last few days of rain!

It seemed like a perfect time to talk about the Flower Garden Quilt.   I believe this was published in the late 20s-early 30s and it was a very popular pattern.  You can google this pattern and find a variety of versions.  Mine does not have the picket fence:

I chose this particular quilt because the soothing blue/green border reflects the serenity I feel in my garden.

This quilt pattern has a timeless quality about it.  I hope you are enjoying a pleasant Spring season and taking some moments to enjoy the glory of the season!

McKim Monday

I don't have a full quilt of McKim's "Nursery Rhyme Quilt"  but I do have a few blocks that I found a few years ago.  One of these days, I'll actually embroider one of these but I have so many projects in the works, I'm not sure when I'll get to it.

 The maker of these used variegated thread and below are a few close-ups of the blocks.

One of my favorite websites belongs to Martha at "Q is for Quilter."  She has focused on this pattern very nicely and has a number of posts about it.  You can visit her blog post here.

Have a wonderful day!

McKim Monday

One of the many things I like about Ruby Short McKim's patterns is that she designed quilts that could be used for boys' rooms.  The American Ships pattern is a great example of a quilt that I know my son would have liked when he was young.  I have a quilt top that strays from the original pattern but when I browse through the internet, I see many quilters arranged the blocks in a variety of ways.  This was the original pattern:

The quilter who made my top, decided to just showcase the blocks with out the Clipper ship in the middle:

An old photo of my quilt, with my late dog, Ted.

This would still make a wonderful quilt for a boy and with the resurgence of interest in sailing (pirate movies and the Jake cartoon), there might be some young boys who would appreciate a quilt like this.  The pattern is available at McKim Studios here.

The lady who embroidered the blocks was elderly and disabled and I have to admire that she finished all the blocks, here are some close-ups from my top:

The weather is about to get better here in Pennsylvania and we are expecting higher temps.  I hope we all experience smooth sailing into a delightful Spring!  Have a great day!

McKim Monday

Mohawk Trail Quilt Top by Irene S., Germansville, PA

"Patchwork Parade of States" quilt patterns were among the many syndicated patterns McKim produced.  This series appeared in the 1930s.  

I was fortunate to find a quilt top with this pattern a few months ago at a local auction.  The instructions provided insight to what I studied on the top.   In the pattern, McKim instructs:
"the three print cones may be run together on the machine, and the finished squares set together this way, but the curved seams that joins the pieced fan into be curved white block is most easily done by hand."

On my top, the trail is both machine and hand pieced.  

This pattern was meant to celebrate New York state .  Unfortunately, I don't have a quilt with the Philadelphia Patch that McKim published to celebrate Pennsylvania.  However, this piece was made by a local woman.

Irene S. made the top and was from Germansville--a small rural community in northern Lehigh County.  For those of you who are not from the area, "Germansville" is pronounced not like Germans-ville but with a "G"  prounounced like "girl".

Of interest on this top is that Irene chose to applique the trail atop the block which would have been a much easier way to complete the top.  Her basting stitches are still visible because she never completed the piece.

I hope to be able to complete her work (someday) because I love the cheerful 1930 pastels and the work that Irene put into the top.

Happy McKim Monday and have a wonderful day!

McKim Monday: Quaddy Quiltie January

Ruby Short McKim (1891-1976) was one of the leading quilt designers in the 20th century.  For the next year, I will blog features about her and her quilt designs on the first Monday of the month.  You can read about her life at the McKim family website, run by her youngest granddaughter, Merrily McKim Tuohey here.

I like McKim because of the range of her designs.  I've always been attracted to the embroidered quilt designs she created;  I loved and still love the thematic nature of her patterns.   Most impressive though is the variety of patterns she created.  She was truly an innovator.  

2016 is special because it is the centennial of the first quilt pattern she published.  This pattern is credited as being the first syndicated quilt pattern in a newspaper and initiated a trend that would become popular throughout the first half of the 20th century.

The "Quaddy Quiltie" was published in installments in the Kansas City Star in 1916.  The patterns were based on the works of the writer, Thornton Burgess.  His Quaddys (short for quadrupeds), featured the stories of a variety of animals.  He had two illustrators that I know of who drew the Quaddys:

From Mother West Wind's Children, illustrated by George Kerr, copyright 1911

Illustrated by Harrison Cody, no copyrighted listed.

Although versions of the Quaddys come up at auction quite regularly, I chose to purchase this top because of the lines that are written under the characters.

Quilt top, maker unknown

I have often surmised that children could embroider the blocks with some ease because of the squared lines of the figures. 

I hope you will enjoy McKim Mondays and explore the world of Ruby Short McKim with me during the next year.  Please also visit the McKim website and if you are on facebook, you can join the Centennial celebration there as well!