Wednesday, June 14, 2023

Designs Still Worth Doing: Child Life and Studio


 Good morning to you and happy Wednesday!

Louise sent some images of McKim patterns.  Here are her small 3 inch blocks of Roly Polys:


And also a Roly Poly Elephant in a unique setting along with the Prickly Porcupine in unique settings!


In 1924, McKim ran another series quilt in Child Life Magazine.  It is aptly called the Child Life Quilt.  This is another angular pattern but an interesting study of childhood and the times.  It's not without controversy.   Some blocks, like the African American child eating watermelon, the Native American child, and the mining boy can be considered offensive.


But some are still relevant for use today.  In particular the ballerina.  I don't have a photo but at one point, I made a drawstring bag for my granddaughter's dance shoes that featured the block.


A similar project could be made of the swimming girl:


In 1925, the McKims opened a cottage business featuring Ruby's patterns.  The company offered a variety of projects and took out ads in assorted newspapers.


One such example was the turkey pattern which McKim marketed as a design for a bib or a tray cloth.  I found the pattern on Martha Gray's now defunct blog, "Q is for Quilter."  Since I didn't need a bib or a tray cloth, I made a tea towel.


Ruby supported using the patterns in a variety of ways.  As we will see in later posts, she had no problem reusing the designs for a number of projects.

Wishing you a safe and happy day!






  


No comments:

Post a Comment