When I posted the photo of 50 red/white Ohio Stars earlier this week I warned you that I was thinking about settings.
Here's the result! The sashing is not a repro but it was the right tone. Deb Tucker's Square Squared ruler made easy work of the cornerstones. (I tried the Square-in-a-Square ruler, and even went to a class for it, but it was awkward to use. I like Deb's ruler better.)
I have 20 white-corner Ohio Stars ready for the next project.
Yesterday I stopped at an estate sale in Zion. I didn't know the woman whose estate was being sold (she passed away last summer) nor did I recall having seen the house though I've driven along that street frequently. I bought two elementary school yearbooks and the 50th reunion souvenir (Zion-Benton Township High School Class of 1953). I'll give those to the library for the local history collection.
They're all hand-pieced with giant stitches. Maybe they were a child's project?
The stars were pieced on pages from a Sears catalog and pages from the Memphis Commercial Appeal (newspaper).
When I give my quilt history program I talk about the information that can be gleaned from the paper foundations left in quilt blocks.
There are two clues to the date they were made. I looked up Carroll G. Worley. He died in 1991 and his last surviving child died in 2017. I emailed the Bald Knob, AR, Rotary Club to ask when he served as president. (I also looked up his presidential predecessor, Sterling Green, but only learned his death date.)
I haven't heard from Bald Knob yet, but:
I googled 123 E. Cherry Dr., Memphis. It's still a "fine home," per the builder's ad -- 3,552 square feet, last sold for $480,000 and estimated current price of $613,000. It was built in 1955, so the blocks can't be older than that.
Linking up with Can I Get A Whoop Whoop?
P.S. Before I turn the Elmwood Echoes over to the library I will share them with my friend Liz who was an 8th grader there in 1948. The Class Prophecy -- forecasting to 1965! -- says that "We were amazed to hear that Miss Elizabeth [S] is signed up with the circus as a trapeze artist." (Spoiler alert: that didn't happen. She has four daughters (and many grand- and great-grandchildren). She ran a successful daycare business for 20 years. She and her husband Bob hosted more than 40 exchange students through Rotary. They've traveled extensively -- every state and 50 or so countries. I think that beats the trapeze!)
I've come across old newspapers under carpets and lining drawers and I always have a read. I imagine that actual physical newspapers are no longer as widely read (I can't remember when I last bought one) and this may be something that vanishes.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't have thought that newspaper was thick enough for paper piecing?
I love old blocks and have quite a few. On the paper from one block I found the real estate transfer for my neighbor about fifty years ago.
ReplyDeletethe way you set those blocks is just perfect!! brings our the Star quality! Your finds at the estate sale are so cool - and that you took the time to read the backs - that is so cool what you can learn!
ReplyDeleteVery nice quilt top with the Ohio Stars! It has an antique look the way you’ve set it. I’m looking forward to seeing what you do with the others. The paper iced and antique blocks are interesting. I wonder what people will make of the things we leave behind, especially those that are more unintentional like the paper foundations.
ReplyDeleteYou have me interested in how you used Deb's ruler for the sashing. It looks great. I'm going to pull out my ruler and directions and see whether it might help with my current sashing project. Loved your research on the papers. Such a fun and informative blog post.
ReplyDeleteIt is possible that the quilt blocks were pieced before the family moved into the house.
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