National Wear Red Day: A Free Pattern

February 1st is National Wear Red Day (February's First Friday) to raise awareness of heart disease in women.  I was reminded of this applique quilt pictured in an online auction a few weeks ago. 1840 is early for a red and white quilt. I don't think I have seen but one other dated 1840 in that color scheme.

Here's one of my favorites in the collection of the Kansas Museum of History.

Read more here:

http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/224272

Like the hand quilt, most of the red and white quilts tend to be from the 1880-1920 period. You don't often see two story houses in patchwork.

This Delectable Mountain variation was popular then

The Millwheel has Turkey red plains for the darks and a dotted shirting print for the lights. The use of a shirting print for a light neutral is quite common between 1880 and 1920.

A few more from online auctions

This is NOT a quilt but a red and white tablecloth by Viennese artist Josef Hoffmann from 1905.

It is in the collection of the Chicago Art Institute.

http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/120204

Here's a free pattern for a pieced quilt I drew in EQ7 in a red and white mood. The blocks are octagons, the sashing turns into stars.

Wall Quilt  52" x 52"

The Blocks (9 )

A Cut 12-1/2" squares.

B Cut 4-7/8" squares. Leave them as squares and sew them on; press open; trim.

The Sashing

[Need 24 rectangular units and 16 cornerstones]

C Cut rectangles 2-5/8" x 5-1/4". Sew them on to D; press open; trim.

D Cut rectangles 4-1/2" x 12-1/2"

E Cut cornerstone squares 4-1/2"

You can make those cornerstones red or white. Red probably works better.

You can also make a queen-sized quilt.

Queen Size Quilt = 100" x 100"

36 Blocks

When I started this I was inspired by this antique quilt that looks to be from the 1840-1860 era. Not the least bit red and white.

I was thinking chrome orange and red and green and blue

But red and white just popped up.