Heart Cut-Outs

Happy Valentine's Day!

A day for hearts and flowers

Today we can enjoy some cut-paper heart quilt patterns. (#9.8 in my Encyclopedia of Applique.)

Or if the design has eight elements rotating around a center instead of four it's a #24.4 variation.

Which Elly Sienkiewicz called Double Hearts

From an old Quilt Engagement Calendar

Similar block from Jeffrey Evans Auction.

Both probably 1840-1865

And another...from Stella Rubin

The earliest printed name for the general style of four elements is Friendship Quilt,

about 1890 from the Ladies' Art Company.

A very simple version

There is some variety in the shapes as you'd expect in a hand cut pattern.

Many of these are from online auctions.

Some  just the basics---8 hearts

From Julie Silber's inventory

Some with everything plus

Dated 1843

They are not all red.

A lot of them are blue

Here's one from an auction in Manilus, New York recently.

When I first started gathering pictures of quilts I noticed this pattern as something often seen in New York.

Here's the Blauvelt family album from Rockland County, NY with a couple of these heart applique blocks.

Sampler dated 1894

But that is just an observation. You see the pattern elsewhere.

Like in Ohio's Miami Valley---this sampler from Sue Cummings's book.

Late 19th-early 20th century style there.

[Note the example in the upper left on the cover.]

Elsewhere like Wales---

And Ireland

And is it a heart?

A spade?

A leaf?

There are many versions in green.

Ftom Vintage Blessings online shop

This family quilt was seen in the Oregon project, attributed to

Irene Latham Phair of  Massachusetts by her family

http://www.quiltindex.org/fulldisplay.php?kid=6A-FD-10A

You hear it sometimes called Hearts & Darts today.

Maybe that's Cupid's Arrow with the heart?

Here's a pattern for a mid-19th-c version in  Turkey red.

It will print out 8". Print it at 150% to fit a 15" block.