QUILTS & FABRIC: PAST & PRESENT


Saturday, April 27, 2019

Giant Tulips #5: Carolina Tulip Pattern


How the tulip pattern was handed around in the last half of the 19th century remains a mystery.

 The color scheme and its bloom of diamond shapes is a characteristic.

 North Carolina Museum of History
by Nancy M Steele Mills (1818-1890), Iredell County

In this sad survivor the green has faded to a pale tan.


Once Ruby McKim published her Tulip Applique in the late 1920s her design became a popular source. She must have seen a similar quilt as her design is a lot like the Southern examples. Note that her pattern was for a 16" block.

This one was probably made from McKim's pattern
I bet that block is 16 inches or more.

When I was looking for patterns I found that the Electric Quilt program
includes a pattern for Laura Ella Anderson's North Carolina quilt.

I modified the colors to the traditional palette.
(It's under "04 Classic Applique---Flowers on Point")

And then I decided that Laura's leaves weren't that graceful
so I redrew them.


Here's a free pattern for an 8" block. If you print it 150% it makes a 12" block, which would give it the proper Carolina proportion. Add seams.
(Double it for 16" and go crazy.)

And that is the end of the Giant Tulip invasion.

3 comments:

  1. And the pattern too? Fabulous posts!!!! Again, thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Got to love anything with tulips on them. The first flowers my husband, then boyfriend, gave me was a bouquet of yellow tulips (not yet opended) he bought from a street vendor in Washington, DC. He thought they were yellow roses, and since I am originally from Texas, was a good choice for me. I loved those yellow tulips! I have sure enjoyed seeing all the tulip quilts you have shown.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you! I love tulips. Great information and photos.

    ReplyDelete