The Accu-Quilt Go people have a new die for their cutting machines: Carpenter's Wheel. They asked me for a little pattern history. I found several variations in The Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns and BlockBase+, different arrangements of diamond shapes and triangles---and triangles combined into squares.
I did a little looking around for actual examples.
And was surprised to find several versions in the beautiful
Prussian blues of the 1840-1860 period.
I didn't realize it was that early, but it's simple geometry.
Smithsonian Institution
Attributed to Jane Winter Price (1818-1899), Maryland about 1849.
The International Quilt Museum has a terrific example from
1840-1860. New England origins.
The earliest published pattern so far is 1891 in
The Prairie Farmer periodical, where they
called it Double Star.
Patterns were often published after that. Here are
some early sources for names. We tend to
call it Carpenter's Wheel because Ruth Finley
used that name in her 1929 book.
The triple strip sashing and nine-patch cornerstone is a favorite set there after 1880 or so.
I begin about 27 minutes into the show so you can drag the red dot to the right and cut straight to MOI!.
But watch the whole thing. Pam and Erica will show you how efficiently the Carpenter's Wheel die will cut the pattern.
Online auction
I showed two with borders pieced of the same diamonds cut for the star.
Here's another with the same border by Orphah Wilfong
from the West Virginia project & the Quilt Index.
Now, my first thought in considering making this striking border
is "Whoa! That's a lot of diamonds to cut!"---
But that's the point of the Go! machine. It cuts, you sew.
Here's how you would shade the blocks. Dark in two corners,
medium in the other two.
Set side by side you get a secondary pattern where the corners meet.
Another border idea from an Indiana Amish quilter
and the Quilt Index.
Shading
With a secondary pattern.
You can watch a video of my 5 minute slide show here.
But watch the whole thing. Pam and Erica will show you how efficiently the Carpenter's Wheel die will cut the pattern.
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