Northern Lily/Southern Rose Block 7

#7 Carolina Rose

By Ilyse Moore

The seventh block of the Northern Lily/Southern Rose applique block is based on a pattern seen in North Carolina. Ilyse used reverse applique for the center line on the leaves in her version.

Characteristics of this rare regional design include an unusual symmetry based on a single central flower topped by a triple floral. The leaves framing the floral are large and often serrated.  I gave it a  number--- 31.99 in my Encyclopedia of Applique. No one has had a family name for it.

Detail of one made in Alamance County,

North Carolina by Nancy Spoon Schoffner,

mid to late 19th century.

When the North Carolina Quilt Project published their book North Carolina Quilts in 1988 they had documented only four quilts in the design, all from adjacent Alamance and Guilford Counties. Since then more variations have been found.

By Susan Stiff

These are the kit prints from Civil War Reunion and the Bella Solids from Moda.

See Nancy Spoon Schoffner's version at the Quilt Index by clicking here:

http://www.quiltindex.org/fulldisplay.php?kid=4B-82-389

And another version (courtesy of Kathy Sullivan) on a post last year by clicking here:

http://barbarabrackman.blogspot.com/2009/12/chrome-orange.html

By Barbara Brackman

I used a Bella Solid yellow for the center line and did regular old applique.

I placed the block on the square to go with the other blocks in the quilt. If you wanted it to look more like the North Carolina originals you could line the stem and pot along the diagonal. You'd need to make the block larger too---Maybe 16" or 17"

By debi schrader

debi focus-cut the Union print from Civil War Reunion for her pot and did reverse applique on the leaves to let the crinkly linen-like background through. I had seen an antique quilt with the tiny pot so added that and simplified the original for the pattern.

A strange composition from the end of the 19th century.

The serrated leaves and triple floral have something in common with that Carolina pattern.

You can find the pattern and the kit for my applique sampler by doing a websearch for Northern Lily Southern Rose Moda.

Mystery Pattern: Swirl

For years the owner of this quilt and I have puzzled over the pattern.

She's drawn it up. She is going to make it, she says.

I am not.

But it does stick in my memory because it is so odd (and so difficult to draft---much less sew.)

I was looking at the pictures of cheddar quilts that Kathy Sullivan has collected and came across a cousin.

It's similar in its kind of yin-yang design but this doesn't repeat in the same complex way. (See below for the true Yin-Yang symbol.)

Neither are in my BlockBase computer program or Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns.

This is the closest I can find---but it's a distant cousin. Carrie Hall called it Spinning Ball.

The date on the red and white quilt is probably 1930-1950. That curvy ice-cream cone border makes me think it's after 1930 and so much Turkey red would not be likely after 1950.
The chrome orange block quilt is probably early 20th century, or possibly late 19th when so many Southerners made graphic designs with solid-colored cottons.

Thanks to Barbara and Kathy for the pictures.

Chrome Orange

This week the topic of my subscription email newsletter The Quilt Detective is chrome orange and chrome yellow. I have a disk, courtesy of Kathy Sullivan, that features quilts with chrome orange, what we today call cheddar. Kathy gave a Roundtable Session at the American Quilt Study Group meeting in October about the topic and she generously gave each participant a disk with the quilts in question. She gave me permission to use them.

Kathy collects cheddar quilts and quilts made in North Carolina, and many of these quilts fit into both categories.

This one is calling her name.

Another thing she collects is quilts and information about quilts made in this unusual pattern found in North Carolina. This one's appliqued to chrome yellow.

Thanks to Kathy for the entertainment.