The pattern on this cheerful quilt looks so familiar to me. While I was mending it, I realized that it reminds me of Pennsylvania Dutch hex signs. I looked online, and saw more than a few hex signs that have the same style of tulips, elongated diamonds with the two pointy leaves. And then I learned from the owner that the quilt had been purchased in Pennsylvania.
The block combines two design elements that have been favored by quilters for many, many, many years - stars and flowers. It is entirely pieced, the circles being squared with 4 white corner quadrants. I especially like this block in a softer, rosy red.
I found names for the block in Jinny Beyer's book, The Quilter's Album of Patchwork Patterns. It was published as Cottage Tulips in 1931 in the Kansas City Star, and as Olive's Yellow Tulip in 1958 in Mrs. Danner's Fourth Quilt Book.
The quilt came to me with three dog-induced holes. I picked this one to show, because it includes patching the binding.
The first step was to patch the back.
As I was setting the patch, I made sure that the torn edges were laid back in place, so that the back patch held them in the correct position.
Then I patched the front.
Patching the binding started with stitching the new fabric to the back, with ends folded in so that the raw edges will be turned under.
Then I flipped the binding patch to the front and pinned that in place.
Here is the finished mend, front and back.
This quilt has the distinction of being the exception that proves the rule. I've written about how hard it is to match old whites, but this quilt takes the prize for the most wonderful match ever. Here's one of the other completed mends. Look at how wonderfully the patch matches!
The patch just melts right in, doesn't it? I love it!
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