Although the goose has arrived slightly tardy to her own debut, better late than never. The story line is back to the sweetness that we have been used to. I must admit… that I am considering… adding the making of this quilt to my lengthy list of projects. :-/ OK, maybe after Christmas crafting. I. Really. Want. This. Quilt.
Block #7 ~ The Goose
Joan was fond of a story in rhyme which Aunt Nancy told her. It started “An old gray goose walked forth with pride, with goslings seven at her side.” The members of the quilt club had heard Nancy tell the story so many times that they were quite sure the G block In the alphabet quilt would be a goose. Sure enough it was. and a gray one, too. The gray was particularly effective with the soft green used to connect the blocks of white on which the figures were appliqued. This white material was a soft gingham. The gray was a color fast gingham. The stitching for the water, eye, nostrils and wing, was done in fast color embroidery cotton. The letter G was embroidered in fast color green, the same shade as had been used for the preceding letters In the earlier blocks.
The club members followed the usual procedure of cutting the whole square from the paper. Over this they laid the square of white, cut a quarter inch larger on all sides to allow for turning edges under.
By holding the two firmly against the window pane the pattern could be traced onto the cloth. A sharp, hard lead pencil was used for this. Then the square was pasted on a light weight piece of cardboard or tag board. It was dried under pressure. When thoroughly dry the outline of goose was cut, The bill was separated from body.
This was laid on a small piece of fast color yellow gingham. Allowing a quarter inch for turning under on all sides the piece was cut and edges basted under.
The body was cut from gray gingham Here also, the allowance of one-quarter inch on all sides was made. The small piece for legs was cut from yellow.
After the edges were turned under, basted and pressed the material was pinned in place on the white block. The bill and legs were appliqued first, using fine white cotton. A slanting, invisible hemming stitch was used. The body was stitched in place. Deep gray embroidery cotton outlined the wing, using blanket stitch.
The eye, nostril were worked in solid satin stitch in red. The letter G was done In fine outline or chain stitch. The water in the wavy line at the bottom was done in blue embroidery cotton, using a fine running stitch.
One member of the club took her finished block home and showed it to her young daughter. She Immediately said, “Mummie, that’s the goosey goosey gander, isn’t It?”
Another youngster looked all over the block for the golden egg that the goose was supposed to have laid.
But the mothers who were making the alphabet quilt were too intent upon the various blocks they were fashioning to think of golden eggs, Mother Goose rhymes or nursery Jingles. They were impatient and hated to wait for the next block. ” ‘H’ comes next,” said one of them, “what do you supposed Nancy has planned for that letter?” I can think of hurry, horse, hound, hops and hay,” said one well read mother. But Nancy told them It was none of these.
“Nancy Page Club – Alphabet Quilt – Block #7 – The Goose” Newspapers.com, Edmonton Journal, November 30, 1929, https://www.newspapers.com/article/edmonton-journal-nancy-page-club-alpha/155979791/
If you’d like to purchase all of the alphabet quilt blocks as a block-of-the-month-club, you can do that here. This is NOT an affiliate link.
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