Coming from my modern perspective, it is hard to imagine a child of 4 years to be ignorant of music. Even with all of our extensive modern choices of listening devices that far exceed the mere radio and Victrola. Maybe my opinion is skewed because my 3 year old granddaughter, A, is exposed to sheet music as her papa plays guitar on a daily basis.
Block #13 ~ Music
Aunt Nancy wasn’t sure that Joan would know what the letter M stood for. With radio and Victrolas it is so easy to hear and absorb music and never get acquainted with music reading or writing.
But the youngster looked on with interest with Aunt Nancy went over to the piano and showed Joan how the sheet of printed music told her what to play and sing.
Some of the other club members who were making quilts for older children were delighted that Nancy had chosen music instead of mouse or muskrat for the letter M.
As they discussed the number of words that began with M they followed the usual procedure of work.
First they cut the square from the paper. Next they laid the 6-1/2 inch square of white gingham over the pattern and outlined it with a sharp pointed hard lead pencil.
When this was done they pasted the square of paper onto a piece of light weight cardboard or tagboard. They dried this under pressure. Then they chose colored material, fast colored soft gingham for the body of the notes.
One woman made hers of purple, another of green, a third chose soft henna color. One member tried black but decided she did not like the striking contrast that resulted. There was no other black in the quilt and she believed that this would make to strong a note or notes of black. After the pattern was dry the body of the note was cut out. The two notes are exactly the same shape and size, so one pattern did for both.
In cutting the pieces an allowance of one-quarter inch was made on all around.
After the two notes were cut the edge was turned under one-quarter inch. This was basted and pressed.
The notes were pinned and basted in place on the white block. Then the pieces were appliqued in fine, slanting invisible hemming stitches.
The stems of the notes and the letter were embroidered in fast-colored embroidery cotton.
For the stems of the notes an embroidery cotton of the same shade as the note was used. A fine outline stitch seemed best for the stems.
The letter M was embroidered in the same color of fast color cotton as had been used for the twelve previous letters. This of course depended upon the color chosen for the connecting strips.
The finished block was laid aside to wait a later time when it would be joined to the I block which comes directly above it. Between the two, of course, is the connecting band of white and colored gingham.
“Nancy Page Quilt Club – Alphabet Quilt – Block #13 – Music” Newspapers.com, Edmonton Journal, January 18, 1930, https://www.newspapers.com/article/edmonton-journal-nancy-page-quilt-club/81123760/
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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