Block #16 ~ The Pail
The alphabet quilt was surely coming on. Here the club members were already at the letter P. Nancy might have chosen pansy or puppet, but she was not sure that little children would know what these things were. Where is there a child who has not played with a pail and shovel? Joan counted this one of her favorites, out of all the blocks which her Aunt Nancy had made for her. Possibly this was because the pail was made of a blue figured print. So far there had been little blue in the quilt. That made the pail more interesting and noteworthy.
A solid color might be used for the pail and then an entirely different color for the handle of the pail and of the shovel.
Nancy’s continual caution was this – be sure the material is fast color. One would hate to do all that work and then have the block fade and run when washed.
After the pattern square was cut from the day’s paper it was held flat against the window pane. Over it was laid the 6.5 inch square of white gingham. With a sharp pointed, hard lead pencil the pattern of pail and of letter was drawn on to the cloth.
Then the paper was pasted on to a piece of light weight card or tag board. This was dried under pressure.
While it dried the members outlined the letter P in the corner. Fine, chain stitch or outline was used. The embroidery cotton was fast color and of the same shade as used in the connecting bands of color that put the blocks together.
When the paper pattern was dry the handle of pail was cut out first. Then the pail and then the shovel handle. The bail of handle is made with outline stitch a little later and is disregarded in cutting the pattern. The three pieces are laid on fast color cloth and used as pattern to cut the cloth. In cutting, a quarter inch allowance for turning under is made on all sides.
The cloth pail itself is cut as if there were no handle cut out of it. Later the handle is appliqued right over the pail.
After the quarter inch allowance Is turned under, basted and pressed the pail is laid in place on the penciled outline of the while block.
It is appliqued in place, using fine, slanting, invisible hemming stitches. At the top a place is left to slip under the raw edge of the shovel handle. This is appliqued in place. The pail handle is appliqued.
Then a fast color embroidery cotton in brown is used to indicate the bail of the handle. Use outline stitch in working this.
Joan began to murmur, “she sells sea shells.” When she had been at the sea shore on her summer outing she had industriously hunted shells to fill her pail. This block brought the whole thing back to mind.
“Nancy page – alphabet quilt – the pail” Newspapers.com, Edmonton Journal, February 18, 1930, https://www.newspapers.com/article/edmonton-journal-nancy-page-alphabet-q/155996377/
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.
Discover more from On Pens & Needles
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
One thought on “Nancy Page Alphabet Quilt ~ The Pail”