In the 1930s, there was an 18-month gap between the last Alphabet Quilt block and the start of this quilt. This is another reason why I am glad I live in the future. I would have lost my collector’s mind waiting for a new quilt series. Let’s jump right in!
In the Beginning
The Nancy Page Quilt Club members were so anxious to see what kind of a quilt Nancy had designed for them that they came to her house almost an hour early.
“Please, Nancy, show it to us!” “Please, Nancy, tell us what it’s like.” “Oh, have a heart, Nance, don’t make us wait any longer.” But Nancy was adamant. As the clock struck two she opened the meeting.
“The quilt I have designed this time ought to please those of you who like flowers. It ought to please the garden lovers. I think it will please those who enjoy birds. I hope it will please all of you who like to sew and to make the kind of applique that grandmother did. This quilt which I will now show you is called – “” of course you may make this quilt in outline stitch or with colored crayons but – but as she unrolled the quilt there were so many exclamations of delight that she had no chance to give its name.
“Oh look at that quaint urn in which the flowers are put. My grandmother had one just like that.” “Will you see that cunning bird?” “Won’t it be fun to have a quilt with birds and flowers.” “Oh, I want to start right away. I can see the very bed in my house that is going to have a quilt like that. “When the voices died down Nancy continued, “I am calling this new quilt ‘Garden bouquet.’ By the time we have finished we will have a collection of flowers that would please any gardener and would call the birds from far and near. In fact, as you can see, they have already gathered and are standing, paired and filled with admiration, on the edge of each urn. Some birds choose the wild rose, others the tulip or pansy. But each urn has its flowers and its birds, making – when gathered together – a delightful garden bouquet. Let’s look at the pattern closely. Next week we will make the urn and then a tulip block and after that the birds.” The members chattered and admired so long that Nancy had to bring them almost by force into the dining room where she served jasmine tea and bird-shaped cookies.
“Nancy Page, Garden Bouquet Quilt, intro” Newspapers.com, Edmonton Journal, October 24, 1931, https://www.newspapers.com/article/edmonton-journal-nancy-page-garden-bouq/160169243/
So… what do you think about this quilt series?
https://onpensneedles.com/2024/12/07/nancy-page-alphabet-quilt-you
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