Lawson - Amish Patchwork: Full-Size Patterns for 46 Authentic Designs

Amish Patchwork

Amish Patchwork

Full-Size Patterns for 46 Authentic Designs

by Suzy Lawson

Dover Publications, Inc. New York

CREDITS

Photographs on front cover and inside front cover by:

Pat Burt Creative Photography

1412 S.E. Stark

Portland, Oregon 97214

Photographed at the Oxbarn Museum in Aurora, Oregon. Courtesy of the Aurora Historical Society.

Fabric in photographs courtesy of:

The Patchwork Peddler Quilt Shop

3614 N.E. Broadway

Portland, Oregon

All drawings and illustrations are by the author. All quilts and items photographed were made by the author.

"Windmill Blades" quilt on front cover was quilted by Shirley Miller, Cottage Grove, Oregon.

Copyright 1982, 1983, 1988 by Susan Kay Lawson.

All rights reserved

This Dover edition, first published in 1988, is a corrected republication of the revised 1983 edition of Amish Inspirations, first published by Amity Publications, Cottage Grove, Oregon in 1982.

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Lawson, Suzy.

[Amish inspirations]

Amish patchwork : full-size patterns for 46 authentic designs / by Suzy Lawson.

p. cm.

Reprint. Originally published: Amish inspirations. Rev. ed. Cottage Grove, Or. : Amity Publications, 1983.

Bibliography: p.

eISBN 978-0-486-16939-2

1. QuiltingPatterns. 2. PatchworkPatterns. 3. Quilts, Amish.

I. Title.

TT835.L38 1988

746.97041dc19

88-15012

CIP

Manufactured in the United States by Courier Corporation

25701007

www.doverpublications.com

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

SPECIAL LOVE AND GRATITUDE TO MY HUSBAND AND PARTNER DAVID AND CHILDREN DOVE, TIA AND SETH WHO CONTINUALLY MAKE AVAILABLE TO ME THEIR UNCONDITIONAL LOVE AND SUPPORT AND SOME SPACE WHEN I NEED IT.

MUCH LOVE AND APPRECIATION TO MY GOOD FRIEND AND NEIGHBOR DOROTHY BOND AND MY FRIENDS AND ASSOCIATES SUZI BLUCHER, BEV SOASEY, ROXY BURGARD AND DIANE CHRISTENSEN WHO PROVIDE ME WITH ASSISTANCE, ENCOURAGEMENT AND INSPIRATION. TO ALL MY OTHER QUILTING FRIENDS AND TO MY FRIEND COLLEEN ALLEN, FOR BEING SO SUPPORTIVE, I GIVE THANKS.

THANK YOU TO ALL OF MY STUDENTS WHOSE ENTHUSIASM AND ZEAL HAVE CONTRIBUTED GREATLY TO MY LIFE AND MY QUILTMAKING.

"The Lord is my strength and my song; he has

become my salvation. He is my God, and I

will praise him, my father's God, and I will

exalt him."

Exodus 15:2

KEY TO COVER PHOTOGRAPHS

FRONT COVER

1. *AMISH BASKET SAMPLER

2. INTERLOCKING SQUARES

3. STARBURST AND STRIPES

4. DOUBLE IRISH CHAIN

5. WINDMILL BLADES

6. AMISH DOLL

7-12. CENTER DIAMOND AND BARS VARIATIONS

13. MINIATURE CENTER DIAMOND PIN CUSHION

14. DOLL QUILT

INSIDE FRONT COVER

1. BOW TIE

2. ROMAN STRIPES

3. STAR WITHIN A STAR

4. BASKET PIN CUSHION

- INDICATES PATTERNS AVAILABLE FROM THE AUTHOR.
FOR ORDERING INFORMATION, SEND S.A.S.E. TO: AMITY PUBLICATIONS, 78688 SEARS ROAD, COTTAGE GROVE, OREGON 97424-9470 PATTERNS FOR THE OTHER QUILTS PHOTOGRAPHED ARE IN THIS BOOK. SEE TABLE OF CONTENTS.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

THIS IS NOT A HISTORICAL DOCUMENTATION. THERE ARE MANY FINE BOOKS AND ARTICLES AVAILABLE FOR THOSE WANTING TO STUDY THE AMISH AND THEIR CULTURE IN DETAIL. THIS IS A BOOK OF PATTERNS, DESIGNS AND IDEAS BASED ON THE AMISH CONCEPTS AND UNWRITTEN RULES GOVERNING QUILTMAKING, AS I SEE THEM, FROM A PERIOD CONSISTING OF ABOUT 60 YEARS. (THE LATE 1800'S TO THE EARLY 1930'S)

IT IS NOT MY INTENTION TO EXPLOIT THESE MOST PRIVATE PEOPLE AND THEIR QUILTS, BUT RATHER TO INTERPRET AND PRESERVE THEIR DESIGNS FOR QUILTMAKERS WHO, LIKE MYSELF, ADMIRE THEM TO THE POINT OF WANTING TO MAKE. ONE.

THE FIRST AMISH QUILT I SAW CONTRADICTED MY ASSUMPTION THAT ALL AMISH QUILTS WOULD BE DARK IN COLOR AND VISUALLY VERY PLAIN. AS I SEARCHED FURTHER I DISCOVERED QUILTS WITH COLORS THAT HAD AN ELECTRICAL EFFECT AND DESIGNS THAT WERE VERY CONTEMPORARY IN THEIR APPEAL. FOR ME, IT WAS THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ADVENTURE IN QUILTMAKING. I KNEW I HAD TO OWN SOME OF THESE SPECTACULAR QUILTS AND, AS A QUILTMAKER, THE MOST PRACTICAL AND LOGICAL APPROACH WAS TO MAKE THEM. AS I BEGAN EXPLORING THE AMISH QUILT WORLD IN SEARCH OF COLOR AND DESIGN I WAS AMAZED AT THE DIVERSITY OF PATTERNS AND COMBINATIONS.

THIS BOOK IS BASED ON THE NOTES I HAVE COLLECTED FOR MY OWN USE. I HAVE WRITTEN DOWN MY OBSERVATIONS AND COMMENTED AT GREATER LENGTH ON AREAS THAT MY STUDENTS REPEATEDLY QUESTION OR HAVE TROUBLE WITH. THE PATTERNS WITHIN THESE PAGES REPRESENT MANY OF THE MOST COMMONLY SEEN WITH A FEW ADDITIONS THAT MIGHT ONLY BE SEEN ONCE. THERE ARE MANY, MANY MORE PATTERNS TO BE SEEN AND DOCUMENTED. FOR NOW, I HOPE THAT THOSE OF YOU ATTRACTED TO THE WONDERFUL QUILTS OF THESE GENTLE PEOPLE WILL BE ABLE TO MAKE GOOD USE OF THE PATTERNS WITHIN THIS BOOK.

I ENCOURAGE YOU TO FOLLOW IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF OUR AMISH FRIENDS AND EXPLORE NEW POSSIBILITIES IN QUILT DESIGN. FOR MANY, THE PATTERNS IN THIS BOOK WILL PROVIDE A NEW DIRECTION REQUIRING YOU TO SET ASIDE PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS OF WHAT "GOES TOGETHER". FOR ME, IT IS THIS STEPPING OUT AND STRETCHING PROCESS THAT HAS PROVIDED NEW GROWTH IN MY QUILTMAKING. MISTAKES WILL BE MADE BUT YOUR SUCCESSES WILL INSPIRE YOU ON. I HOPE THIS BOOK, WITH ITS INFORMATION, PATTERNS AND IDEAS WILL PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL AVENUE FOR YOUR CREATIVITY.

"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do,

do it with thy might."

Eoolesiastes 9:10

CHAPTER ONE COLOR

COLOR IS THE KEY INGREDIENT TO THE LIFE ONE FEELS WHEN VIEWING AN AMISH QUILT. IT IS ALSO AN AREA THAT CAN CAUSE THE GREATEST FRUSTRATION TO BEGINNING QUILTMAKERS. THE AMISH QUILTER HAD A DISTINCT ADVANTAGE IN THAT HER COLOR PALETTE WAS LIMITED TO FABRICS ON HAND. OUR PALETTE IS UNLIMITED AND CHOOSING IS FURTHER COMPLICATED BY EASY AVAILABILITY.

EARLY AMISH QUILTS WERE OFTEN MADE FROM SCRAPS AND PIECES OF FABRIC LEFT OVER FROM GARMENTS. THE WONDERFULLY SUBTLE SHADES AND HUES OF RED, BLUE, BROWN AND GREEN WERE A RESULT OF USING DYE STUFFS THAT GREW NATURALLY AND WERE READILY AVAILABLE IN VARIOUS GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATIONS PLUS WERE APPROVED BY THE BISHOP OF THE COMMUNITY FOR USE IN SHIRTS, PANTS, APRONS, DRESSES, ETC. PRINTS AND STRIPES WERE CONSIDERED WORLDLY AND UNNACCEPTABLE. AS COMMERCIAL DYES BECAME MORE AVAILABLE, THE ONCE MUTED SHADES OF HAND-DYED CLOTH TOOK ON A BRIGHTER, HARSHER LOOK AND COLORS BECAME AVAILABLE THAT WERE NOT POSSIBLE TO OBTAIN FROM ORGANIC DYE STUFFS.

DURING THE EARLY 20'S MORE AND MORE OF THE WOOL, COTTON AND LINEN THAT WAS SPUN, WOVEN AND DYED WITHIN THE COMMUNITY WAS FORSAKEN FOR "STORE BOUGHT" FABRICS. THESE POLISHED COTTONS, CREPES, ETC., IN BLACK, GREEN, BROWN, PURPLE, RED AND BLUE WERE AVAILABLE IN A GREAT VARIETY OF SHADES AND INTENSITIES OF COLOR. THE COLORS CHOSEN FOR MAKING QUILTS DEPENDED IN A LARGE PART ON THE RULES OF THE COMMUNITY LIVED IN. SOME WERE MORE CONSERVATIVE THAN OTHERS. THIS RESULTED IN COLORS AND DESIGNS DIFFERING GREATLY FROM ONE COMMUNITY TO THE NEXT. WHAT APPEARS TO BE A RULE OF THUMB FOR ONE GROUP MAY NOT BE SO FOR ANOTHER. SOME OLD ORDER COMMUNITIES STILL ADHERE TO RULINGS FORBIDDING ANYTHING OTHER THAN WHOLE CLOTH QUILTS.