Amish Quilt Patterns: 32 Pieced Patterns

108 Pages·1984·9.32 MB·English

by  Rachel T. Pellman

AMISH QUILT
PATTERNS

52 Pieced Patterns

Rachel T.
Pellman

REVISED
AMISH QUILT
PATTERNS

Rachel T. Pellman
Illustrated by Dawn J. Ranck and Craig Heisey

Gooa Rooks
Iecnse 1704
Aeknovledgmenss

‘We wish pve spel recogniton an thanks to Rebeca Hauer for her lp on tis prot
‘Cnuet phot role fri: Center Diamond rveely owned: Tumbling Blocks, Rebeca
Haare, Canina sly, The Beles Mace Quit Nascar, Miser el to sgh: Double Wedding
Ning, Jet Beison, American Couning, Southampton, Sew York: ashing and hac, Win
‘Wigton: Lo Cabin, Wil snd Conaie Hayes Bottom ow et a right Hove Te, becca Hast
tars, Jy Me atl Subse E Lowy, Dats Wave, Jud Dann, Asnerian Gaunt, Southumpn,
New York,

Desig by Dawa J. Ranch

Photos os cover by nathan Charles

ANCSH QUILT 2ATTERNS
LCoperignt "1904 ty Goel Ho, Ivresems PA 375
Fx: publshed in 1984 [2934672182]
Intemational Saadard Book Nurnter 1.56148 1904
Iibrry of Tongass Clog Car amber S52

[A igh renewed. vile i the Unie Stes of Ameri,
opi of ts bck maybe reproduced ie any ne,
scp! for ore clans in il artes of roviews, without permiion.

yf Comgiae Cataloging in Pubication Data

ouman,Yacte 1: [tee Thora)
Amish quik potters
Iibegraply:
ces index
1 Quiting-Patens: 2 Quils Amish, 1 Tie
iMns.fee wes 7AKO'TCHL CESS
Table of Contents

Introduction 3 Bow Tie
How to Use These Amish Robbing Peter to Pey Paul
Quilt Patterns 5 Shoo Fly

How to Assemble Your Quilt 12 Monkey Wrench

Border Application Diagram 18 Carolina Lily

Center Diamond 14 Crown of Thorns
Sunshine and Shadow 7 Bear Paw’

Bars 21 Pinwheel

Multiple Patch m4 Garden Maze

Trish Chain a7 Railroad Crossing
Log Cabin 29 Double Wedding Ring
Double T 30 Diagonel Triangles
Stars 31 Drunkard’s Path
Jacob's Ladder 34 tree of Life

Baskets 3 Bachelor's Puzzle
Fan 38 Rolling Stone

Ocean Waves 41 Quilting Templates
Reman Stripe 44 Readings and Sources
‘Tumbling Blocks 4 tndex

Rail Fence 51

About the Author
Introduction

‘The magic of antique Amish quilts captures
adiairers every nae. This anh uffets patterns,
step-by-step instructions, and color suggestions for
‘reproducing many favorite antique amish quits.

Why the Interest in
Antique Amish Quilts?

orhapa it fr the simplicity and peace vsille ia
the lives of the pecple who made :hem that has
‘made Aish gulls so fescinaing, Perhaps tke
‘combination of energy end restraint in these
quilts’ simple geometric patterns gives them such
broad arpeal. Perhaps in a modern, fas-moving.
technological age people grasp for links with the
past to find stability. Whatever the reasons, there
are increasing numbers of people interested in
Amish quilts

‘Many old cuits from the larger Amish sete.
‘moots of enotern Pennoylvanin ané the Midwest
have already been purchased from: private homes
bby musens and eollevors. Ie happened slowly at
firs, but in the last decedes ofthe 20th century
‘Amish communities were ravaged by "door
kkncekere’—persons whe stopped unanrounced at
Amish farmst-ads, offering to buy old cuits,

Some bomes had old quills stolen fram them.
‘while the family was away at church, That made
fhe Amish community uneasy, 9 xme oveners
decided o sll their quits he‘ore they were
tlolen, Some wanted to oll but withed to wait
‘ntl the market drove tae prices higher Others
wanted ts keep die quis aad yol weay of ques
Hors. Bul most did not anderstanc the amusnal
demand.

Within the Amish community, values and com
mitunents are taught and passed on 10 the next
generations through a way of ife. Consequenty,
lor We Amsh a tangible symbel oftheir past it
aot important o: sought alter because their basic
values are firm; they do not have a sense of losing
their aaa, In fat, for thera a new guilt seems to
bbe more valuabie than an old one. And se, many
antique quills left homes ith Pho eller happy
to have the cask instead

For thoes oultide the Amish community, these
ld quits stand as symbols of tae psst. They
speak ofa ate of lng fauly evening, wines
Ieisurs, and handcrafted works of love, Their told
shapes and dark vibrant colors show stab ity nd
freedom within specific liitations.

‘Many persons cominucto scarch for these
works of art from the past But the cuilts are
incressingly hanl to find. Amish Quilt Patterns
attempls tc provide the next best thing—a way to
make good reproduction. Its possble to create
the drama and wibrancy of thon prized quilts by
‘aking careful ‘abric selections and choosing «
sleong patra aad quilting designe

Tis bock attempts to provide paterns in the
proper seale and with easy-to-follow nstractians
sa that anyone can make cne of these cheice
qt

‘We have adapted the patlers to the proper
proportions to sscommodste today's varying bed
How to Use These
Amish Quilt Patterns

Good plaaning isthe most basic rule in suc:
cessful quilmaking. It will minimize many frus
tuations!

‘You should know before selecting your fabric
‘which quilt pattern you are going to rake, how
‘zany colors you will need :0 complete your
‘choice and whic» clare or enor fares zm
‘want to use, Since iti difficult to visealize a
‘grouping of color: and fabres in. qui when
‘working with either large bolts cr small swatches,
itis helpful lo sketch « vale del of ae ull
‘oto graph paper and then use crayoas or colored
pencils to £1 in your choice of colors,

Making a Model

‘You can get an even more accurate coler rep
resentation by purchasing small amounts f the
fabrics under coasideration and cutting them
inte ny pasches to cover the appropiate areat
oon the scale model. Tais is especially helpful
‘when working with thooc patterns using lasge
{geomerric shapes It becorres more tedious when
Sorking with pacterns invelving small patches.
Despite that, it is beneficial exercise since it
flows the euilte: to see in advance whether one
fabric ' los. or domizant among the others. I,
fer insance, you are trying to emphasize a par
ticular design within 2 patch, the surrounding
areas will naed t» provide adequate contrast 50
the design gatter will elard on This dimension
cn be achieved by using light and dark fabrice

(er cucivacting colors:

Choosing Good Fabrice

“The qualty of «quik is ony as go0c as the quil-
ity of each of its components. Therefore, iti essen
{al to choose high qualty fabrics for qultmaking
Lightweight 1CO% cotton or catton)polyester
blends are ideal for quiltmaking. In addition,
100% cottors have a dull finish. making
similar to old fabrics. (Cottons blended wita syr-

‘hetics tend to have mors luster or shea.) The
fabric should be tightly woven so # does not avel
‘excessively. If you check its cut edges and Lind it
rays easly, the fabric will be difficult to work
‘with, especially in small pieces.

‘Test it for wrinkling by grasping a handful and
“eqnwering it lmly. I shiep cresees remain when
you release the fabri, it will wrinkle as you work
swith t and will not have a amooth appearance,
especialy if it is used in large sections on a quilt

Wis wise to wash all brits before using them
to preshrink aad test them for colorfastness.

Selecting “Amish” Colors

ost Amish quilimakers did not understand
the science of calor selection and combinations
‘Ther followed their intutions and used what was
at hind.

I the past and today, Amish homes ere bare
‘by most American standards, Walls are generally
pasted aplain Blac or green. Floors, carpeted
at al, are usually covered with hardmade rag
rugs. Very ltels uptolstered furninre is used. In
shot, these people, because of their commitment
to simplicity, bave traditionally given very litle
effort to coordinating room decor and accessories.

“The same is true oftheir clothing. The Amish
style of cress i preserbed by the chures. They
are not concemed zbout the test styles or fsb
fm oilers Conneepently tary are ober by
the surrounding culture's sense of whats proper
and what fo not

‘This freedom from the dictates of socety's
morass is evident in ve color schemes 0 wntigue
‘Amish quits, Frequently, the solors which eclor
thecry describes 4s complementary appear togeth-
er in Amsh quilts Likely the makers never new
they had selecied complemeniary colors, but they
could see that those colors breught out the bes in
each other

Many Amish quilts have aocents of black snd
red, combination that decorstors recognize 3s a
‘boost Jor many color schemes. When Amish
‘womea emptied ther serap bags they didn't work
om 2 basis of scientfic knowledge. They just
‘chose fabricy in relation to each other Many
times the result was @ dramatic zolor scheme that
ands up well today.

Tt would be unfair ‘0 imply that all Amish
aqllts Semenstixe masterfal use of alot, May
are less thaa pleasingly coordinated. But if you
‘ant to capture she unusual power ©. anligue
‘Amish quill color, yo will likely be most suc-
cessful if you try to ferget what you Enow about
color and use a iesh approach,

‘There are several guidelnes you might ‘ollow.
"The Fabrics used in anfique Amish quilts were
almost alveays selid colors. Printed fabrics seldem
fppear. The oldest, moet inditienal Amish quile
‘come irom eastern Pennsy'vani, specifically from
Tansanier Ciuuly. Ths eaily stlesneat tended to
‘be more conservative than some of the groups
‘who later migrated to other areas,

Lancaster Amish primarily used only a part of
the spsctrum of the calor wheel, avoiding warm
colors bright reds, red orenge, orange, yellow
crange, yellows, and rellow green. The “cool” o3l-
crs—hursundys, blues, purples, and greens—were
tue colors they were permitted lo use for clothing
snd abe their quills, Therefore, the more paneer
alive, traditional Amish quilts reflected their com-
Tunily's standards and used a myriad of color,
‘aut only those within the boundaries of tat “col
cr spectrum,

‘Antique Amish cuits made in areas outside
feasmrn Pennsplvaria were vflen more dati ie
theiscolers, Yellows and oranges appear frequent
ly im mic-western cuits anc! tnose made 1m
Penasylvania counties ober fran Lancaster.
However, these colors aze use in conjunction
with the darker hues,

“ty, as much as you can, te approach your
coler selectins in an uniabibied way, The closer
you-can come to that aporoacs, dae more Likely i
ie that you an crests quill hat Inoke suthenti-
cally Amish,

ayes wil ccs in several arengements
before you meke final decision. See how tey
slard in reference o each otter. Some colors
highlight one another, and others dull ech clher.

Don't Forget Black

‘Te approximate ‘Amish’ cclor choices, use col
ors of varying intensities and shades. And den't
Forget ick, Rigel, althongh dark, cam nea spark
‘of Hfe na color scheme. Several stades of back
‘ay be more inlercting than only one. The vary
ing shades thet appear in old quilts happened
beetuse they were often sera quits
Substitutions were often made for fabrics that ran
tout You should net be craic to ly substiuing
fone or several similar fabrics instead of using the
same one throughcut the quit

Ouiltrakers in Lancaster County used black
spatingly in their quiltraking, and thus highlight
ether colors fo ier quilla

Jn cortras, quiliers in the midwestem Anish
ccommuritior led blach and used it extensively
in their quilts Frequenty they selected black as a
Inechgitund cal aad used it wilh pieced blocks
of vibrant contrasting colors, thereby excating a
‘dramatic visual impact

Planning Borders

‘Notice the role that borders playin traditional
‘Amish quilts At times they servec to increase @
Guit’s dimensions to an adecuate size; at other
limes they aver ae the rame that high ihled the
quilt pattern. In cetain cases they achicved both
ft the came Hine. At an rate a berder is never an
afterthought. Many Amsh quilts have wide, elab
rately quad Lasers

‘The imporiant factor i that the borders should
‘oe proportionate tothe interior pattera of ne
‘quil, You will notice that bosder widths vary
from pattern fo porter.

‘Given with each pattzm inthis book are tem-
ples (ud instructions for pecing amu eonnecting
individual bleck units). Trace the templates accu
rely ongo a matenal thst wil withstand repealec
outlining without weariag down the edges

Cardboard is not appropriate for template
thal must be saved repeated'y. More durable
ruterial: are plastic lids from threw away con:
tainers: the siles of a plastic milk, water, or
bleach jug; old lineleur scraps: of tn. (If you use
lin, beware of sharp edges You muy ghia sandpa
‘pero the back of he template to keep it fram
slipping ao you mark th: fabrics.

Hf your template is net accurately raced or cut
you will havea very difficutime maleng your
guilt fit ogetber wel.

Setore you cut al the quilts patches, cut enough
for just ene biock using the temple you've made.
“Aseemble the patch to test for accuracy. Be sure 10
sew all sams using exacly 4inch seam allow
‘ancrs. Ifyou teed to make changes, adjust the tem
plate al tey again Rus tn he omplate >
‘assmblrg one block before you cut fries for ax
‘nti gull top

You may rrake your templates with or without
eosin Mhieeenes ing cate ela oC

‘marking. culling, and piecing you prefer.

Marking Patches
with Seam Allowances

‘This methed reeuires thatthe template be
saad will ial seas allowance on all een
‘The line that you tace onto the fabric becomes
the cuting lire. The seam line is neh inside
the marked lie. Tae advantage ofthis method is
tha: you can trace the ostine on the top layer of
fabsc, and then out through several layers of fab-
rie at the same time. The disadvartage is that
‘when you besin sltching the patches together
you will eed to guess accurately the exact loca-
tion of the Ycinch seam allowances so that the

‘corners of the patches meet precisely.

Marking Patches without
Seam Allowances

‘This methed recuives that the template be
made the artual sce of he finished patch, The

{ne that you trie onto the fabric becomes the
2tching ine. You must imagin: the cutting line
cinch outside this line. The acvantage bere is
chat you have a tracing line to stitch along, almost
uaranteeing accuracy in piecing. The distdvan
lage i thal eact patch must be marked and cit
‘ndividually. With this method you cannet stack
and aut multiple layers of fabrics. Bach quilter
‘must choote which cf these methods works best
‘or her/him. The importart thing is 10 maintain,
accuracy fy whatever way yon find mast enmfart
able

tis oxttomely important to be precive im msele
ing and cuiting. A very minute mistake ir either
step will be multiplied many tines wer whiea you
try toassemble the quit. Jiimately you want to
ave 4 smooth dat guilt tcp. To achicve that, the
individual pieces must fit together pzecisely

Marking Fabrics

‘There are many ways to mark fabrics. You may
tse a regular lead pencil to trace the template.
Fenueuer, i pee fbr petal ar: Erin,
the markiegs wil be very difficult see.

“Thiresre teresa panei designed
for quilters Some of these make markings that
aie ddd hu Co wales, Alri Ue usps
to be easily removed. Some peseils make mark
ings that dsappsar ater a certam penod of nme.
That works wel if you use the marked pisces
before the time elapses. Whatever you choose, be
sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions ior
the marker’s use.

very quilimaker should have a good pair of
sharp fabric shears. The longer the tlade of the
sclera tas gectes Ge hance iting Sen
Hinuous straight line. The scissors mast be sharp
All the way to the point to ent welldcfined cor

A Word About Rotary Cutters
and Strip-Piecing

Some quilters pret tout patces without
(egieararg toy ee ate
tense instead, Tis method an be fter and
tore accra, eaperally you wre Cueng sn
pie shapes ike squares and rectangles. you
Prue tos tho method. be eure fo ue te
fame ruler and iat forall measuring. Ralers
Ser iighly ol ek sie teciaeee wih ab

ally
‘roy if you use more than one ruler in a project
‘Alihough we give instructions for the tredi-
ronal metkod of conaectiag insividual patches,

you may stip-picee instead. Te do that, few
Strips ol fabric together, aad then cut patches in
units trom the already joined strips. This is per
Uulanly useful im patterns such as the Nine-
Fatch or Roman Suge, For example, to sip
tiece 4 Nire Patch block, sow three strips of
fabric together to form a vertieal sta. Cat the
‘erip horizontally ta form tnite of three patches,
‘which are already joined and ready to be sewn
together to form the Nine Patch block.

Join fabric to sertioel oti

Gut herisontal wit.

‘To strip-piece « Roman Stripe block, sew the
Sips gets, snd then ext Use elangles,

“Join vertical str of fabri.

(Cul triangle units from joined erp.

Strippicirg works mor efficent with some
petri ea gc Yes ll ied eo et
tine thethe or pty alto male i pat of
yout quitmaling
Piecing

You may piece a quill by band or by machine
estate on tore Gnecoeeatir exile.
Foss proces, Mos: quilers today chowte to piece
fy espe Neuere chau cesta
with very sl pices end when you need to
Se elie cee meena ote
Hees edie Datiel Mh ony ee
Sie eee iene ae
Father than beg fon seving machine: you
harerpece, yo can stl sul the borders aad
the sahing betwee blacks n the sewing
iachine 9 sve time

Hand pecing every simple. Pi the patches
wi her ight side foetbe and with het
stlching lines peracly rated Uningn ire
Shp nec, ich with short raring stitches
threugh both layers of bri Scher suit be
strsight, even. and ight to achleve an accurte
nd ang ease Cech eral cdl
tobe sue thy ae not causing puceving, Pet an
‘ccasionl backatich in with the ronning stiches
to dghtes the sean: witout creating pucker At
theend ofthe path, backtich ane ot the
thread before ippng. Open the pate and check
eemeeae

‘When piccag always begin by asarblng the
sulle patched then bald Genoa to lrger
feces tsfoas dn gull Ll. Conbive parce
{> form sralght sewing lines wherever you can

alhnes oes hcqeeus ma engl
at al posible since sushing around ccmers
femliethe umoa care wo prover, burching and
Dckering, Waen sting in i required stitch the
Palches that rod bbe set againt each olber
Only to tre ends of tei stilcing nes. Do mt
stich tough ther sean allowances The sex
allowances must be hep. fee to fit agaist the
Pop nlesece ais peseber ee

Tigris vatiara et as cores eels
sta atte outer ges of one patch, sch full
Taiko ecks Sloaieal svc
proved along the cer edge The oer metbod is
te Eegn cng aig he cig a en
eer sea Sch Bn ha ee cormer to os
oie eige and then yo bach tote commer and
A gui is sandwich of the lavers—the aut back,
ning or batting and the quilt tep—al held togetior
by qulingsitaias

stitch the -emaining edge. Pracice both methods
and ase the one that works hes for 7ou.

Machinesnesing i ahiowely a let faster ‘Phe
‘procedure is besicaly the same as Fand-piecizg,
but the ettching ie dane by machine. Pin the
patches together accurately. Watch carefully that
ney sel lis hey gr Unghie tit
Backstitch whenever you begin or end a seam,

‘When you jn urits of patenes to each other,
you will face the problem of what to do with the
seam allowances. Seam allowances are a partieu=
Jar reenae- in two stations ene, if quilting
needs to te done through the seam allowances
‘making small sitches virtually impossible: and
two, if a sam allowance af a dark fabric is visible
sunderneath a lighter fabri

It is generally a good idea te lay all seam
allowances in the sae direction, Llowever, if this
creates either of the above proslems, mace an
exception and lay the seam allowance the opp>
site way.

Preparing to Quilt

‘Mach f the wonder of old Amish quits isin
their quilting. They nave deen lavished with quit
ing design, leaving ‘ew epem spaces ‘This ny
intricate quilting iseasenal in repmndcing the
fook of an old qui

Youcan mark guilting designs on the quilt top
ina variety af weys Ser "Marking Fabrice’ om
‘page 7 for information about quiltmarking pencils.
Remember to mark with comething that wl no:
eb off casily, because as you quit, your hands
will muve actose the surface ALC nave Ge,
you want ths markings to be completely remov-
able when the quilting is completed, so that
unsightly lires de not reman.

I you work with fabric hati light enough to
see through, it is easiest to mark by tring.
(Oatine the gulting designs on paper with a
hheavy magic marker. Lay the fabric to be marked,
‘wrong side doven, on top of the quilting design,
‘Trace with s fabric marker over the lines te stitch.

Although this methed is easiest, meny fabrics
‘wee in Amish guilto are too dark to asc the Hnes
‘through the fabric. Therefore, the design must be
‘uaved an alternate way. You can de this by cut
ting very thin slashes at intervals on the quilting
Template. Ihis creates a dottordet eltect with the
slashes Lay the template on top of the right side
of the fabric and trace the ines ento the quil top.

‘Since you will use the templates repeatedly, it
is wise to make them of a material more durable
than neper. Cardboard or thin plastic are sia

‘You san mark straight lines or crosthatching by
laying «ruler on the fsbvic and tacing along both
sides. On lange areas, map a chalk line across the
vil,

‘When you just want to outline patches, you d>
‘not need to snark around them. Simply quilt close
tothe <cam to emphasize the patch.

a
1s both scare the quilted at the beeing
dd o hide te Ko, ier he needle rough only
the guit tp about 1 inch fom whee the quitng
sl ben pall the head hough othe Roe, and
sil ug onthe kn until isp rough the fabri
dnd sage maby andere he to