Wednesday, August 8, 2018

Alternate Set for the Antebellum Album

Watercolor of a quilt date inscribed 1847 from the 
W.P.A.'s Index of American Design

The quiltmaker was Caroline Lusk of New Baltimore, New York; the painter Jenny Algrem in 1938. The quilt has been in the collection of the Brooklyn Museum since 1925.

Lucy Irene Blowers, about 1849, Fabius, New York

Caroline's quilt with its on-point set and minimal appliqued edge design is similar to another New York album quilt that Linda Lipsett showed in her book Remember Me.


The idea of setting our Antebellum Album blocks on point with sashing and an appliqued edge block occurred to me. If you enjoy applique it's a nice option.

You'd really have to enjoy applique to do this set and border
from a New Jersey quilt from Stella Rubin's inventory.

It's Block #6 Friendship Star set on the diagonal
with three or four simple appliques in the edge triangles.


Now Barbara Schaffer has noticed this appliqued edge to a pieced quilt too.

Inspired by Lucy Blowers's quilt Barbara stitched a mini.
The block is #7 Chimney Sweep.

Antebellum Album
63.75" x 63.75"

I had a very similar idea for this alternate set using the leaves from the Brooklyn Museum's quilt.
Above, the first seven blocks on point. For this set you need 13 blocks instead of twelve.

I drew the quilt up in EQ with 3" finished sashing. My mockup is rather crude but it shows that you need 8 large triangles with applique and then 4 corner triangles


Applique Patterns

Here's a modified version of the three-lobed leaf in the Brooklyn Museum's album,
one piece, no stem. The two-lobed leaf is for the corners.


To Print:
  • Create a word file or a new empty JPG file. 
  • Click on the image above. 
  • Right click on it and save it to your file. 
  • Print that file. Check to be sure the inch box is an inch. 
  • Add seam allowances when you cut the fabric. 

Applique Backgrounds
7/8 of a yard for the background triangles.

The finished block size is 12" so the 8 edge triangles backgrounds should be cut like so:


Cut 2 squares 18-1/4". Cut each into 4 triangles with two diagonal cuts. You need 8 triangles.

For the 4 corner triangles:
Cut 2 squares 9-3/8". Cut each in half diagonally with one cut. You need 4 triangles.

Sashing Fabric: 3 yards. You should be able to get the binding out of that too.

Cutting the Sashing 
18 strips 3-1/2" x 12-1/2"
2 strips 3-1/2" x 18-1/2"
2 strips 3-1/2" x 48-1/2"
2 strips 3-1/2" x 78-1/2"
What about that 13th block?

You could use four of the tri-lobed leaf for a center applique. Put some fancy inking in the center of the center block.





1 comment:

Judy Cloe said...

Thanks so much for this alternate set. I had been wanting to set mine on point and this is exactly what I needed to see in able to do it. I am working on it now, trying to figure out what I can make without buying more fabric. Ha. I saw an antebellum album applique quilt yesterday at the Birmingham (Alabama)Museum of Art exhibit, The Original Makers: Folk Art from the Cargo Collection.
https://artsbma.org/exhibition/original-makers-folk-art-from-the-cargo-collection/
I enjoy your blog every time you post and appreciate all the research you put into it.