Monday, September 28, 2015

Caesar's Crown

One of the joys of writing about quilts is getting a chance to photograph and study quilts in my collection. I have been writing about quilt history for almost 3 years for the National Quilting Association and have just started a new column for Discover Vintage America, a midwest antique publication (more about that in a later post).
c. 1860 Pennsylvania

My recent NQA article was on the interesting block Caesar's Crown, King David's Crown, Crown of Thorns, Full Blown Tulip, etc. etc. (many different names and piecing variations). One of my favorite thing about the pattern is the secondary cross or bells formed when the blocks are joined without sashing (see above).

It is not a very common pattern due to the difficult curved piecing involved in the design. YES, you read that correctly, the block is generally curved pieced not appliqued. In finding a few more to add to my collection, I was surprised to find that it was used as a signature quilt pattern in the 1840s and 50s and even a century later in the 1940's and 50s.
Dated 1850, signature quilt, Pennsylvania 
And here's one from c. 1945 with names embroidered in the centers.
C. 1945 signature top
Enjoy!
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