Quilt Blocks Inspired By The Bible
by Patricia Lynne Grace Cummings
photos by James G. Cummings
A search for traditional quilt blocks whose names were inspired by the Bible has turned up an amazing collection of 159 blocks, including 38 variations of the appliqué block, “Rose of Sharon.” 
The block at the right was made by Patricia Cummings. Any attempt to study block configurations can be very confusing, inasmuch as blocks often have more than one name, depending on regional choices, a quilter's whims, and the preferences of designers and publishers. As has been pointed out by other quilt historians, there is never a “right” or a “wrong” name to any given block and it is best to avoid being didactic about the issue. Block to the right measures 18.5". The pattern was found in a Spool
Cotton Co. booklet.
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Book Shares Templates for Many Biblical Blocks
Carrie Hall Blocks: over 800 Historical Patterns from the collection of the Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas by Bettina Havig (Paducah, KY: American Quilter's Society, 1999), shows color photos of antique pieced and appliquéd block designs, and has templates for constructing some geometric blocks.
Categorization of Biblical Quilt Blocks by Construction Techniques
After checking many print sources for traditional blocks with Biblical names, I began listing the blocks under four category headings: Geometric Cross Blocks; Geometric Blocks which specifically contain names of Biblical characters; Other Pieced Blocks; and Appliqué blocks. In this initial study, neither Outline-Stitch embroidered blocks nor Baltimore Album quilt blocks that feature the image of the Holy Bible itself were included.
Cross Monument Rendered in Redwork,
on an Antique Block, collection of Patricia Cummings
Cross Blocks Popular
In the first category, “Christian Cross,” is a geometric layout better known to us as “Chimney Sweep,” which was often utilized in nineteenth century Friendship quilts. This two color block was a favorite among quiltmakers because there was room on the muslin center to sign, stamp, or stencil a name or message. “Cross upon Cross,” “The Three Crosses,” and "Golgotha,” all share the same geometric configuration. “Crosses and Losses” is the same geometric pattern as “Fox and Geese,” the published name given it by Clara Stone.
More Cross Blocks
In the Carrie Hall Blocks book, three variations of “Cross and Crown” are featured, one of which is also called “Crowned Cross.” Another “cross“ name is “Star Upon a Cross.” In her book, Old Patchwork Quilts and The Women Who Made Them, written in 1929, Ruth Finley declares “Star and Cross” to be one of the “prettier” Bible blocks ever published. Several “cross” patterns appear in appliqué, the most well known of which is most likely “Rose Cross,” designed by Ruby McKim and published in 101 Patchwork Patterns. (Reprints of the book are available through Dover Publications).
Other Blocks
“Bethlehem Rose,” is a geometric block which can be seen in Biblical Blocks, by Rosemary Makhan, (That Patchwork Place, 1993). Another unique block in the Makhan book is "Heavenly Problems.” Other “heavenly” blocks we can add to the list are “Heavenly Puzzle,” “Heavenly Stars,” and “Heavenly Steps.” Trees figure prominently in Bible blocks and are represented in “Tree of Life,” “Tree Everlasting,” "Tree of Paradise,” and “Tree of Temptation.”
More Heavenly Blocks
A sample of other geometric pieced blocks include: “Carpenter’s Wheel,” "Children of Israel,” “Crown of Thorns,” “Devil‘s Claws,” “Devil’s Puzzle,” "Garden of Eden,” “Golgotha,” “Ecclesiastical,” “Morning Star” (same as
“Evening Star”), and “Hosannah” (which has many other spellings). Still others are: “Lily of the Valley,” “Lily of the Field,” “The Road to Jericho,” “The Road to Jerusalem,” and “The Tents of Armageddon.” There are two variations of
“Wonder of the World,” both made by curved piecing. Ruth Finley states that "World Without End” comes directly from The Book of Common Prayer, a traditional prayer book of the Episcopal faith. No account of Biblical blocks would be complete without the mention of the well loved “Star of Bethlehem” which is also called “Star of the East.”
Blocks with Proper Names
Another category is geometric quilt blocks with proper names. One which has circular piecing is “Caesar’s Crown.” The block, “David and Goliath,” calls to mind the two famous Biblical brothers and “David’s sling-shot of accurate aim,” as Finley recalls.
"Caesar's Crown,"
made by Patricia Cummings
Blocks Connected to King David and King Solomon
“King David’s Crown” honors another important Biblical figure. David became the second King of Israel and wrote the Book of Psalms. Solomon succeeded his father, David. The quilt block, “Solomon’s Temple,” refers to a location that houses the Ark of the Covenant which contains the Ten Commandments. “King Solomon’s Temple” is another name for the same block. “Solomon’s Puzzle” is the name of a pattern which was first published with that name in The Delineator, in 1906.
More commonly, it is known as “Robbing Peter to Pay Paul,” or “Drunkard’s Path,” its name when published by Ladies Art Company. This quilt is usually made in a two color combination, red and white quilts often being the preference of Methodist women, according to the Pepper Cory and Susan McKelvey, who co-authored The Signature Quilt, (Quilt House Publishing,1995). An unusual version of “Robbing Peter to Pay Paul,” made with rectangles, squares and triangles, is presented in the Carrie Hall Blocks book.
Jacob's Ladder: A Perennial Favorite
Another favorite block, “Jacob’s Ladder,” has pre-Revolutionary origins. The original design calls for half square triangles and four patch units, and is so easy to do that this block was often one chosen by beginning quilters. In their first version, the image of skyward bound diagonal ladders is created through the use of just two, high contrast colors. Jinny Beyer’s book, The Quilter’s Album of Blocks and Borders, (EPM, 1980), offers a diagram of a unique variation
of
“Jacob’s Ladder” as published by Virginia Snow Patch Designs, circa 1930. In this block, four triangles complete a center square and flying geese units emanate outward to form perpendicular units in the shape of a cross.
Long suffering Job Inspired Quilt Blocks
The Biblical figure, Job, inspired many blocks in both geometric and appliqué designs. Job was a farmer who lost his possessions and his health, yet would not speak ill of God. He was rewarded with a long life of 140 years. He is well remembered by the quilt block, “Job’s Patience.” There are three different variations of “Job’s Troubles,” and seven versions of “Job’s Tears,” some of which can be made by either appliqué or geometric construction.
Appliquéd "tears" on muslin by Patricia Cummings
In Quilts in America (Abbeville Press, 1974), Patsy and Myron Orlofsky state that the block name, “Job’s Tears,” changed over time as a result of issues of slavery; the Civil War; and the industrialization of America. The block became known as “Slave Chain,” “Texas Tears,” “Rocky Road to Kansas,” “Kansas Troubles,” and finally, “Endless Chain.” The version of “Job’s Tears” that I chose to re-create, was made with the instructions in Polly Prindle’s Book of American Patchwork Quilts by Alice Gammell, (Grosset and Dunlap, 1976). Block to the right is "Job's Tears," constructed by Pat Cummings, with 1930s repro. fabrics.
Joseph's Coat
“Joseph’s Coat” is a block name with three startlingly different variations. The circular pieced block also called "Peeled Orange” is one version. I was privileged to see a
"Joseph’s Coat” quilt of this type which was made in the 1930s by a friend’s grandmother. The quilt utilized Depression-era print scraps, pieced with a muslin background.
Another example of a “Joseph’s Coat” block can be seen in the Carrie Hall Blocks book. That one consists of just squares and triangles. A third variation, a Mennonite-made Strippy bar quilt made in bright colors, can be found in the book,
America’s Glorious Quilts, edited by Duke and Harding, (NY: MacMillan Publishing Co., 1987).
Formal Blocks v. Folk Art Blocks
Another "Rose of Sharon" block
made by Patricia Cummings
In the realm of appliqué Bible quilts, we see both formal and folk art blocks. The “Rose of Sharon” blocks dominate the former category, while the most outstanding folk art quilt blocks are contained in the two Bible quilts made by Harriet Powers (1837-1911). Harriet’s quilts are considered prime examples of African-American folk art. The images in each block have their roots in the well loved Bible stories that she had heard since her childhood. During her lifetime she never learned to read. This was a prohibited activity for children like her who were born into slavery before the Civil War.
Harriet Powers' Masterpiece Sold for $5.00
In 1886, Harriet utilized pieces of her own used clothing to appliqué 11 blocks that are seen in her first quilt, “The Creation of the Animals.” During hard times, she sold this quilt to an art teacher, Jenny Smith, for a paltry five dollars. On commission, Harriet created a second Bible quilt which was finished in 1898. Both quilts now reside in museums: the Smithsonian and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
Meanings Written Down
Jenny Smith wanted to record the meanings of Harriet’s quilt blocks. These descriptions (for her first Bible quilt) can be found in The Smithsonian Treasury: American Quilts by Doris M. Bowman, (Gramercy, 1991).
Additional information about the symbolic meaning of Harriet’s twenty-six blocks can be found in the book, Stitching Stars: The Story Quilts of Harriet Powers by Mary E. Lyon, (Aladdin Paperbacks, 1993).
While the blocks mostly commemorate Biblical stories, some of the Harriet’s blocks depict other phenomena such as the Dark Day of 1780 and the meteor showers of 1833. These events were so severe, it was believed that Judgment Day had arrived. The stories left such an impression on Harriet, that when she made her Bible quilt, she chose to pictorially depict them.
Nineteenth Century Quilt: "Rose of Sharon" design
collection of Patricia Cummings/photo taken by James Cummings, at the Cathedral of the Pines, Rindge, NH
Rose of Sharon Block
The “Rose of Sharon” appliqué block is a more formal tribute to Bible verse. The block’s name is derived from the Song of Solomon, 2:1: “I am the Rose of Sharon, the lily of the valleys…” Crafted almost exclusively as a bride’s quilt in the nineteenth century, the blocks of this quilt were often set on point and were sometimes as large as 28” or larger. The three preferred colors are red, pink, and green, on a white background. The block is a close cousin to “Whig Rose” and recently, some scholars have been seen to use the names interchangeably.
Another Beautiful Botanical Block
The “Balm of Gilead,” a beautiful appliqué block, is named for a flowering herb plant known for its healing qualities. The block shown here was appliquéd by Pat Cummings. This plant is mentioned both in the book of Genesis and in Jeremiah.
In Romance of the 
Patchwork Quilt (1935), Carrie A. Hall and Rose G. Kretsinger identify the same appliqué block as “Sadie’s Choice Rose” and call it “a very old pattern.” Yvonne Khin presents a small line drawing of
the block as it appeared in Nancy Cabot’s Chicago Tribune column in the 1930s. Khin’s book The Collector’s Dictionary of Quilt Names and Patterns (Acropolis Books Ltd.,1988) has information about 2,500 quilt block patterns.
Grapes Symbolic of the Blood of Christ
Elly Sienkiewicz’ lexicon, Spoken Without a Word , a self-published book in 1980 is now out of print and hard to find. It features a list of botanical and floral images and their traditional meanings is provided. Grapes can represent the blood of Christ in the Eucharist, and green leaves, the promise of renewed hope. An interesting thing happened when I re-created the antique (Swale) Grapevine Wreath block in Elly’s book. When I washed the block with its 120 tiny grapes, the hand-dyed purple fabrics discharged color, leaving “shading” on the white background. This called to mind the symbolic meaning of the grapes.
See our blog for updates about Grape block designs: http://quiltersmuse.com/blog/
Quilt Researchers are Saving Old Patterns
Dedicated quilt researchers share the common goal of wanting to preserve quilt block names for posterity. Barbara Brackman documented many quilt block names in two volumes: Encyclopedia of Pieced Patterns, (AQS, 1993), and Encyclopedia of Appliqué, (EPM, 1993). To see a list of other encyclopedic pattern books, click here.
Master Quilter Made Examples of Old Quilt Block Patterns
In the 1950s, Florence Peto, master quilter, quilt historian, and author, actually took the time to piece quilt blocks to show during her lectures on the history of quilting. More recently, Judy Rehmel drew thumbnail sketches of blocks for a quick reference guide, a tool popular with appraisers, called Key to 1,000 Quilt Patterns (self-published). This book was soon followed by three other similar guides.
Biblical Quilt Blocks Come in All Forms
Blocks whose names were inspired by the Bible range from folk art styles to highly-sophisticated appliqué motifs. We have looked at only some of them here. Whether one likes to do circular or straight seam piecing, hand or machine appliqué, or embellished blocks, there are enough different projects to satisfy even the most dedicated Bible block enthusiast.
Bible Blocks A Source of Inspiration
As always, quilters take inspiration from the people, places, and events nearest and dearest to their hearts. The Christian religion was of utmost importance to the quiltmakers who named these Bible blocks. In their totality, the collection of divinely inspired, nineteenth and twentieth century quilt blocks continue to challenge and intrigue us today, even as new blocks and quilts along this same theme continue to be designed.
The e-book, Ellen Emeline Hardy Webster (1867-1950), is a biography and history book that describes the life, work, and writings of an extraordinary individual. Mrs. Webster was a Professor of Religion and included Biblical Blocks in the Quilt Blocks she re-created on "charts."
Written by Patricia Cummings, this 355 page/340 photos work is available via a Paypal payment, or other payment in US funds. The price is $24.95, plus $2.00 shipping to U.S. addresses. International shipments may cost a little more. pat@quiltersmuse.com
Additional Files of Interest
"Friend at My Side" - a poem by Bob Rotruck, CWO3, USN (RET)
Quilt Blocks Inspired by the Bible, an addendum to those print articles appears on this website.
"The Virtuous Wife" - explore the many references to spinning and cloth making in this oft quoted Biblical passage
Seventeenth Century Nun's Prayer - a devout prayer that makes us smile. This file is both an mp3, and a written file.
The Coventry Carol - as sung and played by Patricia Cummings
Were You There? - an Easter song, with photos and an outline stitch design.
Work for the Night is Coming - a nineteenth century hymn, based on John 9:4
Cathedral of the Pines: A National Memorial for War Dead in Rindge, New Hampshire, an inspirational place with a Biblical theme. An antique "Rose of Sharon" quilt is shown in the article.
To read a guest editorial by Patricia L. Cummings, entitled "The Holy Bible: Source of Inspiration," please visit:
http://www.womenfolk.com/quilt_pattern history/biblequilts.htm
©Copyright 2003-2009, Patricia and James Cummings, Quilter's Muse Publications, Concord, New Hampshire.
Previously published articles on the topic appeared in The Quilter magazine, www.thequiltermag.com -"Blocks Inspired by the Bible, Part I & Part II," (September and November 2003), by Patricia L. Cummings.
Contact me at: pat@quiltersmuse.com