Cheerful 1930s Pansy Coverlet
A Design from the Depression Era
by Patricia Cummings
The quilt shown below is the original antique coverlet as photographed by Jim Cummings at Prescott Park in Portsmouth, New Hampshire to accompany an article about cotton coverlets by Patricia Cummings which appeared in the January 2003 issue of The Quilter magazine.
The blocks for this cheerful coverlet which were appliquéd with buttonhole stitch over raw edges in the 1940s, was made by Florence Doe on the Maine coast. As you can see, she used a broad palette of colors, mixing both print and solid fabrics. Today's 1930s pastel color, reproduction prints would work well in this one-layer coverlet.
Additional note 10/12/03: This exact same pansy block design appears in a photo of a quilt made in Pennsylvania in 1861, so this is not totally a 1930s pattern, but has an earlier provenance.
In preparing the sample block below, I cut 12 1/2" blocks from linen/cotton fabric. The entire coverlet would take 6 ½ yards. I like the weight and body of the fabric for this project, although the edges do need to be serged before using the fabric because linen will ravel more readily than 100% cotton.
One block on linen/cotton fabric
The blocks (38 in all), work up quickly. The two simple embroidery stitches, buttonhole stitch and outline stitch, make this an easy and fun project. If you baste the pieces on, ahead of time, this would make a nice take along project for those times when you are waiting at the doctor's office or riding in a car.