Quilt of Birds - 1937 Nancy Page Pattern

Florence LaGanke was a quilt pattern designer, working under the title of the "Nancy Page Quilt Club."  The Quilt of Birds set was published in newspapers such as The St. Joseph News-Press of 1937.

Squares are cut 9 1/2" by 11 1/2".  The finished panel for each bird will measure nine by eleven inches. On a background of the palest ivory, are twelve frames of light wood colored bands. And in each one of these frames is an embroidered bird. The birds are perched on leafy twigs. Some of the birds are busy hunting food, some seem to be getting ready to sing, and others are sitting as bright and perky as if they knew their picture was being taken.

12 Birds in the pattern

  • Magpie

  • Swallow

  • Waxwing

  • Robin

  • Blue Jay

  • Wood Pecker

  • Warbler

  • Tanager

  • Hummingbird

  • Cardinal

  • Bluebird

  • Oriole
The work on this quilt may be done in a number of ways.  Nancy suggests embroidery, using chain stitch, outline stitch and fly stitching being used mostly.  The designs may be appliquéd of course, but were not planned with that in mind.   The designs might also be traced lightly onto the cloth and then colored with  wax crayons. (After the coloring is on the design it is set by placing a blotter above and below the cloth and pressing over the crayoned part with a warm iron. Then the optional embroidery is done afterwards).
 

Hummingbird Woodpecker Text which accompanies each pattern