Quilters cannot sew without thread and other sewing notions, and most have collections of sewing supplies. You never know what you may find in that box of vintage lace, rickrack, and bias tape. I belong to several antique and vintage quilting, sewing, and sewing tools Facebook groups and have seen photos of charming spool animals. A bit of context, the Spool Pets are small advertising cards with an animal printed on them (see photo). They are designed to be cut out and glued onto a thread spool for a cute toy.
Recently, I was scrolling and read more about the Spool Pets. I learned that the cards were in bias binding packages but hidden in the center of the package with yards of bias trim around them. I went to see if there was a spool toy cached away in the sewing box. Imagine my surprise and sheer delight when I discovered my own spool animal – Clara Cow – quietly biding her time for nearly 100 years (copyright 1935) in an old binding package. What a find! Now another quest – learning the story of the Spool Pets.

Effective and adorable advertising

Spool Pets from J. & P. Coats were the brainchild of famed adman G. Lynn Sumner. In another stroke of luck, I discovered he detailed their creation in his popular book: How I Learned the Secrets of Success in Advertising (1952) see Google Books. Sumner’s agency represented The Spool Cotton Co., distributors of J. & P. Coats and Clarks ONT (Coats and Clark). The chapter aptly stated the Company’s goal: “Getting More Spools of Thread into the Sewing Bas-ket.” The Spool Co. had 10 different thread sizes (from a thick size 8 to the finest size 200) designed for various fabrics and tasks but most women bought 50 weight as an all-purpose thread especially during the Depression. The agency created informative Thread Charts but still wanted an “interesting, dramatic way” to illustrate the importance of picking the right size thread for the task.
Inspiration at the Toy Store

Sumner saw a simple, fun toy animal with a block body and “the head and front legs and the tail and hind legs two flat pieces mounted at front and rear.” Kismet – a spool toy with different size spools for various animals. “A kitten made with a tiny size 200 spool! A fine fat cow with a size 8 spool!” Spool Pets were born.

The initial set featured six different farm animals: Kitty Kat, Hal Horse, Pete Pig, Clara Cow, Puppy Dog, and Bob Bunny, with a simple drawing, animal poem, and instructions for making the animal using the right size spool. They then turned to children’s author and poet, John Martin, who improved the poetry and made the cards more decorative and appealing to little ones.

A great example of indirect selling, the cards were marketed to children. Sumner noted, “the child, in its persuasive way, is a powerful little sales agent,” and once they had the cards, they would be “after mother for spools to make the toy.” The cards and their advertising material had the thread information to sell her more spools and it was a very successful campaign.

There was also a second collection: the Spool Zoo with Teddy Bear, Jim Fox, Old Hippo, Elephant, Zebra, and Lion. Join in on the hunt, the Spool Pets are waiting for you!

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Egyptian pyramids, Mayan Temples and myriad European churches feature this iconic triangle. This ancient shape was quickly adopted by very early quilt makers as a “flying goose” or “flying geese”: a triple-triangle unit comprised of a large center triangle with a background triangle on each side.

These units initially were stacked vertically in bars or strip sets and were made in the late 1700s and seen frequently in the 1830s and 1840s. This setting was a perfect way to showcase expensive imported fabrics like fancy floral chintz or a beautiful blue bird toile printed in England in 1790 found in a strippy flying geese quilt in my collection. That fabric depicts a pair of ducks set between strips of flying geese so the quilt reads across: duck, duck, goose (a quilty sense of humor is not a new thing).

And speaking of birds, it is not surprising that a shape so evocative of the V flight formation has become closely identified with geese. In 1915, quilt historian Marie Webster noted: “The resemblance of these lines, swiftly moving across the sky, to her neat rows of triangles supplied the quilt maker with her inspiration.” And in 1929, historian Ruth Finley also noted the triangle unit appears “so consistently in designs supposed to represent birds that the three-corned patch almost might be said to be a bird symbol.”

The simple flying geese three-triangle unit soon migrated into an attractive way to sash other pieced blocks or to add an interesting framing border around a quilt. From there, the geese evolved into pieced blocks, most commonly with four groups of geese flying in X or cross formations or even chasing around a square. But the sky is the limit for the versatile geese which can be set into spirals, circles, and arcs as seen in the award-winning example created by Donna Starley for the national Hoffman Fabric Challenge. The quilt creatively transforms the standard geese into a hybrid Drunkard’s Path/Flying Geese design. The curved piecing is a bit challenging, but the dramatic results are well worth the effort. Also check out the amazing work of quilter Gail Garber for stellar goosey inspiration.

More than 230 years since arriving on the quilting scene, flying geese are as popular as ever. A quick web search will give you years of inspiration and you will find many tutorials, patterns, and even specialty rulers just for making geese units. Modern quilters continue to expand the horizons of the pattern with many embracing the early simple strippy pattern while others let their wild geese fly with abandon across their quilts. You will find many modern flying geese patterns soaring across the web to inspire you. Surely one of the ways to make flying geese will be perfect for you; from hand piecing hand cut triangles, to machine foundation piecing, to various mass production techniques like the “four geese at a time.” My personal favorite method is foundation piecing as nothing beats it for precise points and sharp flying geese beaks. It also works wonderfully for the fun and funky wonky geese that add a delightful touch to any quilt. Now is the time to challenge yourself to give this classic pattern a try and add it to your next quilted creation. I think you will find out why it is a timeless block that will make your quilt shine.

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While many quilt pattern names from the 1800s are cloaked in myth, mystery, and marketing, the Bow Tie pattern is clearly a representational block depicting male neckwear, aka neck ties. “The bow tie first entered the scene as a new style of necktie in the beginning of the 19th century. By the mid 1880s, the bow tie had become a staple in the fashion-conscious man’s wardrobe” (thebowtie.com). Not surprisingly, the Bow Tie quilt pattern also dates from the 1880s. It was first published as Necktie in the Ladies Art Co. catalog of block patterns in 1895. Other names for this traditional block include Colonial Bow Tie, Peekhole, and True Lover’s Knot. As befits the block’s masculine inspiration, this pattern is the perfect design for a man’s or boy’s quilt and truly is the quintessential manly quilt pattern.

In researching this pattern, I found a number of references to its use in helping slaves navigate the Underground Railroad as part of a group of blocks said to contain a secret “quilt code.” Of course, the Underground Railroad existed before the Civil War and helped many break away from slavery but not through clues on quilts. Slaves fleeing for their lives did not need a Bow Tie quilt block to tell them to discard their old clothing and not look like slaves. Nor did they need a North Star block to know to head North to safety. While quilts were used for warmth or protection, there is “no historical evidence of quilts being used as signals, codes, or maps. The tale of quilts and the Underground Railroad makes a good story, but not good quilt history” (Barbara Brackman quoted at antiquequiltdating.com/Fact_Sheet_on_the_Quilt_Code.html. For more information, see her book “Facts & Fabrications: Unraveling the History of Quilts & Slavery,” 2006).

There are several ways to construct a Bow Tie block and a method for every skill level from beginner to advanced quilters. The original construction method involves inset seams and precision sewing. This method, which is more difficult, is often accomplished by hand sewing, which is better suited to the technique. In 1931, quilt designer Ruby McKim noted her Necktie “block is about as simple to make as a bowknot is to tie.” Since a Google search yields “14 steps to tie a bow tie,” I think that indicates that she considered it quite difficult to sew.

At about the same time (early 1930s), a new quick sew method appeared on the quilting scene. This fast and easy method uses four squares with small triangles added on the two background squares to complete the center knot. Since stodgy traditional quilters often scoff at modern quilters for looking for easy tricks, it is nice to see that quilting shortcuts have been around for a long time.

Single Bow Tie blocks can be combined to create additional interesting secondary patterns. Joining 4 blocks together in a diamond shape creates the pattern known as Magic Circle or Dumbell Block. With sashing added between the single ties, more blocks are created including Carrie’s Choice (Clara Stone, 1906) and Midget Necktie (Kansas City Star, 1937). The Bow Tie pattern continues to be very popular and online tutorials, quilt-alongs, block swaps, and classes abound for both traditional and Modern Bow Tie quilts.

On a collecting note: there are many vintage and antique Bow Tie blocks and quilts currently available for reasonable prices, so it might be time to “tie one on” and start your own Bow Tie collection

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Every fall, quilt historians and people who just love old and new quilts attend the annual meeting of the American Quilt Study Group (AQSG). So much happens during the multi-day event that it is taking three columns to share a bit of the amazing 2024 Seminar in Tarrytown, NY. The first columns focused on the wonderful tours to historical sites covering the Tri-State area (New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut). I also high-lighted the stellar New York quilts exhibit and the bed turnings, both of which showcased the unique quilt styles of the Empire State.

The second column focused on the scholarly paper presentations which can be accessed in Uncoverings through AQSG along with the other interesting speakers and entertainment, including the live auction with Dancing Juliettes and the Headless Horseman. We were in Sleepy Hollow, after all. Please see the prior columns to learn more (November 2024 and December 2024).

Just a glimpse of how magical those several days were in the Hudson River Valley, but there was so much more … myriad study cen-ters, a silent auction, show and tell, book signings, and the vendors mall.

Observe, share, and learn: study centers

First, a brief explanation of what a study center entails. It is a two-hour interactive discussion of a specialized topic. It involves a Power-point presentation as well as actual quilts or fabrics shared by the presenter and also brought in by attendees. These sessions are smaller and allow for more dialogue between participants and study center leaders; 2024 Study Centers numbered more than a dozen and covered a very wide range of topics and several centuries from a 1785 fabric honoring General George Washington to the “Art of Make Do Quilting” (using vintage fabrics and blocks to make modern quilts) and every-thing in between, including that ubiquitous little icon – Sunbonnet Sue and the inspiring Bertha Meckstroth and trail-blazing Jean Ray Laury.

Antique quilt and fabric acquisition opportunities abound

Most of the seminar attendees are at least casual collectors of antique textiles, while many are avid col-lectors and they all can find one must-have item to bring home from the many avail-able options. The vendors’ mall is comprised of some of the most esteemed national quilt dealers, smaller sellers, and those new to antique sales. It is like going to the best quilt museum and being able to get up close and touch the art and even buy a piece that captures your heart. It is an amazing experience every year! Likewise, the silent auction room is jam-packed with beautiful quilts, quilt tops, blocks, fabrics, etc., donated by members and available to bid on and buy.

There are always many treasures to be found there.

Additionally, the endowment table features a delightful mix of antique and reproduction fabrics and other tidbits to purchase and support the long-term funding of AQSG. The annual show-and-tell event give members the opportunity to show off unique items often purchased at prior or the current seminar and/or looking for new homes. And finally, book sale and signing offers members the chance to purchase books authored by fellow members to increase their knowledge of prior acquisitions or to encourage new collections.

I hope this inspires you to join the American Quilt Study Group and come to Portland, ME, for Seminar 2025. Also, visit their website to attend the virtual Winter Seminar Jan. 30 – Feb. 2, 2025.

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Every fall, lovers of quilt history (old and new) meet to share research, treasures, and friendship at the Annual Meeting/Fall Seminar of the American Quilt Study Group (AQSG). Last month, I shared some of the wonderful experiences I had visiting this year’s meeting in New York’s beautiful Hudson River Valley, with tours of New York City and surrounding states.

As always, it was an amazing event full of old and new friends and a lot of antique quilts. In the previous article, I focused on the off-site tours, but there are many terrific events at the host hotel included with seminar registration — from Early Fabric Printing, 1840s Signature Quilts, 1890s Cut and Sew Dolls, to Quilts in Museums and Rotary Cutters in the 20th and 21st Century.

One of the highlights of every year’s seminar are the scholarly paper presentations, which are peer-reviewed research papers showcasing “the most recent advances in quilt-related research.” The papers are presented at seminar and published in Uncoverings, the annual academic journal of AQSG.

These papers represent years of intense research by the authors, who must condense and collate that information into the written word and then further distill the information to a brief Powerpoint talk at seminar. We were treated to a stellar group of talks on a variety of quilt history, both past and present, as indicated above. It was a delight to learn details about such a range of topics and time periods, from early 1800s lapis printing to contemporary Instagram posts about close encounters with rotary cutters.

I loved seeing images of the “Playthings by the Yard,” adorable cut-and-sew dolls and toys of the late 1800s and early 1900s. Of course, my personal favorite was Cathy Erickson’s presentation on 1840s signature quilts in Southeast Pennsylvania, a topic near and dear to my heart. And we each came home with a copy of Uncoverings to dive further into the research papers.

Great food and entertainment

Seminar also features wonderful food paired with informative luncheon and dinner speakers. This year we enjoyed a keynote speech by African-American quilt artist Dr. Myrah Brown Green, speaking on “The Presence of African Symbols in North American Quilts.” The first luncheon speaker was the Quilt Journalist Meg Cox giving one of her State of the Quilt Union updates aka the Quilt Journalist Tells All -Seminar Edition, an interesting and timely update of the status of the quilting industry. Dr. Janneken Smucker took us back in time a century, speaking on “A New Deal for Quilts: How Quilting Helped Rebuild America in the New Deal Era” (check out her amazing book of the same title).

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