Patterns & Techniques

Dear Jane – the 225 patterns from the 1863 Jane A. Stickle quilt.

Making a Silk Purse out of a Sow’s Ear – using those wonderful vintage blocks in a new quilt. Kris Driessen

Stitched in Silk and Secrets: The Victorian Crazy Quilt
Victorian crazy quilts were silk, velvet, and embroidery showpieces that revealed a woman’s wealth, skill, and creative voice.

The Craze for Crazy Quilts by Cindy Brick

I’m working retrieving information from the old site. These are the articles I hope to get online soon:

Origins of classic blocks (Log Cabin, Nine Patch, etc.)
Pattern naming trends and cultural influence
Newspaper and catalog pattern distribution
Commercial pattern companies
Pattern “borrowing” and renaming
Regional pattern variations

A thin blue decorative flourish with symmetrical loops and swirls, often used as a divider or embellishment in documents and designs.

About the Author

Kris Driessen is a quilt designer, writer, teacher, former quilt shop owner, retired quilt appraiser and restorer, and founder of the Quilt History List. She created this site for curious people who want to know more about the quilts they have inherited, collected, rescued, or simply admired.

Her articles focus on quilt history, fabric clues, care, preservation, research resources, and the stories that help turn an old quilt into something more than “that quilt in the closet.” Her hope is that readers will see old quilts as treasures worth saving and passing along.