Newspaper Quilt Patterns During the 1930s
Posted: Saturday, May 24, 2008
by Penny Halgren
How to Quilt
During the Great Depression, Americans relied on their local newspapers for quite a lot. In some instances, the newspapers printed photos of the local high school's seniors who used that special edition in lieu of the yearbook the school could not afford to print. There were numerous children who served as a "paper boy," delivering newspapers to make a little extra money for their families.
1930 newspaper quilt patterns were very common in rural U.S. states. The Kansas City Star actually began printing patterns for quilters in 1926. The newspaper carried on the tradition until 1961. The quilt patterns were published weekly at first, then as interest seemed to dwindle, the patterns were printed monthly before being pulled from the publication all together. In all, just over 1000 quilt patterns were published by the Kansas City newspaper. Collectors have found copies of all of them and now offer a compilation for sale.
The Kansas City newspaper was not the only one to publish newspaper quilt patterns. Many other rural papers did the same.
The 1930 newspaper quilt patterns helped preserve part of the country's heritage. Even though times were tougher than ever economically, the 1930 newspaper quilt patterns focused on the things that were truly important to quilters of that day and served as an emotional boost as well.
One popular 1930 newspaper quilt pattern was "The Magic Vine." The design was presented as a series in a newspaper column written by Florence LaGanke Harris. In addition to the weekly quilt pattern, Harris wrote a fictional story about a quilting group. Readers followed the antics of the group and its fictional leader, Nancy Page. As readers followed the goings-on of the imaginary quilting group, they also stitched along with each week's pattern. Readers were so engaged by the weekly column and quilting that they submitted their own quilt designs for consideration. The end result from Harris' column was a quilt of beautifully appliquéd flowers with vines that entwined. Another of the popular 1930 newspaper quilt patterns included in Harris' weekly column was the "Memory Bouquet." The quilt featured 9x12 inch blocks appliquéd with various flowers. Imagine the cheery look of the finished product with its hollyhock, tulips, violets, carnations, zinnias, jonquils and more!
The weekly 1930 newspaper quilt patterns gave quilters some much needed enjoyment and thrifty entertainment. In addition to providing reasonably priced quilt patterns during The Great Depression era in the United States, the quilts also focused on an important part of life in the 1930's: the children. Many of the 1930 newspaper quilt patterns for children featured nursery rhymes. Some quilts featured one single nursery rhyme while others compiled several children's favorites onto one quilt top. The patterns were designed so that they could be appliquéd or embroidered. Redwork was popular on quilts at the time!
The 1930 newspaper quilt patterns were a direct reflection of life during the Great Depression. Quilters saved money by using the patterns. They continued providing necessary warmth for their families and offered the quilts they made from the 1930 newspaper patterns as gifts for many occasions.
If you would like to create your own quilt from 1930 newspaper quilt patterns, they are available -- usually as copied images or in books. There are several collections available that could be appliquéd, embroidered or hand painted. To find your own collection of 1930 newspaper quilt patterns, check your favorite hobby or book store for a book or dvd of all the available patterns. The Internet is another great source of finding 1930 newspaper quilt patterns.
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Penny Halgren, a quilter of 27 years, loves sharing her knowledge of quilting with those who would like to learn how to quilt. Sign up for a free newsletter, quilting tips and quilt block patterns at http://www.How-to-Quilt.com
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)This article was very helpful - my grandmother (from ruralll south Georgia) made this quilt and I inherited it! It's lovely and I am very proud to own it - I never knew the name of the pattern, but remembered that the pattern had been published in the Atlanta, GA newspaper. Thanks so much for the history lesson - the story makes it so much more meaningful. I am exhititing the quilt in a quilt show in June and this information will certainly help with the exhibit. Susan Stein, Fairhope, AL 5-26-10
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