10 Important Hints for Making Perfect Quilts–1931 Edition
One of the best things about writing a novel set in 1933 is that I get to do lots of research about Depression-era quiltmaking. Recently, I ran across this list in a 1931 catalogue, Grandmother Clark’s Old-Fashioned Quilt Designs (Book 21):
Ten Hints for Making Perfect Quilts
1. Press all material well before cutting.
2. Use blotting paper for patterns. This will save you the trouble of pinning goods to pattern.
3. Cut each piece exactly like pattern.
4. Use a sharp pair of scissors for cutting pieces
5. Match all edges perfectly when sewing together.
6. One seam sewed wrong ruins the whole block.
7. Make all the blocks for a patchwork quilt and lay them out for best color combination before sewing them all together.
8. Sew lining to frame at top and bottom. Spread frame apart for same distance at each side. Then sew lining to sides of frame.
9. For quilting use fine thread. About number 50.
10. A safety razor blade, attached to a spring clothespin, makes a handy knife for cutting threads when quilting.
Thanks to the Quilt Index (http://www.quiltindex.org/ephemera_full_display.php?kid=5B-AA-3)
