In the late 1920's and 30's, Florence LaGanke Harris wrote a quilt column called the Nancy Page Club for syndicated newspapers around the country. Each week a new pattern appeared, along with a quaint story about the ladies that read like minutes from a quilt guild meeting. Eleanor Burns located the original Nancy Page Club clippings from Grandmother's Garden Quilt, which appeared in the Nashville Banner in 1928. This series centers on the construction of this charming old-fashioned quilt of baskets filled with appliqued flowers. Historical women from this time period are also featured.
#1901 Nancy Page Club
Eleanor introduces Florence LaGanke and the Nancy Page Club from the 1928 Nashville Banner. Historical quilts and tidbits of information share the limelight with new quilts made by Eleanor and her sister Patricia.
#1902 Making the Basket
Eleanor shares antique basket quilts, and then shows the easy grid method to create the same patchwork in half the time.
#1903 Crocus
Spring into action with the first flower, the early crocus. Eleanor shows general techniques for making the flowers, and turns bias green strips into sturdy stems.
#1904 Harebell and Bluet
Club members could visualize these dainty flowers swaying on their slender stems in the breeze among the grasses. Eleanor and Patricia add dimension to them just with some simple folds in the fabric. See how to finish one block into a charming wall hanging.
#1905 Fuchsia and Bleeding Heart
Nancy tells club members that the fuchsia is symbolic of Christ, with its purple "robe" and crimson "heart". Club members visualized the Bleeding heart as "broken romance and languishing thought." Eleanor quickly sews vines with a machine chain stitch.
#1906 Rose and Zinnia
In memory of Nancy's grandmother's garden, Eleanor show how to make roses in four different colors - one for each corner of the garden. Fussy cut leaves and centers make the roses unique. Patricia adds a ruched center to the zinnia, once a weed in Grandmother's garden.
#1907 Poppy and Shooting Stars
Eleanor and Patricia show how to change simple circles and squares into these two beautiful flowers. Was it strange that the Nancy Page Club members grew sleepy as they worked? Not at all, because the poppy always crowned Somnus, the God of Sleep of the Ancients.
#1908 Pansy and Morning Glory
Nancy's club all fell in love with their pansy block. The morning glory is one of the blessings of rising early! Working with mottled fabric, Patricia shows how to bring fabric flowers to life.
#1909 Tiger Lily and Balloon Flower
Nancy said the tiger lily brightened the gray stone in the garden even on a sunny day, and on a dull day it seemed to burn and glow. Eleanor gathers the buds on both flowers, and brightens the entire quilt.
#1910 Jonquil and Trillium
The trillium was one of the best loved flowers in Grandmother's Garden, because it was one of the first to show its colors. Eleanor shows you how to turn in bottom edges on petals, and gather with stitching.
#1911 Canterbury Bells and Tulip
In describing the two flowers for the day, Nancy Page pointed out the merry little fling the bells had. The group thought the tulips were the gayest and one of the prettiest thus far. Eleanor rounds out curves in the petals.
#1912 Finishing Quilt with Solid Squares and Sawtooth Border
"And have you ever seen a more beautiful quilt?" The Nancy Page Club members know they never have. Eleanor shows how to set the quilt together, and add dimension with feathers.
#1913 Finishing Quilt with Lattice and Cornerstones
Cables and binding finish off the beautiful traditional quilt.
#1914 Little Baskets
The United States Post Office commemorated the quilt pattern on postage stamps years ago. Eleanor shows how to make the from 4" squares and fusible bias tape.
#1915 Patty's Flower Pot
Eleanor and Patty quilt some pansies and set them in a fabric window. See how to turn old time yo yo's into a Pansy Pin and pillow.
#1916 Salvage Sally
Originally this pattern was printed in newspapers in the 1930's. The byline read, "Rescue gay bits of scraps." Eleanor simplifies this quaint appliqued basket filled with flowers.
#1917 Easy Basket with Tulips
Get a handle on this one! It's a quick basket from strips and squares! Mitered borders from stripe fabric finish the quilt.
#1918 French Bouquet
Eleanor and Patty tie a fancy bow around a handful of beautiful fabric flowers, while song birds watch closely.
#1919 Strip Tulip Quilt, Part 1
Ruby McKim, writer for the Kansas City Star in the early 1930's, created this "art deco" tulip pattern. Eleanor shows how to serge it up from strips.
#1920 Strip Tulip Quilt, Part 2
Eleanor tiptoes through the tulips, adding dimension to the quilt top.
