Old Cars Quilt

This quilt was completed by Dorothy and/or Stan in 1985, but the pattern is based on a series of ceramic collector’s plates which were popular during the 1960s. The plates were in turn nostalgic about the early days of motorized vehicles, the most primitive cars. Blocks contain cross-stitched images of cars dating from 1896 onward. In the 30 blocks there are 14 distinct cars depicted including an 1896 Ford, a 1908 Buick, a 1904 Oldsmobile, a 1903 Cadillac and a 1909 Studebaker. The backing of the quilt is a very finely patterned cross-hatched calico. The quilt is bound and bordered in a russet-colored fabric. This same fabric creates a grid around cream-colored squares. Inside the squares the cars are carefully cross-stitched. The quilting in the border follows a spiral pattern. The quilting in the squares is very clever: the ground appears arched like a roadway, behind the cars the quilting forms vertical panels so that all of the squares have a uniform background appearance.

The patterns for these cars came from Aunt Martha transfers. In the early years of the Great Depression, the Colonial Readicut Quilt Block Company quilt selling blocks of fabric and began to sell paper patterns because they were less expensive. Over time, the company changed its name to Aunt Martha to evoke the spirit of Martha Washington. Aunt Martha’s continued for years to come, borrowing patterns from everywhere. They even invited quilters to submit their patterns for widespread distribution. It continues today in the Colonial Patterns company of Kansas City, Missouri.