Ruby McKim Quilts

When I first started to make quilts appliqué was my very favorite technique. I was lucky enough to have learned from one, in my opinion, of the very best quilt teachers, Laurene Sinema. And Laurene is the one who planted the seed for my love of antique quilts. When Laurene first introduced me to Ruby McKim quilt patterns I was hooked. And when I started to collect quilts, of course I recognized those patterns. Also I was lucky enough in the early 90’s to acquire the volumes of Ruby McKim/Kansas City Star Patterns compiled and edited by Harold and Dorothymae Groves. I have the patterns Volume QP 1-6, suitable for redwork or embroidery. I don’t think they are available anymore. I did find this information here. But none of the contact info is any good. I highly recommend collecting these books. None were on Amazon right now, but I would keep looking.

Here are some of my quilts and tops with Ruby McKim patterns. Dates are when the patterns were originally published.

Mother Goose Quiltie 1916

Flower Garden Quilt 1930

And the one I wrote about here.

Farm Life Quilt 1930

Peter Pan Quilt 1926

Roly-Poly Quilt 1923

My quilt is dated February 25, 1924 and has many signatures, purchased this in Texas.

Bird Life Quilt 1928 

Toy Shop Window 1933

This is the first antique crib quilt I bought around 1998. I love this, so sweet.

Bible History Quilt 1927

Bedtime Quilt 1916

Patchwork Sampler Quilt 1930

I wrote a little about this pattern here and have taken that quilt top apart, but not sure I’ll ever get it back together. It needs a lot of help. But I did buy this quilt. Love, love, love.

Not too long ago I bought a quilt that really doesn’t fit into any of my collections, not something I would usually buy, but I thought it was really different and I wasn’t familiar with the pattern. After having it several months I was looking through one of Ruby McKim’s Designs Worth Doing catalogues dated 1931-1932 and what did I see an ad for a kit for my quilt. I was really surprised. I guess because I love the applique and embroidery pattern so much I really haven’t paid too much attention to the pieced patterns she did.

The maker of this quilt couldn’t quite figure out how that leaf in the bottom right corner was suppose to be. Funny! Mine has 15 Iris blocks that measure 12 inches x 15 inches.

There are six different patterns. Now you know what I am on the lookout for.

Do you have any of these quilts? Tulip, Pansy, Iris, Rose, Wild Rose and Sunflower.

Well, I did find another one the Rose pattern now in my collection. Only four more to collect!

I hope you will share your Ruby McKim quilts on the Facebook Group, Quilts-Vintage and Antique I would love to see and hear about them.

Another one I found summer 2012. Oriental Poppy

I wanted to add this update about another blog with wonderful information about Ruby McKim. Check out the blog at The Quilters Hall of Fame Blog.

Hexagon-Mosaic Quilt

I purchased this quilt recently at an antique show in Phoenix.

I loved the design, the fabric and the fact that the ends were cut out for a poster bed. I immediately dated it to c. 1900 because of the green “path” fabric which I know as chambray. I have always heard if you see chambray in any quilt it cannot be dated before 1900-1910. Is this true? I don’t claim to be an antique quilt expert by any definition.

Two fellow antique quilt collectors recently saw it and started to question the date for chambray, n. a fine lightweight fabric woven with white threads across a colored warp. Weaving is a textile production method which involves interlacing a set of longer threads (called the warp) with a set of crossing threads (called the weft). This is done on a frame or machine known as a loom. Chambray seems to be such a simple fabric weave concept, makes sense to me that it was possible long before 1900-1910.

Maybe what I am calling chambray was really called something else earlier. Gingham? Calico? Muslin? I do know the meaning of these terms have changed over the centuries.

Ad from my Montgomery Ward, Fall & Winter 1936-1937 catalog

While looking around the web trying to find more on chambray, I read a lot about denim. Seems like a close relationship to chambray. At least in 1936 chambray was sometimes more than two colors, I did not know that. I thought it was just white and one other color.

Ad from my Montgomery Ward, Fall & Winter 1936-1937 catalog

Here are a lot of close ups of the other fabric in the quilt. These are definitely early than 1900. The hexagons are finely hand sew. Paper pieced? That’s hard to tell. The hexes are about 2 ½ inches. Looks like it was all done by the same person. It has a very smooth feel on all the fabric, unwashed. The batting feels like wool, and the binding is machine sewn.

I guess I should show you the back of the quilt. This pink is one of my favorites. My master bedroom is done all in double pinks and browns.

So what do you think? Any thoughts on the quilt? What about the date? It sure would be nice if these quilts could talk!

Red and Green Applique Tulips

Quilt hunting in Houston, found this quilt today. Needs a little mending on the applique.
Thought it was a pretty nice addition to my collection.

Here is the one I did not buy. Over my budget. Nice except for the binding.

ALBUM QUILT

“Grandma’s Last Quilt”

©DEBRA LYNN MILLER

The first time I saw this design was in a book published in 2000 by Chitra Publications. Grandma’s Last Quilt. Loving applique and antique album quilts I immediately fell in love with the quilt. January 2001 I was a member of a group, Tucson Applique Stitchers, a chapter of The Applique Society.  Our annual focus was to create a quilt to donate to a worthy cause. A fellow member suggested we make this quilt. Also at the time Laurene Sinema’s line of fabric “1850’s Legacies & Beyond” was on the market.

Laurene Sinema’s line of fabric “1850’s Legacies & Beyond”

Laurene Sinema (June 22, 1929 - November 23, 2003) an inductee in the Arizona Quilters Hall of Fame had a huge influence on Arizona appliquers and quilters. Laurene was fighting her battle with cancer and the TAS decided we would use her fabric in the quilt as a tribute to her.

Twenty-five members of the TAS worked many hours to hand applique and hand quilt the Album Quilt. In November 2003 the quilt was raffled and proceeds were donated to Quilt for a Cause.

Quilt for a Cause Quilt

The winner of the quilt donated the quilt back to Quilt for a Cause for their 2006 auction. The quilt was entered in multiple quilt shows, including the International Quilt Show in Houston where it won a third place ribbon.

But the story for me does not end there. And no I did not win the quilt at the 2006 auction. But I can assure you it has a great new home where it is loved and adored.

While cruising a Phoenix antique store in 2006, I found the following advertisement for the Country Gentlewoman magazine dated 1941.

Country Gentlewoman

"Flower Album"

Of course I recognized it immediately as the Album Quilt the TAS had made. The advertisement says you can order a transfer pattern for $1.00. I am still trying to find out more information about this pattern. It is almost impossible to find past records from magazines from that time period. I was happy to have the original page from the magazine to add to my ephemera.

March 2008 the following quilt was on eBay, I knew I had to have it.

The eBay quilt had the exact same blocks as Grandma’s Last Quilt. I noticed the placements of the blocks were different. But when I looked at the ad from the Country Gentlewoman clearly the first three rows that run head to foot are the same block placement as my quilt. I was excited to own such a wonderful quilt.

Other sightings of this design:

In the book Minnesota Quilts (2005)  on page 118 is a quilt called Sampler Quilt. They are the exact same 25 blocks. At first glance the layout looked different. But then I noticed if I looked at the mirror image of the Minnesota Sampler Quilt it does have the same exact layout as my quilt.

Mirror Image Minnesota Sampler Quilt

I might guess the slide picture of the quilt was backwards when published. I would like to know.

In October 2008 I attended my first AQSG Seminar in Columbus, Ohio. I purchased a book from the silent auction. It is a small catalog of quilts from The Denver Art Museum (1974). A black and white picture of a quilt they call the Bride’s Quilt was pictured. I wrote right away to see if I could obtain a color picture. Found out it was published in a Japanese book American Patchwork Quilt-The Denver Art Museum (1986).  The DAM quilt was made and gifted to the museum by Charlotte Jane Whitehill. Whitehill dates her quilt 1945 and attributes the pattern given to her by Hazel Cline Lennartson. Information from DAM adds:

“The Lennartson family pattern, probably a copy of one of the Lennartson brides’ quilts with each square donated by a friend of the bride."

The DAM quilt has all 25 blocks and the layout is almost perfect match with my quilt if you do a mirror image. There are two blocks in the DAM quilt that are in a different location. Top row fourth block and third row second block are switched. Again could the slide have been put in backwards? Question for further study.

Came across another quilt with 12 of the 25 blocks.  This is in a book called American Beauties: Rose and Tulip Quilts (1988). The authors say:

“These 12 blocks and 13 others were first published by Country Gentleman in 1941 in an article about a sampler quilt from 1850. Around 1945, Charlotte Jane Whitehill used all of the patterns in her famous BRIDE’S QUILT, now in the Denver Art Museum.”

So Gwen Marston and Joe Cunningham, the authors, in 1988 had some piece of information that said Charlotte Jane Whitehill used the patterns? Or did they assume she used the patterns because of the dates?

They also refer to an article in Country Gentleman about a sampler quilt from 1850. The ad I have says Country Gentlewoman. I need to find out if there was such an article in the Country Gentleman. This quilt can now be seen on The Quilt Index.  This is where my research ends for now. 

If you have any information on this pattern I’d love to hear from you.

ALBUM QUILT

“Grandma’s Last Quilt”

©DEBRA LYNN MILLER

The first time I saw this design was in a book published in 2000 by Chitra Publications. Grandma’s Last Quilt. Loving applique and antique album quilts I immediately fell in love with the quilt. January 2001 I was a member of a group, Tucson Applique Stitchers, a chapter of The Applique Society.  Our annual focus was to create a quilt to donate to a worthy cause. A fellow member suggested we make this quilt. Also at the time Laurene Sinema’s line of fabric “1850’s Legacies & Beyond” was on the market.

Laurene Sinema’s line of fabric “1850’s Legacies & Beyond”

Laurene Sinema (June 22, 1929 - November 23, 2003) an inductee in the Arizona Quilters Hall of Fame had a huge influence on Arizona appliquers and quilters. Laurene was fighting her battle with cancer and the TAS decided we would use her fabric in the quilt as a tribute to her.

Twenty-five members of the TAS worked many hours to hand applique and hand quilt the Album Quilt. In November 2003 the quilt was raffled and proceeds were donated to Quilt for a Cause.

Quilt for a Cause Quilt

The winner of the quilt donated the quilt back to Quilt for a Cause for their 2006 auction. The quilt was entered in multiple quilt shows, including the International Quilt Show in Houston where it won a third place ribbon.

But the story for me does not end there. And no I did not win the quilt at the 2006 auction. But I can assure you it has a great new home where it is loved and adored.

While cruising a Phoenix antique store in 2006, I found the following advertisement for the Country Gentlewoman magazine dated 1941.

Country Gentlewoman

"Flower Album"

Of course I recognized it immediately as the Album Quilt the TAS had made. The advertisement says you can order a transfer pattern for $1.00. I am still trying to find out more information about this pattern. It is almost impossible to find past records from magazines from that time period. I was happy to have the original page from the magazine to add to my ephemera.

March 2008 the following quilt was on eBay, I knew I had to have it.

The eBay quilt had the exact same blocks as Grandma’s Last Quilt. I noticed the placements of the blocks were different. But when I looked at the ad from the Country Gentlewoman clearly the first three rows that run head to foot are the same block placement as my quilt. I was excited to own such a wonderful quilt.

Other sightings of this design:

In the book Minnesota Quilts (2005)  on page 118 is a quilt called Sampler Quilt. They are the exact same 25 blocks. At first glance the layout looked different. But then I noticed if I looked at the mirror image of the Minnesota Sampler Quilt it does have the same exact layout as my quilt.

Mirror Image Minnesota Sampler Quilt

I might guess the slide picture of the quilt was backwards when published. I would like to know.

In October 2008 I attended my first AQSG Seminar in Columbus, Ohio. I purchased a book from the silent auction. It is a small catalog of quilts from The Denver Art Museum (1974). A black and white picture of a quilt they call the Bride’s Quilt was pictured. I wrote right away to see if I could obtain a color picture. Found out it was published in a Japanese book American Patchwork Quilt-The Denver Art Museum (1986).  The DAM quilt was made and gifted to the museum by Charlotte Jane Whitehill. Whitehill dates her quilt 1945 and attributes the pattern given to her by Hazel Cline Lennartson. Information from DAM adds:

“The Lennartson family pattern, probably a copy of one of the Lennartson brides’ quilts with each square donated by a friend of the bride."

The DAM quilt has all 25 blocks and the layout is almost perfect match with my quilt if you do a mirror image. There are two blocks in the DAM quilt that are in a different location. Top row fourth block and third row second block are switched. Again could the slide have been put in backwards? Question for further study.

Came across another quilt with 12 of the 25 blocks.  This is in a book called American Beauties: Rose and Tulip Quilts (1988). The authors say:

“These 12 blocks and 13 others were first published by Country Gentleman in 1941 in an article about a sampler quilt from 1850. Around 1945, Charlotte Jane Whitehill used all of the patterns in her famous BRIDE’S QUILT, now in the Denver Art Museum.”

So Gwen Marston and Joe Cunningham, the authors, in 1988 had some piece of information that said Charlotte Jane Whitehill used the patterns? Or did they assume she used the patterns because of the dates?

They also refer to an article in Country Gentleman about a sampler quilt from 1850. The ad I have says Country Gentlewoman. I need to find out if there was such an article in the Country Gentleman. This quilt can now be seen on The Quilt Index.  This is where my research ends for now. 

If you have any information on this pattern I’d love to hear from you.

Ironer/Mangle Ruby McKim

What Fun!

Who says that about ironing? Me, now that I have my Iron Rite Ironer (Mangle) working. I had no idea how much fun and how neat this was to use.

We took a little trip in April to California and some of our favorite antique stores. I like the stores in Orange best. I purchased this top.

















Paid way too much for it, but I am a sucker for Ruby McKim patterns and this is flowers from her
"Flower Garden Quilt" 1930.




It did have issues. Some stains and the construction was awful. Big rippley sashing. I just had to start taking it apart immediately. So after a trip to Jo-Ann's for a seam ripper, I spent the remaining days of our trip taking it apart. Not an easy project. Tiny, tiny stitches in some parts.



















By the time we got back home I had it all apart. Soaked the blocks, and gently washed the green sashing and borders. I knew I wanted to make the blocks smaller, too much background for me. When I had them all laid out to dry, I thought about the Iron Rite Model 88 I had sitting in my garage for over a year. One thing lead to another, and soon I had the thing working with a new muslin cover. Doesn't it look great?







I had no idea just how great this was to iron with. It is soooo cool! In no time at all I had all of the blocks and sashing pressed and ready to recut. This machine is a must if you love and do applique and embroidery. There is no way my handheld iron could have gotten these so perfectly pressed. You press them damp and it is like you starched them. If you want more info on the ironers check this site out. 
Lots of info and there are videos on using the thing. Who knew?

Finished top!

I am very happy with the finished results. Now I am thinking about all those vintage dresser scarfs that need washing and ironing.