4 - Block quilts

I have long been a lover of 4-block quilts. It all began with the purchase of Gwen Marston’s Rose and Tulip book. I loved each and every quilt in that book. I have always said that if I could only keep one book that would be the one. Not long after purchasing that book I took a 4-block class from Terry Clothier-Thompson. I have spoken of her before and how she has been such a great influence on my quilting. At this point I decided I would attempt to accomplish a 4-block quilt every other year. I have really kept to this promise. A couple are still just the 4-blocks. I envision some fantastic border with them but I am short the fabric, so they sit. I made a list this year of a few UFO’s I definitely want to finish within the year. They are both on it so I will need to pull them out soon. This is one I made a year and a half ago. I took it to my quilter last year and got it back a few months ago. I know what my 4 block will be this year, it is a pieced one so I plan on working on it at our retreat this fall. I have 2 others down on paper that I designed myself so I hope to accomplish them in the next couple of years.
A little history on 4-block quilts; they were most likely to have been first constructed by those of German descent. As these people moved within the United States the designs spread with them. The 4-block setting was at it’s height in popularity between 1820 and 1870. Cloth production had boomed by 1830 and large pieces of fabric were readily available. Many of the block designs had Pennsylvania-German characteristics such as brightly colored fabrics, Fraktur-style tulips, feather vines and urns of flowers. Our first centennial in 1876 was commemorated with 4 –block; quilts using a single eagle in each block. Very few pieced 4-block quilts have been found in state documentations. The most common pieced patterns would be Blazing Star, Rocky Mountain and 8 pointed stars.