My friend, Patty (Petalier on Etsy), sent me an enormous box of vintage embroidery transfers, many of which were the large format designs from Laura Wheeler and American Weekly. I am in the process of scanning the transfers and will be posting them soon. Tucked in among the transfers was this timely and pretty quilt pattern, Flower of Spring, which shares a name with the KC Star appliqué pattern. Since our forecast is for sunny weather all week in Seattle, I am feeling rather springy today.
Laura Wheeler was just one of the pseudonyms used by Needlecraft Service, Inc., a mail order pattern company located in NYC. The heyday for these patterns must have been the 1930s and 40s, because that’s the period I found most of their ads in archived newspapers. Under the Laura Wheeler name, Needlecraft Service, Inc. published patterns for quilting, crochet, knitting, embroidery and sewing.
LW quilt patterns are generally complex, with many pieces, curves and set-in seams — just the type of patterns I love. Also, lots of them are perfect for scrappy type quilts, which is another plus for me. The original pattern sheet is large at 18″ x 24″ and gives two choices of fabric width (32″ and 34″), so you would need a little less yardage if you’re using modern fabric.
Because people sell photocopies of these patterns for ridiculous amounts of money, I have watermarked the high resolution image. Other large images of Laura Wheeler quilt patterns are available in earlier posts: Wreath, Joseph’s Coat, and Star of the Night. Below the pattern is a gallery of newspaper clippings of other Laura Wheeler patterns. If, like me, you enjoy drafting your own patterns, these old ads are a wonderful resource; and if you’ve never made a quilt using templates and hand piecing, maybe one of these patterns will inspire you to try.
