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A  Retrospective of Quiltmaker “Granny” Browne
Interpreted by Jane McLean

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GRANDMOTHER’S FAN: MY STORY

​In the summer of 2015, Mary Browne of Knox NY gave me two large bags full of patchwork pieces and squares from her late husband’s grandmother, “Granny” Browne. Knowing that I love quilts and vintage fabrics, Mary assured me “You’ll do something with them.”
As I sorted through the collection, two ideas came to mind:
  • Create a display of Granny Browne’s Depression-era quiltmaking techniques for Knox Historical Society’s quilt show (July 2016).
  • Use the many “Grandmother’s Fan” pieces to create a dozen aprons for a fundraiser for Friends of the Berne Library (October 2016).
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Although we moved out of the Hilltowns in November 2015, I continued to work on both projects. I hope this exhibit takes you back to a time before rotary cutters, self-healing mats, acrylic rulers, fusible batting, and embroidery machines.

Jane McLean      Belfast, Maine      July 2016

Scroll down to see the exhibit and learn more about
​Granny Browne's quiltmaking techniques.
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GRANNY BROWNE’S TEMPLATES
  • ​Made her own templates from cardboard or paper that she had on hand
  • ​“Dresden Plate” template made from dividers in Shredded Wheat boxes
  • Wrote notes to herself on templates
  • Glued on sandpaper to help template grip fabric when tracing
  • With purchased templates, had to add her own ¼” seam allowance


​DRESDEN PLATE PIECES AND TEMPLATE
  • Based on earlier fan design
  • Very popular in 1920s and 1930s
  • Great variety of charming Depression-era prints
  • Each piece was traced and cut by hand
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TECHNIQUES AVOIDED BY MANY MODERN QUILTERS
  • All pieces traced and cut by hand
  • Upper Left: “Flying Geese”: Set-in or Y-shaped seams
  • Blue and White: Straight lines machine-sewn, curved seams hand-sewn
  • Half Star: White diamonds cut on bias or diagonal, making them stretchy (“wonky”)


​ANVIL
  • Hand-stitched
  • Thrifty use of fabrics: different muslins, center square is pieced together
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​GRANDMOTHER’S FAN: PINK
  • Old pattern revived in the early 1930s
  • Pastels and pinks very popular during the Depression
  • Pieces hand-stitched together, then appliqued on a background
  • Blanket stitch embroidery is unfinished


​SUNBONNET SUE: RED AND YELLOW
  • Storybook figure popular in the early 1900s
  • Revived in the 1930s to brighten the Depression years
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ROAD TO CALIFORNIA
  • Based on very old Biblical quilt block, “Jacob’s Ladder”
  • Use of many colors and patterns almost obscures the “ladder” or “road” running diagonally from top right



​SUNFLOWER: VARIATION
  • Hand-stitched, then would be needle-turn appliqued onto background
  • 1930s blue plaid
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​SAILBOAT
  • Possibly for a child’s quilt
  • Machine-stitched
  • Thrifty use of fabrics: different muslins, blue strip is pieced together


​SUNBONNET SUE: BLUE
  • All pieces traced, cut, and sewn by hand
  • Steps involved: trace and cut out pieces, turn edges under and baste to background in order, embroider, take out basting stitches
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​BOWTIE
  • Snappy 1930s firecracker fabric in a pattern from 1900, hand stitched
  • “Bowtie” looks deceptively simple; the set-in Y-shaped joins are challenging

​SCOTTIE DOG
  • Needle-turn appliqued onto muslin background
  • Red embroidered details
  • Inspired by the Scottie dog craze of the 1930s
  • Even the White House had a Scottie named Fala
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​DOUBLE WEDDING RING
  • Popular since the late 1920s
  • Often made for wedding or anniversary gifts
  • Many scraps work together because solid colors give the eye a resting place

​FOUR TULIPS
  • Preprinted applique square on heavy muslin
  • Possibly a kit: fabrics and notches for turning edges are uniformly cut
  • “Reseda” (stem) means grayish-green, named for a Mediterranean plant
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​UMBRELLA
  • For needle-turn applique: all edges would be turned under and hand-stitched down
  • Black-and-white novelty print probably from early 1900s, used with 1930s-1940s fabrics
  • Red sample shows hand-stitched seam and pencil seam line

​REDWORK
  • Embroidery pattern was stamped on muslin squares, called “penny squares”
  • Red embroidery thread was originally used in the stem stitch.
  • By the 1920s, many colorfast threads were used to create decorative items
  • Blue umbrella scene was probably part of a boy’s counterpane (bedspread)
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​BLUE AND WHITE
  • Both samples appear to use fabrics from early 1900s
  • Top sample is machine-sewn, bottom sample is hand-sewn
  • Neither method assured accuracy of “points”: notice some corners are cut off when the pieces are joined
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