Tree of Life Quilt Block
In early American days, clipper ships brought cargoes of Indian and Persian cotton prints into western Atlantic ports. When quilt designers were looking for pattern ideas, the Tree of Life design, common to Oriental rugs, was easily converted to a quilt pattern. The appeal of the block lies not only in its intrinsic beauty, but for its quality of faith and belief in eternal life. The design quickly became a favorite among the religiously inclined settlers of the New World and their descendents. There are many variations of the design. A search in Maggie Malone's book, 5500 Quilt Block Designs, offers 6 variations. According to tradition, the distinguishing feature is the patchwork of the tree foliage and the trunk -- which is appliquéd on. The favored fabric for these old quilts was a calico in green tones with a darker green or brown fabric for the trunk. While the foliage was always a patterned fabric to show the variation of the light and dark of the tree, while the trunk was always a solid fabric. Patterns also can be found showing the block "on point" with the tree standing straight and tall. Happy Quilting!
Penny Halgren
TheQuiltingCoach
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