Racking my brains - what's the name for this quilt pattern?

I normally don't work from a pattern, never mind an old one. The square turned up in a bad 70s mat in a local thrift. It all but fell apart when I took it apart. Donated the frame.

 

That fabric looks old. Victorian-old.

Debora

 

I think you're right about that. I figured as late as about 1920 and assembled pre-1930, but made from whatever was in the rag bag.

 

That's a long time for a piece of fabric to be in a rag bag. How old was the frame?

Debora

 

I have made several quilts and at first I thought it might just be what is called a crazy quilt but I see there is somewhat of a pattern so maybe sawtooth?

 

It does look like a sawtooth variation.

Debora

 

Is it Goose Tracks? I have a quilt square my grandma made that my mom saved. One of the days I should frame it.



https://blog.shopmartingale.com/qui...you-made/attachment/goose-tracks-quilt-block/

 

This site says it's also called signal.

http://chestercriswellquilt.blogspot.com/2018/09/duck-duck-goose-tracks.html

 

That's it! Great work.

 

That's it! I knew it was out there somewhere. Framing the singles is a good idea. Framing them in high acid mat in an ugly color? Not so much.

1970s or early 1980s. It's not that far fetched. If the fabric was made into curtains or clothing and the clothing got damaged or wore out, it could easily happen. I have hunks of 50s fabric here and have found uncut 1930s feed sack fabric before. (sold on Eboo for a nice chunk) It wouldn't be impossible to make a new square out of fabric older than you are.

 

This dislodged a memory I hadnt thought of in years. When I was very young,like 5-6 ,there was a little old lady who lived in a tiny frame house about half a block away from us (she kept chickens,so ALL the kids were constantly feeding them and playing in the coop and getting ringworm,much to our mothers dismay!) and she would often give us ice cold sugar water and homemade cookies. But I digress! Suspended from the ceiling in her tiny front room was a quilting frame,and I used to love to sit and watch when she and her equally elderly friends would sit around it and work on it. She gave my mother a wedding ring quilt wich has long been gone. She died when I was like 8,and all of us kids were so sad .

 

Your moms weren't sad about the lack of ringworm, but a ceiling-hung quilt frame sounds familiar. One of those is necessary if you're hand-quilting something of any size and don't want it to get all lumpy.