Chart 51: Anne, Block #5, or our simplified Annie, in the Farmer's Wife 1930s Sew Along

In this classic block of many names, both Brackman and Beyer give first publication credit to Laura Wheeler, 1937, who called it Road to Fortune in the Indianapolis Star. However, both say that in 1974, McCalls printed a special publication called “Antique Quilts” that included a quilt called Pinwheels made from this pattern, however, the date it was made is unknown.

When I looked at Anne, it seemed like just too many unnecessary pieces for a 6-inch block, so this is another block where I chose a little fusing and edge-stitch treatment. Download the PDF conversion chart for full instructions of my method. I also chose to use matching-size triangles for my spinning triangles, as is typical for this pattern.We call our simplified version "Annie."

You will see in the PDF, I took advantage of the engineered corners on our templates and used the stitch and flip method for the smaller triangles on 8 A2 triangles instead of cutting odd shapes.

Doing Justice to the Block 

Sometimes using a single block in a Sampler quilt does not do the block justice. This is a perfect example. Looking at one block, it is hard to imagine how neat the newly-created pattern will be when the blocks touch. Usually we call that the secondary pattern, but I have seen at least one quilt where I think the secondary pattern shows equally or better than the pinwheel that is at the center of this block. Looking at one block with a pair of mirrors on adjacent sides of the block reveals the new design:

If you can, locate a copy of the beautiful book Mississippi Quilts by Mary Elizabeth Johnson, published in 2001 by University Press of Mississippi. Among other terrific antique quilts shown in the book, there is a great photo and story about this quilt on page 127. The quilt shown in the book was a gift from a group of quilters involved in a WPA program to their supervisor in Hancock Co. Mississippi. The quilt is very scrappy ’30s fabrics with a white background, except most of the smallest corner pieces were pink and green, making a consistent pink and green star where the corners of the blocks come together.

The book is the result of the Mississippi Heritage Quilt Search Project; for those of you who go to Paducah every year, you may remember this special exhibit at the 2001 Rotary Antique Quilt Show. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was a government program during the Depression which promoted handcrafts, including quilting.

On a Similar Topic

I love the state quilt search documentation books and have many of them. Like Mississippi Quilts, these books are treasure troves of quilt history. If you are interested in knowing more about quilts that were made in your area, you will find a starter list of search project books by state here: http://www.booksandoldlace.com/quilting/StateQuiltHistoryBibliography.htm

My Annie Block

Click the links below to download the Template Conversion Chart for cutting and making Annie:

From Marti Michell Chart #51
Block #5 in the Farmer's Wife 1930s Sew Along 

In addition to our template conversion PDF download, you will want to read Gnome Angel's tutorials for these blocks.

The Farmer’s Wife 1930s Sampler Quilt: Inspiring Letters from Farm Women of the Great Depression and 99 Quilt Blocks That Honor Them by Laurie Aaron Hird for Fons & Porter/F+W.