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Category Archives: Quilt Block Patterns

Bear’s Paw, Duck’s Foot in the Mud, or Hand of Friendship?

by Cat

I did a little research to find out the story behind the Bear’s Paw Quilt I started so many years ago. The Bear’s Paw block is well over 100 years old and possibly originated in pioneer America. It is related to the sawtooth border, which first appeared in many mid- nineteenth century quilts as a strip around the edge of the quilt and later, in blocks. (See example of a sawtooth border below) I personally imagine a creative woman designed the block from her impression of bear tracks near her cabin or perhaps, some wilderness trail. Regardless of how it actually came to be, the pattern has survived through the years and remains a very popular traditional pattern. In pioneer America, quilters who wanted to make a quilt for someone who was planning a dangerous undertaking often chose the Bear’s Paw design.

Sawtooth Border

As a longarm quilter, I see many different types of quilts. Although I am a Civil War quilt enthusiast and love traditional blocks and reproduction fabrics, I have a deep appreciation for contemporary quilts as well. I have learned through my years of quilting for others that every quilt has its own story to tell. Sometimes traditional quilters have little appreciation for the symbolism in a contemporary quilt and vice versa. To follow my line of thought regarding traditional vs. contemporary, even traditional blocks like the Bear’s Paw are abstract designs made up of various geometric shapes to show someone’s concept of a bear’s track. In other parts of the United States where ducks are more common than bears, the Bear’s Paw is known as Duck’s Foot in the Mud. In Pennsylvania where Quakers (also known as Friends) settled, it is called the Hand of Friendship. A 2009 quilt I recently quilted left nothing to the imagination at all with a realistic bear appliquéd on the quilt top.

Realistic Bear Applique

Bear's Paw, Duck's Foot in the Mud, or Hand of Friendship?

These pictures further illustrate my point that every quilt tells a story based on the designer’s imagination and her creative use of shapes and patterns. Each one is special in its own right, wouldn’t you agree? -Cat

A Sentimental Reminder

by Cat

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In the first year of my marriage, my mother-in-law introduced me to the world of quilting. She had joined the bandwagon of quilters in the ’70′s and was eager to share her craft with me. (If any new mother-in-law out there wants to establish a lifelong friendship with her daughter-in-law, teach her to quilt. )

I decided to use a Bear’s Paw pattern for my first quilt. I chose a blue solid and a blue and white tiny floral print for my two fabric selections, and in my mind, it was going to be the most beautiful quilt in the world. Carefully, I traced each triangle with a template and cut it out with scissors (no rotary cutters in those days). Then, because we were such purists, I stitched each piece together by hand. In order to be a genuine quilt, we felt it had to be entirely hand-stitched from the piecing to the quilting.

Today, my mother-in-law and I still enjoy getting together to work on quilt projects. We save our handwork, such as binding or hand-appliqué, for these times. There will always be a special appreciation in our hearts for handwork, but as far as piecing and quilting are concerned, we now state emphatically, “If the pioneer women had owned sewing machines, they would have used them!” That goes for longarm quilting machines, too! We certainly accomplish a lot more with this new philosophy.

By the way, I’m sad to say I never finished that blue and white Bear’s Paw quilt. I guess I was overwhelmed by the enormity of the project and all the hand sewing. Come to think of it, I believe I’ll take one of the completed blocks out of the hope chest and frame it. It will be a sentimental reminder of how I got to where I am today, don’t you think?

Blue and white Bear's Paw Quilt Block

Here it is! I decided to search for the blocks in my hope chest. This one still seems to be in good shape considering how long ago I stitched it. Actually, I could put six of them together and make a wall hanging or, I could frame this one. It reminds me of a Star block my mother-in-law had framed for me as a Christmas gift one year. It was one of several blocks made by her mother-in-law that had never been put together as a quilt. Now, at least it’s a special memory for me and not stuffed away in a box somewhere.

Framed Star Quilt Block

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