During the Great Depression, Americans relied on their local newspapers for quite a lot. In some instances, the newspapers printed photos of the local high school's seniors who used that special edition in lieu of the yearbook the school could not afford to print. There were numerous children who served as a "paper boy," delivering newspapers to make a little extra money for their families.



Newspapers during that time also provided a service to quilters. Many newspapers published quilt patterns for their readers during the Great Depression.

1930 newspaper quilt patterns were very common in rural U.S. states. The Kansas City Star actually began printing patterns for quilters in 1926. The newspaper carried on the tradition until 1961. The quilt patterns were published weekly at first, then as interest seemed to dwindle, the patterns were printed monthly before being pulled from the publication all together. In all, just over 1000 quilt patterns were published by the Kansas City newspaper. Collectors have found copies of all of them and now offer a compilation for sale.

The Kansas City newspaper was not the only one to publish newspaper quilt patterns. Many other rural papers did the same.

The 1930 newspaper quilt patterns helped preserve part of the country's heritage. Even though times were tougher than ever economically, the 1930 newspaper quilt patterns focused on the things that were truly important to quilters of that day and served as an emotional boost as well.

One of the popular 1930 newspaper quilt patterns was "The Magic Vine." The weekly design was part of a newspaper column written by Florence LaGanke Harris. In addition to providing the weekly quilt pattern, Harris wove a fictional story about a quilting group. Readers followed the antics of the group and its fictional leader, Nancy Page. As readers followed the goings-on of the imaginary quilting group, they also stitched along with each week's pattern. Readers were so engaged by the weekly column and quilting that they submitted their own quilt designs for consideration. The end result from Harris' column was a quilt of beautifully appliquéd flowers with vines that entwined. Another of the popular 1930 newspaper quilt patterns included in Harris' weekly column was the "Memory Bouquet." The quilt featured 9x12 inch blocks appliquéd with various flowers. Imagine the cheery look of the finished product with its hollyhock, tulips, violets, carnations, zinnias, jonquils and more!

The weekly 1930 newspaper quilt patterns gave quilters some much needed enjoyment and thrifty entertainment. In addition to providing reasonably priced quilt patterns during The Great Depression era in the United States, the quilts also focused on an important part of life in the 1930's: the children. Many patterns for children featured nursery rhymes. Some quilts featured a single nursery rhyme or character while others combined several children's favorites into one quilt. The patterns were designed so that they could be appliquéd or embroidered. Redwork was popular at the time!

The 1930 newspaper quilt patterns were a direct reflection of life during the Great Depression. Quilters saved money by using the patterns. They continued providing necessary warmth for their families and offered the quilts they made from the 1930 newspaper patterns as gifts for many occasions.

If you would like to create your own quilt from 1930 newspaper quilt patterns, they are available -- usually as copied images or in books. There are several collections available that could be appliquéd, embroidered or hand painted. To find your own collection of 1930 newspaper quilt patterns, check your favorite hobby or book store for a book or dvd of all the available patterns. The Internet is another great source of finding 1930 newspaper quilt patterns.