Quilt Pattern: Beggar Block

This interesting block harks back to the neighborly custom of begging one's friends for scraps of their frocks, or for the men's old neckties to put into a quilt.

In piecing, first sew the small triangles onto those marked red, to form an oblong exactly the same size as the one marked yellow. Two of these oblongs and one yellow are pieced together as shown to form the small square block. It takes eight of such pieced squares and one plain center to form a beggar's block eleven inches square.

While these are marked in colors for a calico quilt, this is an excellent design to piece with bright colored scraps of silks and wools, set together with black, navy or some dull color in the places marked white. The patterns are the size of the pieces after they have been sewed together, so cut each a seam larger on all sides.

A narrow Cable or Shell would be right for quilting the strips.