| The Great Depression was an era that | | | | quilting patterns for free with each |
| created quite a challenge for women who | | | | issue to increase their readership. |
| desired to quilt. Not only was money | | | | After all, most household budgets could |
| very tight in households, but there were | | | | not afford to purchase a magazine, yet |
| limited supplies nationwide. Women had | | | | alone several quilting patterns. |
| to turn to creativity and | | | | So to continue selling magazines and to |
| resourcefulness in order to create | | | | promote the purchase of fabrics, many |
| beautiful quilts. Some popular quilts | | | | vendors chose to offer free patterns |
| of today were actually born from The | | | | that would encourage the purchases. |
| Great Depression. | | | | Patterns such as the Star of Bethlehem, |
| The Great Depression, for those of us | | | | Wedding Ring, Grandmother's Flower |
| who weren't around at the time, was an | | | | Garden and even Dresden Plate are just |
| economic slump in North America, Europe, | | | | some of the patterns we still use today |
| and other industrialized areas of the | | | | that were actually the result of The |
| world that began in 1929 and lasted | | | | Great Depression. |
| until about 1939. Begun with the | | | | Often women would share one magazine. |
| collapse of agricultural prices in the | | | | They would trace the quilting patterns |
| 1920's, it's most well-known for the | | | | or even a picture from a quilt |
| 1929 collapse of Wall Street. It was the | | | | photographed for the magazine to make |
| longest and most severe depression ever | | | | their own patterns at home. The most |
| experienced by the industrialized | | | | popular magazines would occasionally |
| Western world. | | | | offer iron-on quilt patterns. These |
| Bankers and other previously weather | | | | were extremely well received since |
| individuals who lost everything jumped | | | | several women could share not only the |
| to their deaths from buildings. Workers | | | | cost of the magazine but could share the |
| who could find jobs still struggled to | | | | iron-on patterns for their quilting. |
| be able to feed their families. With the | | | | Thus, offering free quilting patterns |
| total collapse of the economy, people | | | | actually became a common marketing |
| found creative ways to brings in small | | | | tradition that is still used today. |
| amounts of cash while businesses had to | | | | I found it particularly interesting that |
| become creative to survive by vying for | | | | what was used to market to women and |
| a portion of that hard-earned money from | | | | sell women's magazines in The Great |
| their customers. | | | | Depression is still used today. Many |
| So it's easy to see why companies | | | | companies even offer free patterns in |
| selling quilt fabrics, threads and tools | | | | their magazines for quilting and other |
| had to find a way to create value in | | | | crafts. |
| their products and encourage quilters to | | | | We offer the same service at to people |
| continue to spend such hard-earned cash. | | | | who sign up for the patterns, even if |
| Luckily for them, quilts were a | | | | they don't belong to the members-only |
| necessity that had to be created by hand | | | | section of the website. Of course, those |
| because the severe economic times | | | | who do join the members-only site |
| limited the ability to purchase them. | | | | regularly receive original patterns |
| Women magazines began offering similar | | | | created just for our members. |