SDS4906 Bow Tie Vol4 Stamp4

A little fashion history, stitched into a quilt block…

The Bow Tie is one of those wonderfully recognizable quilt patterns where the name tells you almost exactly what you're looking at. The block creates the appearance of a classic bow tie — making it a lovely example of how everyday objects found their way into traditional quilt design.

The pattern has a documented history reaching back to the late 19th century. A version was published by the Ladies' Art Company in 1895, where related versions appeared under names including Necktie and True Lover's Knot. Over the following decades, variations appeared under names such as Colonial Bow Tie, Peekhole and The Necktie.

And we don't have to rely only on pattern books to know quilters were actually making them. The American Folk Art Museum has a Bow Tie in Block Work Quilt made by Mrs. Jacob Petershiem in Haven, Kansas, in 1916. It is a wonderful surviving example of the block being used in an actual quilt more than a century ago.

🎀 Did You Know?

The Bow Tie is particularly interesting because one basic design accumulated several different names over time.

Quilt historians have documented names including Bow Tie, Necktie, Colonial Bow Tie, Peekhole and True Lover's Knot. This is a perfect example of why quilt-pattern history can be so fascinating: a familiar block could travel from one publication or community to another and acquire a completely new name along the way.

The block was also wonderfully suited to scrap quilting. Its relatively small fabric pieces meant that quilters could use little pieces from their scrap baskets while keeping a consistent background fabric throughout the quilt.

🧵 A Little Heritage

There is something rather charming about a quilt block inspired by fashion.

Long before quilts became collectible works of art, quilters were looking at the world around them for inspiration — flowers, birds, tools, houses, stars and even clothing. The Bow Tie shows how something as ordinary as a man's neckwear could become a repeating geometric design on a quilt.

For our Heritage Quilt Society, we've captured that familiar silhouette in embroidery, giving this century-old quilt tradition a place in your growing collection.