cassie69emt

I have an older quilting book and this design is in there can;t recall the name right off the top of my head but I remember reading this symbol meant peace.When things slow down here I will try to get the book and scan it in for all to see

spinnergs

I ran across a fancy glass paned door at an antique shop with this design on it in frosted glass. They told me it was once used as a sign of good luck, much like the pineapple has been.

Aurora

Actually, this is a very ancient cross design.

Donna P

I would say also very interesting....I love the colors tho

Marvel

This is a very nicely done rendition of an old pattern and then it was called Wind Power of the Osage It has had a lot of names but this very old reference book had it listed by the name I felt was very appropiate, that was around the 1930s. Okie Quilter

seasaw2mch

you know the first time I made a fail fence quilt, I throw the blocks on a table as I finished them and my hubby saw them laying there and said the same thing, "it looks like a swastika" and was not very happy with what I was making. Even though it was red, white & blue strips, it still looked like one. So I rearranged the blocks a little and the swastikas disappeared. Glad they did.

nstitches4u

Thanks for the link. Very interesting article. It is a shame that the block has such an unsavory connotation. I'm sure it was a very popular block pre-WWII.

auntiehenno

Yes, it is an old native American design. If you ever get to Rapid City, SD, find the Alex Johnson Hotel, downtown and you see this inlaid design in this old hotel, but very lovely.

milikaa1

At first glance your eyes tend to pop for obvious reasons, but as you look at it more, it looks more like a rail fence design actually.

Greenheron

Yes, this ancient design is also one of many symbols in the tile Cathedral floor in Wheeling, WV, and, as many others have posted, a Nazi icon only less than a hundred years.. I have some blocks in blue and white from my DM's collection in swastika, weathervane and pinwheel that predate the Nazis, if not rising German nationalism. Please don't let the evil connotations overwhelm your pleasure. One of the names for the pattern is "Sign of the Four Winds." It is also found with the blades reversed.

Archaeologists have found the symbol in medieval England, ancient India, China, Egypt and Troy from 3000 years ago and before. I think there was an American Division using this good luck symbol during WW I.