The History of the Seven Oaks Tree
The Seven Oaks tree which graces our entrance sign, mailboxes and license plates has a long and distinguished history as a quilting pattern. Quilting, which involves sandwiching three layers called the face, batting and backing, and connecting them together, has existed since humans have created articles to keep them warm. The simplest quilted article you probably use on a daily basis is the humble potholder. If you are lucky, you may have an heirloom bed quilt created by a family member.
The earliest reference found to our Seven Oaks “Tree” was in the first catalog of the Ladies Art Company as the “Pine Tree”. “Diagrams of Quilt, Sofa and Pin Cushion Pattern” was published between 1889 and 1895. Their pattern number for our tree is 260. This tree only has three rows of triangle leaves instead of the four used in our design. Orange Judd Farmer, the western edition of the American Agriculturist, was a periodical begun in the 1870’s. It offered a pattern similar to ours with four rows of leaves on its women’s page in 1886. The tree has since been published many times and under many names. Some of these include: The Tree of Paradise, Temperance Tree, Washington’s Elm and the Tree of Life. Having adopted it as our own, we can now add another name to its heritage ... The Seven Oaks Tree.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns compiled by Barbara Brackman, published by the American Quilt Society, 1993
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