Drunkard’s Path

Drunkard’s Path – traditional quilt blocks

One of the things I love the most about traditional quilt blocks is how varied they are and how many possibilities lie within a simple quilt block, when it comes to the layout of a quilt. Perhaps one of the most amazing blocks, in these regards, is the Drunkard’s Path block. When I looked into the history a bit I found that this particular design likely dates back to Egyptian times! As such it has surely been around for a long time.

When I have thought about the name of this block I wondered if it referred to an actual drunk walking. I envisioned women from times past angry their husband was always late, and drunk, and took her anger out by creating a quilt! There are indications that it may have been used during the days of the Underground Railroad. In addition it was apparently a popular quilt block during Prohibition. But then I also wondered if Drunkard’s path referred to the path of a tornado. Whatever the case I find them fascinating in how many options the quilter has in laying out a block. It is a simple block that is comprised of only 2 pieces, yet holds a myriad of possibilities. I present to you some simple and incredible visions using this timeless quilt block to inspire you!

I hope you enjoyed this and it urges you to look at other simple quilt blocks in relationship to how they could be arranged for a new and modern take on a classic!