Indian Puzzle

Almost four years ago I posted a photo of a block I’d just finished with a similar design and identical name to today’s: https://mombowe.blogspot.com/2015/07/indian-puzzle.html . Indian Puzzle was first published in the Kansas City Star. Other papers offered quilt patterns in the early 1900’s, but Kansas City Star was the first to put the whole pattern – templates and all – in the “women’s” section. Instead of mailing in a nickel all you had to do was clip the pattern out of the paper. In fact, quilters could make money on the deal. Between 1928 and 1961, readers submitted quilt patterns to the Kansas City Star. If a pattern was accepted for publication, the contributor would earn $1.50. That doesn’t sound like much now, but adjusted for inflation it would be nearly sixteen dollars. I don’t know who designed today’s block, or whether the name refers to Asian or American Indians. But I think I know why she called it a puzzle.