Column #42

Shoo Fly Pattern—Plant, Pie, or Pest?

Traditional quilt pattern names are fascinating. Changeable, frequently charming, and sometimes bewildering, they can be as colorful as the quilts they identify. The origins of those quilt pattern names are equally interesting.

I recently read about a pretty plant called Shoo Fly (Nicandra physalodes), also known as “Apple of Peru.” The plant is reported to be highly poisonous, and its juices apparently can be used to produce a natural fly deterrent, which is how it got the common name of Shoo Fly. I wondered whether there might be any association with the quilt pattern called Shoo Fly, and decided to do a little research. It didn’t take long to find the Quilting in America website, which says that, sure enough, this plant is the basis for the quilt pattern of the same name.

The Shoo Fly pattern is a nine-patch variation and it can look quite different depending upon the way contrasting fabrics are set in the block. When fabrics are set a certain way, it is not difficult to see the similarity between the pattern and the flower for which it is named.

 

I had always supposed that the pattern name came from Shoo Fly Pie, a molasses-based concoction of Pennsylvania Dutch origin. The Quilting in America website also makes this association. The most common explanation for how the pie got its name was that in earlier times, it used to be baked in an outdoor oven and was allowed to cool outside as well. Flies were attracted to the molasses in the pie, thus resulting in the command, “Shoo, fly!”

Shoo Fly is a relatively old quilt pattern. One source dates it to the mid-1800s, while Barbara Brackman’s Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns lists one variation as having been published in 1897 by the Ladies Art Company. The song, “Shoo Fly, Don’t Bother Me” was first published in 1869. According to Wikipedia, “The song remained popular over the decades, and was commonly sung by soldiers during the Spanish-American War of 1898, when flies…were a serious enemy.” Although the song was well known during the same time period as the origin of the quilt pattern, I could find no documented connection between the two.

In railroad slang, a “shoo fly” refers to a railroad detour that occurs when a track is built around some obstacle. By extension, the term also means to avoid passing through a town if the police are hostile.

Another definition of the term “shoo fly” is a child’s rocker built in the shape of an animal. One source I found associated the quilt pattern with this meaning.

As is the case with many pattern names, clearly there is some disagreement about the Shoo Fly’s origins. To my mind, that only adds to its charm. So take your pick, and while you’re deciding, why not treat yourself to a slice of Shoo Fly Pie?

Shoo Fly Pie

• 1 c. flour
• 2/3 c. brown sugar

• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tbsp. shortening
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 c. hot water
• 1 c. molasses
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 9" unbaked pie shell

Combine flour, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Cut shortening into flour mixture. Mix until crumbly. Reserve 1/2 c. crumbs. Dissolve baking soda in hot (but not boiling) water. In a small bowl, combine molasses, egg, and baking soda water and beat well. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Sprinkle with reserved crumbs. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes.

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Archived blogs:

Column 78: Ollie Steele Burden’s Quilt Blocks
Column 77: Quilting with AMD
Column 76: Maverick Quilts and Cowgirls
Column 75: The Modern Quilt Guild—Cyberculture Quilting Ramps Up
Column 74: The Membership Quilt—Czech Quilting in Texas
Column 73: Maximum Security Quilts
Column 72: Author: Terri Thayer
Column 71: The Christmas Quilt
Column 70: New Mexico Centennial Quilt
Column 69: Scrub Quilts
Column 68: “Think Pink” Quilt Raises Funds for Rare Cancer Research
Column 67: Righting Old Wrongs.
Column 66: 100 Years, 100 Quilts - More on the Arizona Centennial.
Column 65: Arizona Centennial Quilt Project
Column 64: Capt. John Files Tom’s Family Tree
Column 63: The Fat Quarters
Column 62: Quilt Fiction Author: Clare O’Donohue
Column 61: Louisiana Bicentennial Quilt
Column 60: The Camo Quilt Project.
Column 59: Thread Wit
Column 58: Ralli Quilts
Column 57: Preschool Quilters
Column 56: The Story Quilt
Column 55: Red and Green Quilts
Column 54: On the Trail
Column 53: Quilt Trail Gathering
Column 52: True Confessions: First Quilt
Column 51: Quilted Pages
Column 50: Doll Quilts
Column 49: More Than a Quilt Shop
Column 48: Las Colchas of the Texas-Mexico Border
Column 47: Literary Gifts
Column 46: A Different Way of Seeing
Column 45: Sampling
Column 44: Hen and Chicks
Column 43: A Star Studied Event
Column 42: Shoo Fly Pattern
Column 41: Awareness Quilts
Column 40: Tivaevae
Column 39: UnOILed UnspOILed Coast Quilt Project
Column 38: Katrina Recovery Quilts
Column 37: Quilted Vermont
Column 36: The Labyrinth Quilt—A Meditative Endeavor

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