H is for Hospital (or Hero)
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While it was really tempting to go with the Red Cross quilt Block, I decided to go in a more modern direction. The street sign with the white “H” on a blue background to indicate a hospital is a widely recognized symbol in many English-speaking countries like the US, Canada, and Australia. I think it would make a great quilt block. But where did it come from?
The job of creating and standardizing highway signs falls to the DOT. They put out a Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices that includes the H sign, and seems to have done so since the 60’s. What did they use before then?
My guess would be a hodgepodge of signage, although the Red Cross was widely associated with medical care, especially after the Geneva Convention adopted it for humanitarian use in 1864. It is now considered an international symbol, protected under international law.
The International Red Cross chose the design as their symbol in the 1870’s. Clara Barton followed suit when she founded the American Red Cross in 1881 to help not only in wartime aid but also for disaster relief.
H is for Hospital. or hero. or hope.
It’s a very versatile block! And extremely easy to make. Here is the Electric Quilt Layout for this block:
Fabric Requirements:
- A. (2) Blue 1-1/2″ x 12-1/2″ rectangles
- B. (2) Blue 2-1/2″ x 10-1/2″ rectangles and (2) White 2-1/2″ x 10-1/2″ rectangles
- C. (2) Blue 4-1/2″ squares
- D. (1) White 2-1/2″ x 4-1/2″ White rectangles
Some Mini-Quilt Ideas:
