Stars in Quilts

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This is an article that was written by Lorrie Ryther one of the board members of the Utah Quilt Guild.  Thank you, Lorrie for always writing such great informational articles.  


 STARS IN QUILTS


Stars, stars, stars; and more stars. I am amazed at how many different stars there are that are used in quilts. To begin, let’s go back in time more than 3000 years ago when Egyptian kings wore star blocks sewn into their garments, symbolizing a chosen person.  Egyptian stars were similar to the Primitive Star with five points; some with different lengths. (Trivia - five points represent the four elements of earth, wind, fire, and ice with the top star meaning mind over matter.)

(Primitive Star)

Prior to the 1700s and then becoming more popular during the civil war (1800s), quilts with star blocks have gained in popularity. Every continent throughout history claims a block as their own, especially star blocks. Countries and different states in the United States, along with different cultures all have star blocks used in clothing and quilts. The blocks are often the same but have different names. Or two different blocks share the same name. Lots of variations. Besides textile stars, there are barns that have stars on them

Barn Quilts: Barn stars may be painted right on the wooden structure, but more often than not, they’re made out of separate pieces of metal and wood and then installed in place. No matter the material, these bold stars are also known as Pennsylvania Stars or Primitive Stars (see above). The primitive stars were commonly installed on barns by early Dutch and German settlers to ward off evil. The stars are known to bring good luck to farmers, too. When you see a blue or black star on a barn, it means protection for the barn. A yellow star means love of man and sun. A brown star is known to symbolize friendship and strength, while white stands for purity and energy. A violet star is considered holy, while a green star symbolizes hope for growth and fertility on the farm. Barn stars are popular and have been transferred from barns to quilts.

Pennsylvania Star; also known as Thrifty and Touching Stars blocks. This is very similar to the Carpenter Star below. These are very old blocks dating back to the civil war era.

Ohio Star block is a very popular block made up of quarter square triangles and five squares. It is an easy block and can be changed up with colors, value, and sizes. This is also called an Amish Star.

Sawtooth Star Block is made up of flying geese and squares. The flying geese can be made the traditional way or with two half square triangles. This can be changed up with different colors and sizes.

This is a variation of the Sawtooth by turning the flying geese and is called a Variable Star.

The Carpenter Star is another variation of the Sawtooth using half square triangles and/or flying geese.

8-Point Star is made with half square triangles and four squares.

Ribbon Star is also  made of half square triangles and a center square that can be used for fussy cut, applique, embroidery and/or signatures.

Friendship Star is my favorite. Similar to the Ribbon Star, the Friendship Star usually uses two colors. The center is used for signatures, and a popular block for swapping. I currently have in my UFO pile a “Super Star Quilt” that uses different colors of the Friendship Star block.

Next month we will explore the history and making of the Morning Star, Lone Star and Lemoyne Star. As you can tell, I love stars, and the versatility along with how they are made and used. I hope you will enjoy the journey with me. Enjoy!

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