Stars in a Time Warp: The Pattern

 Vintage star about 1820-1850

Every Wednesday for much of 2015 I'll be posting Stars in a Time Warp QuiltAlong here at Civil War Quilts. The blocks stay the same each week. What changes is the type of reproduction fabric we'll use.

Star about 1830-1860

Star about 1870-1900

The pattern we'll use is #2138d in my BlockBase digital program for PC's. Here are rotary cutting instructions for a 6" finished star.

A - Cut 4 squares 2".

B - Cut 1 square 4-1/4". Cut into 4 triangles with 2 diagonal cuts. 

      You need 4 triangles.

C - Cut 4 squares 2-3/8", Cut each into 2 triangles with a diagonal cut. 

       You need 8 triangles.

D - Cut 1 square 4".    NO that's 3-1/2". Thanks to the Calico Cat for checking the math.

Here's how to piece the block.

Why 6" Blocks?

• You can use Moda's 5" Charm squares for any of the patches.
• A 6" block is enough to show off some prints but small enough to require a lot of stars for a full-size quilt.

But you can choose another size or you can make star blocks of varying sizes. Me, I'm sticking to 6".

Vintage quilt about 1870-1890

We'll use the star format to learn lessons in fabric

history, antique quilt identification and 

SHOPPING.

I'll give you information on what to look for when you're buying traditional prints. Each week you'll see examples of original prints and of good reproduction fabrics (mine and others). It will give you a shopping list and a way to sort your stash.

Vintage quilt about 1870-1890

You might want to start assessing your reproduction print stash now.

(And perhaps your credit card limit.)

Each week I'll also give you ideas for star settings, both vintage and current.

The shopping information will be helpful because to have a good vintage fabric stash you need to learn how to buy prints by the style rather than the name of the fabric line. The quilt fabric market is designed to change frequently. So if you are picking prints by categories like madder stripe or Prussian blue ombre print you will know what you need when it's available. It won't be on the bolt long.

I also think the best way to learn to make reproduction quilts is to study a quilt by copying it. You copy not only the fabric but also the fabric choices made by the original quiltmaker. It's not enough to use antique-looking prints, you need to use them the way they were used in the past.

An 1857 block--3 different background prints.

We don't think like this.

We'll be channeling the thoughts of Civil-War-era

quilters by studying the details in their blocks and quilts.

We'll use our crystal ball to choose fabrics like a 19th-century piecer.

It's not just having the right stripe, it's using the

stripe the way they might have.

The star pattern is seen in earliest pieced quilts. It's been published with many names. Here are four shading variations from BlockBase with some names in print..

2138a Evening Star

2138b Austin

2138c Square and Points

2138d Nameless Star

Sawtooth

Sawtooth Star

People tend to call it Sawtooth Star, Variable Star or Evening Star today.

See a post on variable stars here
http://quilt1812warandpiecing.blogspot.com/2012/07/variable-stars-antique-reproductions.html