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It’s been a little while since I’ve written a new post, so I thought I’d share a few things I’ve been working on lately — including a couple of new designs and an old favorite that I recently rediscovered. handmade quilt designs.
This one is almost ready to ship out, so Im getting the last pictures I can before sending it to its forever home 🙂
In my Home Decor section, I’m offering a couple of smaller Lone Star block designs. The Lone Star is a tricky pattern to make, but when all those points come together, it is absolutely stunning. I love taking a traditional quilt pattern and finding ways to turn it into something smaller that can be enjoyed around the home.
This handmade quilt design has been a longtime favorite of mine because of its wavy movement and bright colors. It’s a variation of the classic Storm at Sea design, but with a fun, flowing twist.
This quilt is definitely fun to make, but it takes a good bit of precision in the piecing to keep those curves and waves flowing through the design. When it all comes together, it is worth every little bit of careful piecing.
While making the Whimsical Storm at Sea, I also came up with a small block design for home decor — or anywhere you want a little pop of color and beautiful quilting.
I’m calling this one Chain at Sea. Coming soon!
It is similar to the Whimsical Storm at Sea, but the blocks create a chain design that frames the star in the center. One of my favorite things to do is take an original quilt pattern and change it up a little. You never quite know what you’ll come up with!
I haven’t listed Chain at Sea just yet because I still need to finish binding the edge, but look for it soon. I’ll be offering it as a Made to Order design.
Rediscovering an old favorite/ Radiant StarQuilt
Recently, I had a glitch in my website system that caused me to lose a LOT of my older photos. I’ve spent quite a bit of time going through what I could recover and, unfortunately, accepting that some photos are gone for good. It was incredibly frustrating, especially since it was a server-side problem and not something I had done.
But there was a little silver lining in all that digging through old quilt photos.
I came across a beautiful quilt I had made in the past that I never actually created a listing for — the Radiant Star Quilt.
The Radiant Star is another big, colorful design, but like many of my quilts, it can also be made in different color combinations. I’m now offering it in my Made to Order Quilts section.
I’m really glad I found those old photos. Sometimes going back through your past work reminds you just how many quilts you’ve made along the way — and some deserve another chance to shine.
I hope everyone is enjoying the turn into fall. It’s one of my favorite seasons of the year, and around here it always feels like a good time to settle in, sew, and see what new ideas come together next.
There are some quilt patterns that seem to have a personality all their own.
The Lone Star Quilt is one of those quilts.
It can look traditional, patriotic, modern, dramatic, soft, colorful, simple, or completely unexpected depending on the fabrics and the way the star is arranged.
And here’s the funny part: the Lone Star hasn’t always been called the Lone Star.
Over the years, this beautiful eight-pointed star has been known by several names, including Star of Bethlehem, Mathematical Star, Star of the East, Morning Star, and Texas Star. In Texas and much of the western United States, the name Lone Star became especially associated with the pattern.
One star.
Quite a history.
And after making quite a few of them myself, I’ve learned that this is one quilt pattern that really doesn’t mind being given a little personality. Made To Order Lone Star Quilt/ custom make your own King or Queen Size Quilt.
What Is a Lone Star Quilt?
The traditional Lone Star is an eight-pointed star made from rows of small diamond-shaped pieces.
Those diamonds are arranged so the colors radiate outward from the center of the star. When the color placement is carefully planned, the eye sees rings of color moving from the center toward the points.
That is part of what makes a Lone Star so striking.
It isn’t just a star made from fabric.
It is a star made from lots and lots of very precisely arranged pieces of fabric.
Traditional examples can contain hundreds of small diamonds, and the precision required to keep all those points looking crisp is one reason the pattern became associated with skilled quiltmaking.
And yes…
They can be a little fussy.
But when everything comes together?
Oh, they are worth it.
beautiful half lone star quilt/ home decot
The Lone Star Has Had a Few Names
One of the things I love about quilt history is that patterns don’t always stay neatly inside one name.
The large eight-pointed diamond star has appeared under several different names throughout American quilt making.
Mathematical Star
One early name associated with this style of pieced star was Mathematical Star, a name used in England and along the Eastern Seaboard.
It is a wonderfully appropriate name when you look closely at the construction.
There is a LOT of geometry going on here.
Angles, diamonds, points, color placement and seam alignment all have to cooperate.
The quiltmaker who made one of these didn’t just sew pieces together.
She was doing geometry with fabric.
Star of Bethlehem
Star of Bethlehem became another widely used name for the pattern.
The name connects the star with the biblical Star of Bethlehem, and the design became one of the best-known star motifs in American quilt making.
Museum collections contain many beautiful historic examples of Star of Bethlehem quilts, including early nineteenth-century quilts made with carefully pieced diamonds.
The design traveled and changed as quiltmakers moved across the country.
And, like many quilt patterns, the name changed along the way too.
Star of the East, Morning Star and Texas Star
Other names have included Star of the East, Morning Star, Texas Star, Blazing Star and others.
Some names describe particular variations of the design, while others were simply names used by quiltmakers in different places and periods.
That is one reason searching for an old Lone Star quilt can get a little confusing.
You may be looking at essentially the same family of design while the person who made it called it something completely different.
Lone Star
And then there is Texas.
The name Lone Star became strongly associated with Texas, the Lone Star State.
The timing is particularly interesting because the large star design was already being made before Texas became the Republic of Texas in 1836. But as the design became associated with Texas, the name Lone Star became an especially natural fit.
Eventually, that name became one of the most familiar names for the pattern.
So today, if you say “Lone Star quilt,” most people know exactly what you mean.
Even if the quilt itself might once have been called something else.
lone-star-quilts-Made-To-Order
Why Is the Lone Star So Difficult?
The basic idea looks simple.
Make a star from diamonds.
How hard could that be?
Well…
Ask anyone who has actually pieced one.
The individual diamond pieces have bias edges, and the accuracy of the piecing matters enormously. A small error early in the process can become a much bigger problem as the star grows.
Traditional Lone Stars were often pieced using techniques that required very careful matching and precise seams.
That is part of the reason these quilts have such a long history as examples of impressive needlework.
