FieldGuidetoQuilts.com

Five-point stars

You'll see below that every star except the first involves a star within a circle, which is one good way to make sure the points are all the same length.

To go straight to five-point diagrams, click here:


The small icons below serve as shortcuts to each block's information.

Five-pointed Star Union Star 20th Century Star Star of the West Evening Star Star in a Square Moon Flower Link to diagrams: 5-point star diagrams

Five-pointed Star Five-pointed Star Ladies Art Co. #18 1897 Five-pointed Star in patriotic colors Five-pointed Star in an alternative layout The Ladies Art Company published this star block in 1897 as its #18. You could say it's doubly five-pointed, since the star is made up of five pieces that meet in the center. The icon at right links to our diagrams for making the block.
Star of the West Star of the West Ladies Art Co., #274 1897 Star of the West The angle of rotation of the star in Star of the West is set by one star point's alignment with a quarter-block seam. Its contrasting inner pentagon makes it unique among the star blocks we've seen so far. What to do with that space? Perhaps place an emblem there? Or a miniature Evening Star (below)? That's up to you. Nancy Page's Star of the West block (right) is an Ohio Star variation. Click on the icon:
Union Star Union Star Ladies Art Co., #381 1897 Union Star The Union Star was LAC's block #381 in the 1897 catalog. Like Star of the West, the star is set in a circle, and one star point aligns with a quarter-block seam. Because we don't know the origins of the Ladies Art Company's blocks -- the company was established in St. Louis in 1889 -- Union Star could conceivably have been named by one of Missouri's many Union sympathizers. Missouri produced almost three times as many Union soldiers as Confederate. Problem is, we have not a shred of evidence to support the idea.
20th Century Star 20th Century Star Stone 1906 ...and just for variety, another layout 20th-century Star This pretty star is from Clara Stone's Practical Needlework (1906, #171). The star itself is seamless.
Star in a Square Star in a Square Kansas City Star 1951 Star in a Square The Kansas City Star published this variation of the LAC's five-pointed star in 1951. A 45 degree seam from the lower left corner to the lower left star point sets the angle of rotation.
Evening Star Evening Star The Patchwork Book 1932 Pentagons make a handsome border (right), but using them for the central quilt can be difficult. Here are two ideas: Use multiples of six-pentagon blocks, like the dark-blue block at far upper right or use multiples of a connected pattern like the examples below.
Moon Flower Moon Flower Farm Journal supplement ca. 1941 Moon Flower This pretty block, with its subtle heart curves reminiscent of Hearts & Gizzards, could just as easily substitute for a sand dollar in a seashore-themed quilt, or it could be a star within a circle. Moon Flower appeared in a supplement to the Farm Journal, called Farm Journal Quilt Patterns Old and New, which appeared in about 1941. Our graphic is as close to the original as we could make it.