Just what the doctor ordered to light up your week—a half dozen Morning Star quilts documented in The Quilt Index spanning two centuries and six states. Enjoy!

Broken Star, Star of Bethlehem, Blazing Star Top By: Schrock, Amanda Mast Period: 1930-1949 Date: c. 1935 Location Made: Arthur, Illinois (IL) USA Contributor: Illinois State Museum

 

Star of Bethlehem variation Top By: Brooks, Mrs. Mary (Nancy?) Bird Period: 1800-1849 Date: c. 1813 Location Made: Kentucky (KY) USA Project Name: Kentucky Quilt Project Contributor: University of Louisville Archives and Records Center

 

Star of Bethlehem Top By: Maker, unknown Period: 1800-1849 Date: 1825-1850 Location Made: Unknown Project Name: MassQuilts Contributor: Massachusetts Quilt Documentation Project – MassQuilts

 

Broken Star; Blazing Star; Diadem Star; Star of Bethlehem Top By: Foster, Nellie M. Period: 1930-1949 Date: 1935 Location Made: Nebraska (NE) USA Project Name: Nebraska Quilt Project (Lincoln Quilters Guild) Contributor: University of Nebraska – Lincoln

 

Lone Star Pattern Names: An Aesthetic Quilt, Star of the East, Star of Bethlehem, Blazing Star, Rising Star, Pride of Texas, Star of Stars, Rising Sun, Overall Star Pattern Top By: Mayborn, Bessie Estella Jackson Quilted By: Mayborn, Bessie Estella Jackson Period: 1901-1929 Date: 1925 Location Made: Laramie, Wyoming (WY) United States Project Name: Wyoming Quilt Project, Inc. Contributor: Wyoming Quilt Project, Inc.

 

Lone Star Pattern Names: Star of Bethlehem; eight-pointed star; Gwyer Family Quilt Top By: Gwyer, Sarah Hall Period: 1850-1875 Date: ca. 1860 Location Made: New York (NY) USA Project Name: Permanent Collection Contributor: DAR Museum

 

You can Browse more Morning Start quilts in The Quilt Index here. Watch a video tutorial on using the Browse by Pattern feature in The Quilt Index here:


Quilt Index partners

Amy Milne headshot

Posted by Amy E. Milne
Executive Director, Quilt Alliance
amy.milne@quiltalliance.org

How To Trim Flying Geese Without A Specialty Ruler

If you don’t have a Bloc-Loc ruler, you may find trimming these flying geese challenging. But by following these steps, you should be able to get four accurate geese in each color!

First, line up your ruler so the point of the flying geese unit will be trimmed exactly ¼” above the point. Try to line the unit up as straight as possible on the other three sides.

Next, flip the unit over. Line up the edge you just cut on the 2” line of the ruler as shown below, and trim the excess from the top.

Flip the unit right side up again. Line the lower left corner up with the 3 ½” mark on your ruler as shown above. Trim the excess on the right.

Finally, flip the unit over again so the point is pointing towards the 2” line. Align the left edge of the unit with the 3 ½” ruler mark as shown above and trim the excess on the right. Your flying goose unit is now ready to be pieced into your block!

Quilt Documentation Tip

 Andrea’s block story is all about the importance of quilt guilds. Quilting can feel solitary, but guilds bring us together. It’s a topic of conversation that was discussed with two Birthday Block of the Month Designers in a recent Textile Talk where the participants all shared emotional stories about their love for their guilds. 

Did you know that your guild can document your quilts as a group? Consider hosting a quilt documentation day in your guild! Follow these instructions and have members share three minute stories about one meaningful quilt in the Quilt Alliance’s signature Go Tell It documentation program. You could even host a screening so all of your members can see the videos! Get in touch at: qsos@quiltalliance.org

See You in October for Month Seven!

Thank you so much to everyone who has participated in the Quilt Alliance’s Birthday Block of the Month so far! Our designer for next month, the seventh block we’re making together, is Bonnie Hunter herself! 

Be sure to tag @quiltalliance and @3rdstoryworkshop on Instagram with your block photos this month, and use the hashtag #QuiltAllianceBOM. And leave any questions about this month’s block in the comments below!

7 Comments

  1. Melanie McNeil

    Reblogged this on Catbird Quilt Studio and commented:
    Do you use the Quilt Index? There are tens of thousands of quilts catalogued there. Check out this post by the Quilt Alliance, and view the short video tutorial on using the index. Then bookmark the Quilt Index for future use!

    Reply
  2. snarkyquilter

    Thanks for reminding me about this great resource. As more museums digitally archive their quilt collections us quilters can see wonders often stored in the back rooms.

    Reply
    • quiltalliance

      Thank you! May we use your comment in our testimonials? You crystallized the reason for and importance of the Quilt Index so well.

      Reply
  3. Judy Smith

    What a great resource! They have a $.99 app for ipad, so I now have it at my fingertips. Thanks for the tip.

    Reply
  4. KerryCan

    What an incredible resource! So pleased to know it exists!

    Reply

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