Feathered Star blocks are stunning and their distinctive look has made them popular as the focal point of a quilt. In this article, we explain the stages of constructing this iconic block
ESSENTIAL GUIDE
WHAT ARE FEATHERED BLOCKS?
Last month we looked at feathered blocks, that is, blocks featuring half-square triangle (HST) units arranged to create a sawtooth look. This month we take this idea further and apply it to create one (1) of the most iconic blocks in patchwork – the Feathered Star. Of course, there isn’t just one (1) type of Feathered Star block, as over the decades, many different types have been created by clever quilters. Fig 1 shows some examples, but the block can become much more complicated – see the photo on page 47 of a gorgeous creation by Marsha McCloskey, a recognised world expert on Feathered Star designs. Marsha has written many books on Feathered Star blocks and these books provide detailed patterns to make, as well as inspiration.
Feathered Star blocks generally fall into two (2) geometric types – grid-based stars and Le Moyne-based stars. Grid-based stars have points that are not equidistant, whereas Le Moyne-based stars do have equidistant points. Useful books by Marsha McCloskey are Feathered Star Quilt Blocks I, which covers Le-Moyne type stars and Feathered Star Quilt Blocks II, which covers grid-based stars. Fig 1 shows some simple grid-based blocks.
The size of the half-square triangle units (HSTs) used is important as this is related to the other elements in the design and also needs to be a size that can be sewn without tearing your hair out – who wants to make dozens of HSTs that are only ½in square? For the sample described I’ve used a 1in finished size (1½in unfinished).
Feathered Star blocks normally have certain features in common.
■ They use HSTs to create the toothed effect.
■ Stars are usually eight-point.
■ The runs of HSTs vary in number depending on design size.
■ The overall size of the block is usually dictated by the HST size, so the larger the HST, the larger the final design.
■ Stars may feature more than one (1) size of HST, used in different parts of the design.
