--from the quilt "Flying Home" by Kentucky quilter Laura Schneider, Richmond, KY.
Kentucky Quilts and Their Makers by
Kentucky's contribution to the perennially popular American craft of quiltmaking is a rich and varied one. Mary Clarke examines here the state of the craft in Kentucky and finds it as lively today as it was 150 years ago. Like a fingerprint, every Kentucky quilt differs from all others in some respects, whether it is an original creation or a variation of one of the traditional patterns long popular in the United States. And many Kentucky quilts reveal much about the individual maker -- her disposition, taste, and lifestyle, the familiar objects that bring joy to her daily life, and her response to events beyond the confines of family and home. Taken as a whole, Kentucky quilts and quilt names reflect the history of the Commonwealth, at every turn showing the intermingling of old and new in the grassroots continuity of an ancient craft that responds to fads and fashions by absorbing and refining them.
Call Number: Electronic BookPublication Date: 1993
Welcome to Quilts in Kentucky Research Guide which provides a wealth of resources on the art, design, culture, and history of quilts and quilt making in the Bluegrass State. You will also find general resources on the art of quilt making and the quilters. Kentucky has a very rich heritage of quilters, quilts and quilting. Delve into what began as a necessary craft and grew into art and an industry.
Quilts tell stories and illuminate our history. They link generations and foster community. They are one of the most universally recognized American art forms. The Alliance for American Quilts estimates that approximately 27 million Americans are involved in quiltmaking. Quilts matter!
Eight-Pointed Star Quilt
(scrappy 1930s fabrics, uniformly faded)
Cotton fabrics and cotton batting
Hand pieced, hand quilted
71” x 86”
Made by the Ursuline Nuns of Louisville. Star blocks were made circa 1930; blocks were assembled and quilted circa 1950. Note the use of the 1930s small- and medium-print fabrics used as well as the clover quilting pattern.
Eight-pointed star patterns can be tricky to sew as it is difficult to keep the points sharp in the center when assembling the block.
The star blocks used in this quilt are often called Le Moyne Stars. This design was first published in 1894, as “Star,” in Ohio Farmer. The block was named for the founder of New Orleans, Jean Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, according to Yvonne Khin's Collector's Dictionary of Quilt Names and Patterns. English-speaking settlers renamed it Lemon Star.
From the Wade Hall Quilt Collection at the University of Kentucky William T. Young Library
