Stars and Star Patterns in Amish Quilts

Star and star patterns are popular with many cultures, so it’s no wonder we often see stars in Amish quilts.  The pattern names are as varied as the stars: Lone Star, Texas Star, Star of Bethlehem, Broken Star, Mariners Star and Radiant Star are just a few quilt patterns containing stars. A star pattern quilt is typically constructed of hundreds (and in some case, thousands) of sewn-together diamond shaped pieces of fabric.  Only skilled quilters are able to perfectly align the sides of the diamonds to create star patterns.  These difficult to make and much-prized patterns are in the permanent collections of museums including the Carnegie Museum and the Smithsonian.

In the case of Amish quilts, a star pattern contains a great deal of symbolism. A star represents good fortune, love, hope, harmony, energy, fertility and protection from fires. There are also finer design criteria pertaining to the number of points in a star, which also has significance. For example, eight points symbolizes abundance and good will.