Block 2 - Lemoyne Star

Block 2, the Lemoyne Star is always a popular quilt block and it's got to be a favorite here in Louisiana - being named after two of our local historic figures - Iberville and Bienville!

Here's what I found when I searched for a little more history of the block:

“Lemoyne Star” is the name of a traditional quilt design whose earliest known published date is 1911 (according to Barbara Brackman’s Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns). The con guration falls into the category of “eight-point/45° diamond stars.” The pattern itself has earlier origins than its published date. Ruth Finley in her book Old Patchwork Quilts and the Women Who Made Them, 1929, states that this particular quilt block was called “Star of Lemoyne”, “Lemoyne Star”, or “Lemon Star” (in New England), and she reveals that the design takes its name from the two LeMoyne brothers who settled Louisiana in 1699.

-Patricia L. Cummings, Quilter’s Muse Virtual Museum, www.quiltersmuse.com/Lemoyne_Star_miniature_quilt.htm

- Reposted from QuiltMag.com

But making this Lemoyne Star block the traditional way usually involves a technique that many quilters refer to as "the dreaded Y-seam".  Wait!  Don't run away!  This version using Half-Square Triangles is known as the Lemoyne Star made easy - absolutely no Y-seams!

So if you've avoided making the Lemoyne Star, it's time to try this version.

Just like Block 1, following the pattern for cutting instructions, make your HSTs, then put together 4 units that look like this, pressing seams in direction of arrows.  Then sew the 4 units into two units, then into one.

by Amy Aderman

Coming Soon:  Block 3 - Windblown Square