Carpenter's Star

About this block

Like many trade-inspired quilt names, this one honors a profession: Carpenter's Star, along with its close relative Carpenter's Wheel, was named after the woodworking trade, reflecting the settler-era ideal of being a capable, self-sufficient jack-of-all-trades. Structurally, it's an eight-point star built from half-square and half-diamond triangle units radiating outward, placing it in the broader family of large, faceted pieced stars. It carries several other names depending on the source, including Broken Star, Double Star, and, more recently, Swoon.