Sawtooth Star
Mrs. Jacob Sauder
Churchtown, Pennsylvania
c.1900
87" x 87"
Cotton
MSU Museum Accession 2001:158.7
Photo by Fumio Ichikawa, all rights reserved by MSU Museum

Mrs. Jacob Sauder was described to collector Kitty Clark Cole as an "Old Order Mennonite" who made all of her quilts entirely by hand. It is believed that this piece was made by Mrs. Sauder prior to her marriage. Mrs. Sauder passed the quilt to her only daughter, who in turn, gave it to her daughter.

Star patterns in many variations have long been popular among American quilters. This variation, known as "Sawtooth Star," is also known as "Evening Star" or "Variable Star." The quilt contains 361 hand-pieced stars in blocks that measure 2-3/4" square and are hand quilted with concentric circles. A star design is quilted into the alternate blocks. A unique pieced border design of a yellow "X" repeated on the red background surrounds the star blocks. The small scale of the star blocks, combined with the use of color and fabric placement, creates a dynamic pattern that showcased Mrs. Sauder's highly developed quiltmaking skills.

By Mary Worrall, excerpted from American Quilts from Michigan State University Museum.