A Dozen Variables - That Patchwork Place Author:Marsha McCloskey, Nancy Martin Two basic types of star designs appear in patchwork. Le Moyne Stars consist of true diamonds and have equidistant points, while grid-based stars are made up of squares and triangles. Variable Star is the name given to the basic drafting for all grid-based stars. It is a simple design, easy to piece, and extremely useful in its many variations. — ... more »I chose a simplified version of the classic Variable Star, known as the Sawtooth Star, as the basis for four quilt tops that I made in the summer of 1985. All multi-fabric quilts, my star series became the samples for a Scrap Quilts class that I taught in Seattle. Taking the Variable or Sawtooth Star as a starting place, students were to experiment with colorings and sets to design and produce multi-fabric quilts. The resulting quilts were visually complex, yet simple in concept and construction.
Nancy Martin, friend and publisher, was so taken with the quilts as a group, both mine and the students', that she encouraged the development of this book. She actually pieced so many of the quilt designs herself, that we decided to collaborate on the project. A Dozen Variables is the result. I hope you share our enthusiasm as you use this workbook to create your own designs and Variable Star quilts.