Eight-Point Star crib quilt, or Le Moyne Star crib quilt, unknown maker from the United States

Exhibition Label:
“Quilting Time and Space,” Jun-2010, Natalie Svacina
Typically, a quilt with these small dimensions is
considered to be a baby’s quilt and probably was intended for a crib. Due to the fact that this
quilt only has a thin border and the stars extend
outward beyond the edges, the original function
was possibly not intended as a child’s quilt and
instead may have been cut down from a larger
quilt. Further evidence of an original larger quilt is revealed through the red, white, and blue pattern that often appears on more sizable quilts.

The “Eight Point Star” pattern was developed in
America after 1700 and soon became a popular
quilting pattern. The pattern is also commonly
called the “Le Moyne Star” pattern after the
French born Le Moyne brothers who in 1699
sailed into Mobile Bay, Alabama, and eventually settled the areas now known as Alabama and Louisiana. This crib quilt was produced in New Orleans during the Civil War. The pattern based on diamonds is typically reserved for “best quilts” due to their elaborate and painstaking process of creation. As a result, these types of quilts were not typically used as bed quilts. The fact that this quilt was not designed as a child’s quilt, but was cut to be used in a crib, is unusual.