Sawtooth Star

Barbara Brackman counts the star among the very first patchwork patterns. She shows it on a quilt inscribed "Done in the Year 1777" and on quilts of 1783, 1787 and 1797; some of the early stars are appliquéd instead of pieced. The museum in Lincoln has one with the name Elisabeth C. Jones from Pennsylvania, 1820–1840, and The Henry Ford one from about 1840.

The names have varied. The Ladies' Art Company sold it as Evening Star, The Henry Ford gives its quilt's pattern as Tippecanoe and Tyler Too and Aunt Eliza's Star, and Sawtooth Star is newer. Evening Star was also used for other stars: Carrie Hall's block of that name from about 1930 is hexagonal.

The points are four Flying Geese units, and the corners and the middle plain squares, so everything is cut with a ruler. Brackman calls it a good beginner block.

The middle can be plain, a large print or a smaller block, such as another star. It is related to Ohio Star, whose points are hourglasses, and Friendship Star.