The “Sawtooth Star” is a foundational quilting block dating back to the late 1800s that has stood the test of time. It’s one of those blocks that you instantly recognize and is ubiquitous in the quilting world. You see it in traditional and modern quilts, using prints or solids, because it lends itself to endless variations. It's no wonder it appears in so many of our favorite quilts.
For my first official quilt collection, I felt it necessary to pay homage to this fundamental quilt block. It’s often the first one that many of us learn to piece together! There’s something fun, yet challenging, about trying to reinvent the wheel within the limitations of something that’s so recognizable.
The inspiration for the name “True North” came to me when I was thinking of star-like names for this collection. The Sawtooth Star block is like the North Star for quilters - it’s that guiding block that we always seem to return to. At least for me, that is.
The Design Process
I have always designed my quilts as one-off designs, creating something whenever the inspiration strikes. Expanding individual pieces into a collection of work lent itself to more inspiration and creativity, and each idea I had led into the next.
When designing this collection, the goal was to showcase this simple block while still exploring new and slight variations of it.
The Quilts
Polaris
Named after the North Star, Polaris has long served as a fixed point in the sky...steady, reliable, and unwavering. This quilt serves as the anchor of the True North collection. Layered stars in a gradient of blues contrast with the warm terracotta background. This versatile piece is perfect as a one of a kind statement throw or a stunning textile art piece.
Equinox
Equinox explores the balance of the changing seasons through a minimalist, high-contrast quilt featuring the Sawtooth Star at its center. The design is split diagonally between a soft blue and a muted sage green, capturing the intersection of light and shadow, day and night...like an equinox.
Waypoint
Waypoint serves as a visual anchor structured around navigation and balance. Framed around a central diamond-in-a-square motif, the design uses variations of the Sawtooth Star and nested squares in calm shades of sage green, slate blue, and terracotta red to guide the eye across a balanced geometric layout.
Ursa Major
Ursa Major brings a sense of scale to the True North collection. This asymmetrical quilt features a singular, oversized navy Sawtooth Star block dominating the lower right corner set inside a larger star, mimicking the prominent, structural presence of the "Big Dipper" constellation in the night sky.
Ursa Minor
Acting as a visual counterpart to Ursa Major, Ursa Minor inverts the composition with a cream-colored star positioned across the quilt. This asymmetrical quilt features a singular, oversized cream white Sawtooth Star block dominating the upper left corner set inside a larger star, mimicking the "Little Dipper" constellation in the night sky.
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