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How to Make a LeMoyne Star Quilt Block & A Quick History Lesson

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We’ve been talking a lot about LeMoyne Star blocks recently because they’re so fascinating! The story behind this block has been a favorite of ours ever since we learned about it, so we have to share it with you.

The History of the LeMoyne Star Quilt Block

So, the LeMoyne Star quilt block is a traditional block that makes lovely star quilts. In the past, this quilt block has been referred to as “Star of LeMoyne” or “Lemon Star.” While the widely-used name of this block is “LeMoyne Star,” with a capital “M,” it has been written using a lowercase “m,” as in “Lemoyne Star.”

Yvonne M. Khin, author of The Collector’s Dictionary of Quilt Names & Patterns, gives us a peek into the history of this quilt block. Khin explains that the LeMoyne Star quilt block is named after brothers Jean Baptiste and Pierre LeMoyne, who founded the city of New Orleans in 1718. French speakers named and referred to the 8-pointed star as LeMoyne; “however, in the North, the non-French-speaking quilters renamed it LEMON STAR, shortening the original name.”

A Quick LeMoyne Star Quilt Block Tutorial

One of our favorite LeMoyne Star quilt is Links by Deb Tucker. An added bonus? This is a special quilt that was designed without set-in piecing! In order to bypass the Y-seams, Deb used her Rapid Fire LeMoyne Star Template to create the blocks with ease.

Links Quilt Pattern - Block Designs
Links by Deb Tucker

But don’t worry; if you’re not interested in using a template, but still aren’t keen on set-in seams, we’ve got you covered. Erin Russek created a short video for us demonstrating the coolest way of making LeMoyne Star quilt blocks we’ve ever seen.

With 8 diamond-shaped star points, the traditional way to piece these beauties is to set-in triangle and square patches at the sides and corners after the star points are sewn together. Now, a lot of us are not big fans of set-in seams. It’s not that they’re actually hard, but they do take some time and usually some pinning, and your first few attempts may not be 100%… .stellar!

The cutting instructions for the patches, etc. are in the McCall’s Quilting September/October 2015 issue on the Block Builders Workshop page.

More LeMoyne Star Inspiration

Another quilt featuring this lovely star quilt block is Liz’s LeMoyne Star by Liz Porter. It makes great use of scraps and features an eye-catching green print that leaves a lasting impression. The Rapid Fire Tool and Erin’s technique work perfectly with this quilt.

A couple of other projects that showcase the LeMoyne Star quilt block, but aren’t as time-consuming, are the Under the Tree tree skirt and the Cosmic Stars table runner. They’re both holiday specific, but for quilters, it’s never too early (or late) to get started on seasonal projects.


We hope this quick lesson on how to make a LeMoyne Star quilt block will inspire you on your quilting journey! This design makes beautiful quilts that are worth the time and effort. And with a little bit of guidance and some motivation, this quilt block will be on your to-done list in no time!

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