Sawtooth Stars + Fancy Feathers Digital Pantograph

Every once in a while, a quilt comes off the frame and reminds me exactly why I love quilting. I feel so grateful to have my own longarm machine at home so I can make quilts—and quickly! 

This one checks all the boxes: classic patchwork, calm colors, and—of course—dense, traditional quilting that gives the whole project an exclamation point!

The Patchwork

I made this quilt for a good friend in September of 2024, who was going through a difficult time. She's one of the classiest people I know! The way she dresses and decorates her home can be described as a sophisticated, effortless style.

When I was deciding what kind of quilt to make, I knew it needed to be timeless, so I went with the Sawtooth Star. The layout is made with 10" blocks using the Magic 8 method of making half-square triangles, since eight are needed for each block.

If you’re unfamiliar, the Magic 8 method is a quick and efficient way to turn a large pair of squares into eight half-square triangles (HSTs) at once. It's my favorite method. I like it better than working with flying geese units. In my mind, it keeps things tidy, simple, mindless, and minimizes wonkiness, especially when you’re batch-sewing a whole quilt’s worth of stars.

I picked out 5 coordinating solid fabrics and made 4 blocks of each, for a total of 20 blocks arranged in 5 rows of 4. The colors fall into that soft, cool color range—blues, teals, sea-glass tones—all set against one cohesive, warm neutral background. It’s the kind of palette that I hope will hold up years from now just as well as it does today. 

The simple sashings (which finish at 2") cleanly frame the blocks, as does the border in the same background color. The contrasting binding creates a polished outline for the whole project. Sometimes I second-guess my color or design choices, or wish I'd done something differently, but that wasn't true for this quilt. I adore how it turned out. No regrets! 

The Quilting

I used my Fancy Feathers digital pantograph because I knew I wanted the quilting to make a BIG impact. I intentionally used solid fabrics so that the quilting would be a focal point of the overall design. Fancy Feathers is a full-coverage feather design that flows beautifully across traditional blocks. I’ve written more about the pantograph here, including usage tips. I released it to our Longarm League members in February of 2020, and it continues to sell well in our shop.

The thing about Fancy Feathers is that it looks ornate, but it stitches out predictably and cleanly. The design elements read classic, but the dense, dynamic feathers give it a modern finish. On a block-based quilt like this, the feathers nest in and around the stars, softening all the angles without completely swallowing the piecing.

Why This Pairing Works

Sawtooth Stars are as reliable as it gets—one of those blocks that doesn’t need anything fancy to shine. Pairing them with strong, uniform quilting creates a steady rhythm across the quilt top. The stars stay crisp, the background blooms with movement, and the whole thing feels cohesive.

Traditional motifs on traditional blocks may not be groundbreaking, but there’s a reason the old formulas hold. This quilt leans into that heritage while also looking fresh and clean.

Soft and Cozy Backing

It's a comfort quilt, it's gotta have a minky backing! And who can be mad at the visibility of that quilting?! 🤩 Certainly not me! 

I also think that using minky on the back of this quilt, in particular, invites and encourages it to be used and loved.





This was a satisfying project from start to finish that only took a couple of days, and the end result is one of those quilts that feels both familiar and elevated.