Star Quilt
Quilting has been around for centuries, once an important aspect of everyday Appalachian life. Quilts were used for warmth, as decorations, and in accordance with superstitions and rituals. Today, they are often created for artistic or educational purposes, but lack the magical properties of olden times.
Long ago, these blankets were used to ward away evil beings and beasts, bring luck, or invoke healing－the threads imbued with magic. Displaying a variety of colors and patterns, the quilts reflected nature: several species of flowers, starry nights, forests and hills, and other, familiar scenes. Different cuts and images were made for different purposes: finding love, encouraging a happy marriage, enticing good luck, bestowing curses, calling for protection, and healing ailments.
Star-pattern quilts, though, were special; they warded away evil beings and drove maliciousness out of a home. They were made by soaking threads on a cloudless day in flower- petal laden water—the pail brought in before the sun’s final beams vanished; the string was then left by a lit fireplace overnight.
The quilt’s success was not only dependent upon following strict directions, but fae activities. While outside, sprites cast a spell on the threads; it consumed their entire workday, but caused the cloth to repel evil fae and paranormal entities. These beings were not prevented or chased away from the residence by the magic, but blinded of its existence—causing them to supernaturally travel around it. Once inside, brownies added their own spells to it; near the fire, they mixed a variety of brews, knowing what plagued the household and what it was weak against. The tiny fae could mix potions to repulse evil fae residing in the home, frighten the paranormal away, or combat curses.
The thread was used to piece together cut strips of cloth, but in order for the magic to be effective, a star must be sewn into it: a series of triangles and squares, forming an eight, ten, or twelve pointed star. Eight pointed stars gave precedence to ward off evil paranormal entities, ten to combat fae activities, and twelve to overrule human and animal offenses. The larger, more intricate, colorful, and skillfully sewn a quilt was, the more power it held— protecting against all kinds of evil that could lurk. Once embroidered and stitched together, the blanket was hung outside on a sturdy line or branch to air.
If the human household was kind, gentle, and a friend of nature, other kinds of creatures would come to lend their magic to the blanket’s cloth. Once the quilt was taken across the home’s threshold, the ritual was completed, its magic in full effect.
Other evil, humanoid creatures (like Wicks) have their own versions of these blankets that curse those nearby and ward away the benevolent. They are ugly, drab, and poorly stitched together, hanging in front of dilapidated shacks or dead trees.
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