Star quilts honored at Sandoz Center

Draped over a hip-high stand, the quilt boasts a kaleidoscope of bright pastel colors. At first glance the quilt, and the other two in the collection, appear to be merely attractive works of art.
But they represent much more.
The Mari Sandoz Center is displaying three reproductions of traditional Native American star quilts in honor of Native American History Month. The blankets were donated by Chadron local Roxie Puchnor and crafted by her sister, Patty Bourne.
Puchnor, who has Native-American ancestry, explained the cultural importance of the quilts.
“One of the highest honors (in the culture) is to be gifted a quilt,” she said, “wrapped around your shoulders (ceremoniously).”

In the distant Western past, star quilts would’ve been made by an extensive process of cutting out diamonds for the pattern and stitching together various pieces to create the overarching picture. Of course, this was all done painstakingly by hand.
Since times have changed, so have these methods.
Puchnor said her sister’s quilts were made with the help of a quilting machine and a more efficient strip-quilting process.
Puchnor said that as a child, she watched her grandmother craft star quilts by hand. Years later, this inspired her to take a class with a close friend and her sister to learn how to practice the art form.
“This is probably the fourth year I have put quilts up for display,” Puchnor said proudly.
As November and Native American History Month roll to an end, the star quilts will also soon be taken down. Students and faculty have until next week to get a glimpse at these soft pieces of art.
The Mari Sandoz Center will next display the “Traveling with Mari” collection Jan. 9 through the middle of May.