Another Easy Ribbon Star Quilt Block Tutorial
Today let's sew together this Ribbon Star quilt block. With only two colors and easy piecing, this Ribbon Star goes together fast and looks great! I've included fabric requirements for a 13.5" finished block and a 9" finished block. There are several blocks out there that are called Ribbon Star (including one I did a tutorial on awhile back which you can find here: https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/ribbon-star-quilt-block-tutorial Let's get started!
Fabric Requirements for a 13.5" Finished Ribbon Star Quilt Block (9" Fabric Requirements are Further Below):
- Light: 4 - 5" squares, 4 - 2" x 5" rectangles, and 13 - 2" squares
- Dark: 8 - 2" x 5" rectangles, and 4 - 2" squares
Sewing Directions:
Center Unit:
Step 1:
Using five of the Light 2" squares and the four Dark 2" squares, sew together a Nine Patch unit like the one shown below. You can find my tutorial for making a basic Nine Patch block at https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/how-to-sew-a-basic-nine-patch-quilt-block
Step 2:
Here you can see how I've pressed the seam allowances toward the Dark fabric.
Star Point Units:
Step 3:
Mark a diagonal line on the back of the remaining eight Light 2" squares from corner to corner (oops - forgot to take a picture of this step!)
Step 4:
Using the picture below for a reference, place a Light 2" square on one end of a Dark 2" x 5" rectangle and sew on the diagonal line (top image). Then fold the 2" square on the sewn line and press (2nd image). Open the folded square up and trim off the seam allowance (3rd image). Refold (bottom image). Repeat for a total of four units.
Step 5:
Now repeat Step 4 but change the orientation of the marked line as shown in the picture below. Repeat for a total of four units.
Step 6:
Here's what you'll end up with. Four with points going one direction and four with points going the opposite.
Step 7:
Lay out one Step 4 unit, one Step 5 unit, and one Light 2" x 5" rectangle as shown in the picture below.
Step 8:
Sew the units together and press the seam allowance toward the Dark fabric as shown below. Repeat for a total of four units.
Putting It All Together:
Step 9:
Lay out the Center Unit, the Star Point Units, and the four Light 5" squares as shown below.
Step 10:
From here the Ribbon Star block goes together like a simple Nine Patch. First you sew the units together into three rows as shown in the picture below.
Step 11:
Press the seam allowances away from the Star Point units as shown below.
Step 12:
Sew the three rows together and ...
press the seam allowances toward the center as shown in the picture below. You're done! Told you it was easy!
Fabric Requirements for a 9" Finished Block:
- Light: 4 - 3.5" squares, 4 - 1.5" x 3.5" rectangles, and 13 - 1.5" squares
- Dark: 8 - 1.5" x 3.5" rectangles, and 4 - 1.5" squares
Here's a picture of the finished 9" block:
Layout Ideas:
This is the basic 4 x 4 layout with colors similar to the tutorial.
And here it is with sashing and cornerstones added. The star design stands out more with this layout.
This alternating design uses a Double Nine Patch block as the alternating block.
This is another alternating layout where every other block is a Snowball block. There's room for some fancy quilting or an applique/embroidery motif in the Snowball block.
Switching over to an on-point layout that uses sashing and cornerstones in a complementary color and the background fabric for the setting triangles.
This is a monochromatic on-point layout that alternates a Snowball block with the Ribbon Star block. The Snowball block is also extending into the setting triangles.
Conclusion:
This Ribbon Star block was really fun to sew. It went together quickly and looks stunning! I especially like the dark brownish red block - the more contrast, the better in my opinion.
I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial for the Ribbon Star block. If you liked this post and want to see more quilting tutorials like this, simply click here to sign up for my newsletter and also receive a free PDF quilt pattern called Chained Weathervane.
Happy Quilting!
Elaine
P.S. Looking for more star blocks? Take a look at these block tutorials: https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/tagged/eight-pointed-star-blocks
P.P.S. Check out my Etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/shop/fabric406
P.P.P.S. To figure out yardage for a quilt, check out this post: https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/how-much-fabric-do-i-need