Eliza’s Star Quilt Block Pattern – Easy 12-Inch Braced Star Tutorial with a Scrappy Twist

By: Elaine Huff

Welcome to this week’s quilt block tutorial featuring Eliza's Star - a striking 12" braced star design with timeless charm and a touch of literary flair. Named after Eliza Capot, Comtesse de Feuillide and cousin (and eventual sister-in-law) of Jane Austen, this block blends elegance and fun, much like its namesake.

Traditionally sewn with a classic three-color palette, I’m giving it a fresh twist with a semi-scrappy approach that adds depth and personality without losing its refined lines. Let’s dive in and bring this star to life, one piece at a time.

Fabric Requirements for a 12" Finished Eliza's Star Quilt Block:

Light/White: 2 - 5.5" squares, and 1 - 4.5" square
Assorted Light/Medium Prints: 4 - 4.5" squares
Dark 1/Blue: 1 - 5.5" square
Dark 2/Aqua: 1 - 5.5" square, and 4 - 2.5" squares

Sewing Directions:

Center Square:

Step 1:

Snowball the four corners of the White 4.5" square with the four Dark Aqua 2.5" squares to make a Square in a Square unit like the one shown below. You can find my detailed tutorial for making a Square in a Square block at https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/how-to-sew-a-basic-square-in-a-square-block

Hourglass Units:

Step 2:

Using the two White 5.5" squares, the Dark Blue 5.5" square, and the Dark Aqua 5.5" square to make four three-color Hourglass units as shown below. You can find a detailed tutorial for making the three-color Hourglass block at https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/how-to-sew-a-basic-hourglass-or-quarter-square-triangle-block

Putting It All Together:

Step 3:

Lay out the center Square in a Square unit, the four Hourglass units, and the four Assorted Prints 4.5" squares as shown in the picture below. From here the block goes together like a basic Nine Patch block.

Step 4:

Sew the units into three rows as shown below.

Step 5:

Press the seam allowances away from the Hourglass units as shown in the picture below.

Step 6:

Then sew the three rows together to complete the block.

Step 7:

And finally press the seam allowances toward the center of the block as shown in the picture below.

Layout Ideas:

This is the basic 4 x 4 layout using colors similar to the tutorial. With the star design being white, I feel like the star gets lost in a quilt but it still makes a lovely quilt.

And this is the same layout as above only I've added in sashing and cornerstones.

This is an example of the traditional three-color block (cream/olive green/gold) with a diamond design alternating block.

This version has a wide (4") sashing that has an Hourglass in the center that completes the pink diamonds of the block. Then the blue cornerstone creates a Nine Patch design.

This example has a dark blue star (which I think is a better use of color) and a modified Double Nine Patch block as an alternating block.

This is an on-point layout using the same modified Double Nine Patch as above for an alternating block that extends into the setting triangles.

Another on-point layout with dark sashing and cornerstones and the light green background fabric is used for the setting triangles.

And finally, another on-point layout using the diamond design alternating block (that looks like a square here) and light aqua for the setting triangles.

Conclusion:

I had fun sewing the Eliza's Star - it went together quickly and I like the semi-scrappy look. I think my favorite layout is the second one with the dark sashing/cornerstone. The history behind the name is interesting too. You can find out more about Eliza at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliza_de_Feuillide or by googling Eliza Austen.

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial. If you like it and want to see more, just click HERE to sign up for my newsletter and receive a free PDF quilt pattern called "Chained Weathervane".

Happy Quilting!

Elaine

P.S. Looking for more star blocks? Check out this blog post by clicking on this link: https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/30-of-the-best-star-quilt-block-patterns

P.P.S. Check out my Etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/shop/fabric406