Free Ohio Star Variation Quilt Block called Star Pattern

The Star Pattern block is a variation of the popular Ohio Star block. What makes it fun is the star that forms when blocks are sewn together! Let's check it out!

Fabric Requirements for a 12" Finished Star Pattern Quilt Block:

• Light/White: 4 - 4.5" squares, 4 - 3" squares, and 4 - 2.5" squares
• Medium/Blue: 4 - 3" squares, and 4 - 2.5" squares
• Dark/Navy: 1 - 4.5" square, and 8 - 2.5" squares

Sewing Directions:

Corner Units:

Step 1:

Using the Light/White 3" squares and the Medium/Blue 3" squares, sew together eight Half Square Triangles (HST) as shown in the picture below. Trim/square up the HSTs to 2.5" square. You will find the tutorial for making a basic Half Square Triangle at https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/how-to-sew-a-basic-half-square-triangle-block.

In my example I pressed the seam allowances toward the Light/White fabric. However, as I was sewing the units together to make the block, I think I should have pressed toward the Medium/Blue fabric.

Step 2:

Lay out two Step 1 Half Square Triangle units, a Light/White 2.5" square, and a Medium/Blue 2.5" square as shown in the picture below.

Step 3:

From here the Corner unit goes together just like a basic Four Patch block. First, sew the patches into two rows and press the seam allowances away from the Half Square Triangle units as shown below.

Step 4:

Next, sew the two rows together and press the seam allowance. You can see in the picture below that I used the tweak/twirl/furl method for pressing. Repeat Steps 2 through 4 for a total of four Corner units.

Flying Geese Variation Units:

Step 5:

For lack of a better name for it, I'm calling this unit a Flying Geese Variation. It could also be called a Half Square in a Square - take your pick! 

Using the four Light/White 4.5" squares and eight Dark/Navy 2.5" squares, piece together four of these Flying Geese Variation units as shown in the picture below. They are constructed the same as a basic Flying Geese block except that you are using a 4.5" square (Light/White) instead of the normal 2.5" x 4.5" rectangle. You can find my method (no trimming required) for making a basic Flying Geese block at https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/how-to-sew-a-basic-flying-geese-block

Putting It All Together:

Step 6:

Lay out the Corner units, the Flying Geese Variation units, and the Dark/Navy 4.5" square as shown below.

Step 7:

The rest of the construction is just like a basic Nine Patch block. First, sew the units into three rows as shown in the picture below.

Step 8:

Press the seam allowances toward the Flying Geese Variation units as shown below.

Step 9:

All that's left is to sew the three rows together and...

Step 10:

Press the seam allowances toward the center of the block. You're done!

Layout Options:

I had to do some layouts of this block because I love how you get two stars for the price of one with this block!

Here's a plain jane 4 x 4 layout using a light blue and dark blue like I how I made my sample. So many stars! If I were making this quilt though, I would take out the half stars and quarter stars around the outside edge and just use the background fabric in their place.

In this example, I've made it scrappy using just reds and blues on a creamy background. Great looking Americana design!

So then I had to go Christmasy.

And here's another Christmas one with a more colorful background fabric.

Here I've added sashing and cornerstones.

Here's the basic design only put on point. It does change the look a bit.

And here is it on point and with sashing and cornerstones.

Conclusion:

This was a fun block to sew together. Except for pressing direction mistake I made in the first step, everything went together really well. And really, that mistake was not a big deal.

I hope you've enjoyed this Star Pattern quilt block tutorial. 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. To print a PDF of this tutorial, check out the free app at https://www.printfriendly.com/. 

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