How to Make the Square in a Star Quilt Block - a Free Tutorial

This block is take off of the State Fair block I did a few weeks ago. With just a small change, another star was formed! This will be paired with another alternating block that will be the next tutorial. Let's check out what I'm calling the Square in a Star quilt block!

Fabric Requirements for a 12" Finished Square in a Star Quilt Block:

• Light/White: 8 - 2.5" squares, 2 - 1.5" x 4.5" rectangles, and 2 - 1.5" x 2.5" rectangles
• Light/Blue: 4 - 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles
• Medium/Blue: 8 - 2.5" squares
• Dark/Blue: 8 - 2.5" squares
• Dark/Purple: 4 - 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles, and 8 - 2.5" squares
• Really Dark/Purple: 1 - 2.5" square

(I know the purples don't really look like purple in the photos, but they really are. I'm blaming my camera instead of my photo editing skills - lol!)

Sewing Directions:

Center Unit:

Step 1:

Sew the two Light/White 1.5" x 2.5" rectangles to opposite sides of the Really Dark/Purple 2.5" square as shown in the picture below.

Step 2:

Press the seam allowances away from the Really Dark/Purple square as shown.

Step 3:

Sew the two 1.5" x 4.5" rectangles to each side of the Step 2 unit as shown below.

Step 4:

Press the seam allowances away from the center of the unit as shown in the picture below.

Corner Units:

Step 5:

Using two Medium/Blue and two Dark/Blue 2.5" squares, sew together a basic Four Patch unit. In the picture below you can see that the squares are sewn into two rows and the seam allowances are pressed toward the Medium/Blue squares.

Step 6:

Now sew the two rows together and press the seam allowance to one side as shown below.

Step 7:

Repeat Steps 5 and 6 for a total of four Corner units.

Flying Geese Units:

Step 8:

Next, sew together a Flying Geese patch using a Light/Blue 2.5" x 4.5" rectangle and two Dark/Purple 2.5" squares. You can find my detailed tutorial using my no-trim method for making Flying Geese at https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/how-to-sew-a-basic-flying-geese-block. In the picture below you can see the first four steps.

Step  9:

And here you can see the last four steps. Repeat Steps 8 and 9 for a total of 4 units.

Step 10:

Repeat Steps 8 and 9 only using the Dark/Purple 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles and the Light/White 2.5" squares as shown in the picture below.

Step 11:

Sew a Step 9 Light Blue/Dark Purple unit to a Step 10 Dark Purple/White unit as shown in the picture below. Press the seam allowance toward the Step 10 unit.

Step 12:

Repeat Steps 8 through 11 for a total of four Flying Geese units.

Putting It All Together:

Step 13:

Lay out the Center unit, the four Corner units, and the four Flying Geese units as shown in the picture below.  From here the block goes together like a typical Nine Patch quilt block.

You will need to rotate the Corner units so that your seam allowances will nest together nicely. You can see how that looks in the Step 15 picture.

Step 14:

Sew the units into three rows as shown below.

Step 15:

Press the seam allowances away from the Flying Geese units as shown below.

Step 16:

To complete the block, simply sew the three rows together and ...

Step 17:

Press the seam allowances toward the center of the block as shown in the picture below. 

Layout Suggestions:

I would suggest using this Square in a Star block with the alternating block I'll be showing you next. However, here are some ideas for this block all by itself.

A typical 4 x 4 layout:

With sashing and cornerstones added:

And here's a pieced sashing and cornerstone layout. Love the secondary design!

Sneak peek of what's next!

Conclusion:

While there are lots of pieces in this Square in a Star quilt block, it goes together nicely and creates a unique star design.

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. In case you missed it, check out my roundup post of other star quilt blocks at https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/30-of-the-best-star-quilt-block-patterns

P.P.S. Check out my patterns I have for sale on Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/shop/fabric406