How to Sew the Claudette's Star Quilt Block - Fast & Fun 12" Block
Looking for a quilt block that’s simple, striking, and perfect for using up your favorite scraps? The Claudette’s Star is a 12" beauty that shines bright and is ideal for beginners and seasoned quilters alike who love a fast, satisfying finish. Whether you plan your colors for a polished, coordinated look or dive into your scrap bin for a charming, scrappy mix, this block comes together quickly with just "snowballed" squares and rectangles.
One of my readers (Claudette) sent a me a picture of this block and asked if I knew what it was called and how to sew it together. I did a search and couldn't find where anyone had named it or done a tutorial so I took the liberty of naming it after Claudette!
Fabric Requirements for a 12" Finished Claudette's Star Quilt Block:
- Light/White: 5 - 4.5" squares (I wound up using a very light blue square for one of the white ones); and 8 - 2.5" squares
- Assorted Prints: From EACH of four fabrics: cut 2 - 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles, and 2 - 2.5" squares
Sewing Directions:
Step 1:
Mark a diagonal line from corner to corner on the back of ALL the 2.5" squares as shown in the picture below.
Corner Units:
Step 2:
Using four of the Light/White 4.5" squares and one of EACH of the Assorted Prints 2.5" squares "snowball" one corner of the 4.5" squares as shown in the picture below. Here are the first steps:
- Sew an Assorted Prints square to a Light/White square along the marked line (top left image). Note the orientation of the marked line.
- Match the corners of the Assorted Prints square and press (top right image).
- Open the small square up and trim the seam allowance (bottom left image).
- Refold (bottom right image).
Step 3:
Repeat Step 2 for a total of four Corner units similar to what is shown below.
Center Unit:
Step 4:
Using the remaining Light/White 4.5" square (in my case light blue) and the Assorted Prints 2.5" squares, sew a Square in a Square unit as shown below. Use the same technique as in Step 2 - just on all the corners of the 4.5" square.
Middle Units:
Step 5:
On to more snowballs! Snowball one corner of each of the Assorted Prints 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles with a Light/White 2.5" square as shown in the picture below.
Note the orientation of the 2.5" squares - you need to have mirror images of each color.
Step 6:
At this point I laid out all the units as shown in the picture below. This enabled me to see which of the Step 5 units to sew together in the next steps.
Step 7:
Keeping the Step 5 units in their respective pairs, repress the seam allowance on the right unit away from the white fabric. This will help to match up the seams when sewn together.
Step 8:
Sew the two units together and press the seam allowance toward the unit on the right side.
Step 9:
Repeat Steps 7 and 8 with the remaining paired up units for a total of four Middle Units like the ones shown below.
Putting It All Together:
Step 10:
Lay out the Corner units, the Center unit, and the Middle units as shown in the picture below. From here the block goes together like a typical Nine Patch block.
Step 11:
Sew the units into three rows as shown below.
Step 12:
Press the seam allowances toward the Middle units as shown.
Step 13:
Sew the three rows together to complete the block.
Step 14:
Press the seam allowances away from the center of the block as shown in the picture below. All done! That was quick!
Layout Ideas:
Here's the basic 4 x 4 layout with scrappy colors. The light octagon-shaped space betwen the blocks would be a nice space for some fancy quilting, etc.
This is an example of the basic 4 x 4 layout with sashing and cornerstones added.
Of course you don't have to make the blocks scrappy!
Here's an alternating layout with a large hourglass block for the alternate block.
And this alternating layout uses a simple chain block in coordinating colors.
And, once again, it doesn't have to be scrappy!
This is an on-point layout with coordinating sashing and cornerstones and the background fabric is used for the setting triangles.
This non-scrappy on-point layout uses a simple chain block as an alternating block and for the setting triangles.
Conclusion:
The Claudette's Star was a fun little block to sew! I can totally see little cat faces in each color - just add some button eyes and embroider some whiskers!
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 easy blocks? Take a look at these beginner-friendly tutorials: https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/tagged/tutorials_beginning-blocks
P.P.S. Check out my Etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/shop/fabric406