How to Sew this Beautiful Star Quilt Block Called Two Color

I'm not sure why this block is called Two Color. The example I saw used three colors plus a background! Perhaps it is referring to the two colors for the star points. It is a lovely star and pinwheel design. I suppose you could make it with only two colors but I think it's prettier with the four colors. It's not too difficult either so let's get sewing!

Fabric Requirements for a 12" Finished Two Color Quilt Block:

• Light/Gray: 4 - 4.5" squares, and 8 - 2.5" squares
• Medium/Purple: 4 - 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles
• Dark/Green: 4 - 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles, and 2 - 3" squares
• Dark/Purple: 2 - 3" squares

Sewing Directions:

Pinwheel Unit:

Step 1:

Sew together four Half Square Triangle units using the Dark/Green 3" squares and the Dark/Purple 3" squares as shown in the picture below. Press the seam allowances toward the Dark/Purple fabric. Trim/square up the units to 2.5" square. You can find a detailed tutorial for making Half Square Triangles at https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/how-to-sew-a-basic-half-square-triangle-block.

Step 2:

Lay out the Step 1 Half Square Triangle units as shown below.

Step 3:

Sew the Half Square Triangles together to make a Pinwheel unit. You can find my tutorial for making a basic Pinwheel block at https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/pinwheel-quilt-block-pattern. I used the tweak/twirl/furl method for pressing my seam allowances.

Star Point Units:

Step 4:

Mark a diagonal line from corner to corner on the back of a Light/Gray 2.5 square and sew it to a Dark/Green 2.5" x 4.5" rectangle following the marked line (first image). Fold the square along the sewn line, match up the corners and press (second image). Unfold and trim away the excess seam allowance (third image). Refold and you have one unit completed (fourth image). This is basically half of a Flying Geese block.

Step 5:

Now you'll repeat Step 4 only changing the orientation of the marked line on the back of the Light/Gray square and using the Medium/Purple 2.5" x 4.5" rectangle as shown below.

Step 6:

Repeat Steps 4 and 5 so you have a total of four units of each orientation and color as shown in the picture below.

Step 7:

Match up one Step 4 unit and one Step 5 unit and sew together. It can be a bit tricky to get a nice point in the v shape - just take your time and remember it doesn't have to be perfect! Press the seam allowance toward the Medium/Purple unit as shown in the picture below. Repeat for a total of four Star Point units.

Putting It All Together:

Step 8:

Lay out the Pinwheel unit, the Star Point units, and the four Light/Gray 4.5" squares as shown below.

Step 9:

From here the block goes together like a typical Nine Patch block. Sew the units into three rows as shown.

Step 10:

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

Step 11:

Now sew the three rows together, nesting the seam allowances so you get nice intersections where the seams meet.

Step 12:

Finally, press the seam allowances toward the center of the block as shown in the picture below. All done!

Layout Options:

So here's the basic 4 x 4 layout. Where the four gray squares meet could be a great spot for some fancy quilting!

In this layout, I've added in sashing and cornerstones. I put a little pinwheel in the cornerstone but it's so small, it's hard to see.

Here I added some color to the sashing and cornerstones. It kind of gives a plaid effect.

Here's an example of the block put on point. It never ceases to amaze me how different a block looks when set on point! This layout reminds me of a trellis. Oooh, I bet some appliqued flowers would look great on this layout.

Here's the above layout but with a narrow sashing and cornerstones added.

This is a nice layout too. The pieced sashing strips and cornerstones come together to make a Friendship Star in between the blocks. Nice secondary design!

Conclusion:

I really enjoyed sewing this block together - not too many steps and not too difficult - and it's a beautiful star!

I hope you've enjoyed this Two Color 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".