Block 9: Eight Point Star

Cutting Instruction

  • Cut 4 pieces of 4 1/8 inch squares (C)

  • Cut 4 pieces of 4 1/8 inch squares (B)

  • Cut 4 pieces of 4 1/8 inch squares (D)

    Cut 4 pieces of 3.5 inch squares (A)

  • 14 inch square for backing

  • 14 inch square

Sewing Instruction

  • Take 1 piece of the D square and using your Pauline Rogers’s Half and Quarter Square Triangle Ruler, line up corner of your tool and mark a line diagonally each side of the tool (on backside of fabric).

  • Join it together with 1 piece of the B square, right sides together. Pin to hold in place and then sew along drawn lines.

  • Once sewn, cut from corner to corner and open to form a half square triangle.

    Press the seams to one side, preferably the dark fabric.

    Trim your square back to 3.5 inch blocks. Repeat this process once more to make 4 times HST – these are called Unit 1.

  • Repeat the above half square triangle for the following combinations of fabric:

    D together with C (need to make 2 of these, in total will make 4 pieces of Half Square Triangles (Unit 2)

    B together with C (need to make 2 of these, in total will make 4 pieces of Half Square Triangles (Unit 3)

  • Now lay out all of your units as per above diagram.

    A + Unit 1 + Unit 2 + A

    Unit 2 + Unit 3 + Unit 3 + Unit 1

    Unit 1 + Unit 3 + Unit 3 + Unit 2

    A + Unit 2 + Unit 1 + A

  • Join each line together as shown.

  • Make sure you iron your seams on each row in the opposite direction to the row before.

    Example: Iron Row 1 and 3 seams to the right and row 2 and 4 seams to the left. This will help lock the seams together to get good corners and points.

  • Now join the four lines together to form your Eight Point Star Block.

Step 9

Now you have to quilt your block. I use Monopoly thread in both top of machine and bobbin. This gives you a lot of room for errors, as it is not as noticeable then if you used a coloured thread.

Sandwich your top together with wadding and backing. The wadding and backing should be at least 2-3” bigger than your block.

I have quilted my block with straight lines and cross hatching – check the photo below for quilting grid lines that I used for this particular block.