Eight-point Star Tutorial

These eight-point star blocks are made from three different units: 1) flying geese; 2) square-in-a-square; and 3) corner squares

I will be using the fabric combination in the upper right quadrant of the photo above.  My quilt is mainly browns, blues, and greens, with various shades of white.

You want to decide your finished block size by the size of your flying geese block.  I am using my largest flying geese acrylic template to make my blocks.  I have to cut the geese part 4 3/4 X 8 3/4 inches, which dictates the sizes I cut my sky pieces, my square-in-a-square pieces, and my corner pieces.

To get started, cut a 4 3/4 " strip of fabric, width-of-fabric, then sub-cut that piece as shown below.

The one strip will get you the four 4 3/4" X 8 3/4" geese pieces you need.  Use the dark fabric for the sky, which in this case is also the eight-point star.  You see the star, completed, by skipping to the end of this tutorial. 😊  See the equation below:

Place a dark (sky) 4 3/4" X 4 3/4" square on the right end of each goose piece.  Draw a line diagonally across the square.  Sew on the line, press the lower left corner to the upper right corner.  Trim the seam, underneath, to 1/4", being careful to only trim away what is underneath.   THEN, place another dark (sky) square on the left end of each goose piece, and repeat the process, as illustrated above.  Press and trim in the same manner.  Do all four of the flying geese blocks this way.   **see tip 2 at end of tutorial about how to use the excess triangles being trimmed from these units!!**

Now, square up your flying geese units to be 4 1/2" X 8 1/2" .  If you do not have a template tool for this, see the additional information about squaring up a flying geese unit, with a regular quilting ruler at the end of this tutorial.

Next unit is the center of our block, which we are calling a square-in-a-square:

Take the two 5 1/2" X 5 1/2" squares and cut them in two, diagonally, as shown.

Before you sew the triangles to the 6" X 6" center square, fold the center square and finger press a crease into the center edge of each side of the square. Also, fold the triangle in-half, on the long side and finger press a crease into the center edge of each.  

Match up the creases, so the center of your triangle is sitting centered on the edge of the square.  Sew the ones on opposite sides first, then press them out, before sewing the other two on to opposite sides of the square.  See below:

After pressing, trim to 8 1/2" X 8 1/2".   Now you are ready to join the separate units, together to finish your block.

It is important to press them this way, if you are going to sew other eight-point star blocks directly to each other.  It will enable you to have seams that lock in.  On these blocks two opposing sides are pressed out, while the other two opposing sides are pressed in.  You can rotate one block to have the in sides meet the out sides of the next block, so the joining seams match up. 😊

Ta-da!!

TIPS:

Tip 1:  If you do not have a flying geese square-up tool:

Tip 2:

If you want to make a ton of half-square triangles at the same time you are making flying geese units, do this:

When you draw the diagonal line on your 'sky' dark square on your flying geese, draw a second line parallel to the first, 1/2 inch away,  ON THE SIDE THAT WILL BE trimmed away after sewing on the lines.  Make sure you draw it on the correct location or you will destroy your flying geese unit when you cut it.  After you sew on the first line, sew on the second line. 

Use scissors to cut down the center, between the two lines.  This leaves a quarter inch seam allowance on both blocks.  One is a flying geese, while the other is a half-square triangle.

I made nine eight-point star blocks, which yielded 8 half-square triangles per block.

8 X 9 = 72     I have 72 half-square triangle blocks that I am trimming to 3 3/4 inches each, which when sewn together they will be 3 1/4" square.  I will only need 64 of the half-square triangles to make a border for my quilt, if I place a four inch solid border around my nine 16" blocks.  You got that?