Today I’m sharing a fun, quick tutorial on creating an 8 point star block, also known as a sawtooth block.
The block I’m teaching is the same block featured in our downloadable, modern quilt pattern, “Garden Stars.”
The pattern for this download is an easy 8 point star quilt pattern, and we are offering this star quilt pattern for beginners as a free download for our subscribers.
Free 8 Point Star Quilt Pattern
The Garden Stars quilt pattern is an excellent entry-level quilt pattern for someone who wants to create a large throw/twin-size quilt but doesn’t want an overwhelmingly complex pattern to follow.
We love the beautiful, bright colors of this modern quilt — whether you use it on a bed, a throw on your sofa, or as a wall-hanging statement piece.
The beginner-friendly steps of this star quilt tutorial make this pattern a perfect fit for learning the foundations of quilt making.
On the other hand, this project is also fun for a more experienced quilter. I had a lot of fun making the example quilt, and I think you will too!
Here are some of the noteworthy features of this pattern:
- It shows you how to make a star quilt from start to finish.
- It gives you all the cutting instructions to create a large throw/twin-size quilt.
- There are diagrams and images to show you each step of the quilt top construction process.
- It includes fabric suggestions and requirements.
- This pattern gives you the freedom to create a wide variety of quilting styles and designs.
8 Point Star Quilt Pattern Tutorial: Making An 8 Point Star Block
This tutorial will focus on the step-by-step process for making the blocks for our free quilt pattern.
This block looks great with solid or patterned fabrics. Have fun with your fabric selection — but if you want to replicate the colors I created, you can find them listed in the free pattern guide.
I am using Kona solids turquoise, stratosphere, white, and lime for this example block.
Step 1: Cut your pieces.
Here is a list of the pieces you will need to cut for this block:
- 1- 10 ½” square- the centerpiece
- 8- 5 ⅞” squares- the star points
- 4- 5 ⅞” squares-background
- 4- 5 ⅞” x 11 ¼” rectangles-background
- 4- 5 ⅞” squares- corners
Tip: I suggest investing in a cutting mat, ruler, and a rotary cutter for cutting pieces for your quilt projects. It will “cut” your time in half compared to trying to cut perfect squares with scissors.
Step 2: Piece together your star points for a Flying Geese block.
For this step, you will be creating four flying geese blocks. These blocks will each have 2-star points, which gives us 8 points for the star block.
Take one 5 ⅞”x11 ¼” rectangle and two 5 ⅞” star point squares to your work area.
Draw a diagonal line with a fabric pen on the wrong side of both squares, as illustrated in the photo below.
If your fabric has a directional pattern, keep that in mind when drawing your line and piecing your flying geese.
Place one of the squares onto the rectangle.
Line up the edges of the square with the edges of the rectangle with the diagonal line you drew starting at the top center of the rectangle. I always begin with the right square first.
Stitch over the line that you drew.
Trim the excess fabric from the square and rectangle, giving yourself ¼” seam allowance. Press the seam allowance toward the colored fabric.
Now take the second square and line it up on the rectangle, making a mirror image of the right side. Stitch over the line and trim the excess just like you did for the other side. Press the seams towards the colored fabric.
Repeat this step three more times to create four identical blocks. Trim all of the flying geese blocks to 5 ⅞” x 10 ½”.
Step 3: Piece together the corner blocks — HST (half square triangle) blocks.
Take four 5 ⅞” corner squares and four 5 ⅞” background squares and stack them on top of another — the right sides together. Draw a line diagonally on the wrong side of one of the squares in each stack.
Just as with the flying geese blocks, stitch on the line of each of the stacks and trim off the excess with ¼” seam allowance.
Press all of the seams towards the colored fabric.
Step 4: Construct the block.
Here is the layout with all the pieces you have created:
First, attach the corner squares to the two horizontal flying geese blocks and press the seams towards the flying geese block.
Second, attach the last two flying geese to the centerpiece and press the seams towards the flying geese. This step ensures your seams will nest when you sew all the rows together.
Last, attach all three rows together and press. The final block will be a 21” square.
Ready to make your own 8 point start quilt?
The versatility of this block is a considerable advantage for beginners and experienced quilters alike.
You can make it simple, like this example block, or more complex by switching up the fabrics and colors.
The Garden Stars quilt pattern will be a great addition to your pattern collection. It shows you how to use this block to make an entire quilt top that is sure to turn heads and improve your quilting skills.
