Every quilter should have a few star blocks in her bag of tricks. This week’s easy quilt block, the Friendship Star, is one of the simplest star blocks you can make. I also like it best among the star blocks because of its charming pinwheel quality. The block is made by combining squares with half-square triangle blocks. Here are two Friendship Star blocks I just made. The first one has a pale star with a darker background:
And the second one has a darker star with a pale background:
Friendship Star Supply List
The instructions in this post show you how to make a 12-1/2″ inch block (finished size 12″). You can make a smaller block by using smaller squares.
You need two fabrics to make a simple star block: one lighter and one darker. For each block, you will need to cut a number of fabric squares.
- You will need two 5″ squares of each fabric to make the half-square triangle blocks for the star points. (If you are a very accurate cutter, you can cut these squares 4-7/8″, but I prefer to make the triangle blocks a bit larger and trim them to the perfect size.)
- You will also need one 4-1/2″ square of the star fabric to be the center of the star, and four 4-1/2″ squares of the background fabric:
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Take the two sets of 5″ squares and use them to make four half-square triangle blocks. These will be the points of the star.
- Lay out the squares and triangle blocks like this:
- Sew each row of blocks together with a scant 1/4″ seam. I like to sew the rows from top to bottom. When you have joined the rows, the block should look like this:
- Sew the rows together and trim the block to square it.
You’re done! You have made a Friendship Star.
