Quilt block · Stars · Advanced
Lone Star quilt block
Eight points meet in the middle, each a 45° diamond pieced from sixteen small ones, so the colors run across the star in rings: dark, medium, light, accent, and back again to dark at the tips. A square sits in each corner and a triangle in each side, set in between the points. Also called Star of Bethlehem and Lonestar.
What to cut for one block
A 6″ finished block measures 6½″ before it’s sewn into a quilt. Each fabric’s yardage is the least that cuts its strips across the width of fabric, with a strip to spare for straightening.
Background · Snow in the picture
4 corners and 4 triangles
- C4 corner squares then cut with template C
- D4 side triangles then cut with template D
Dark · Navy in the picture
16 small diamonds, at the center and the tips
- A16 diamonds then cut with template A
Medium · Denim in the picture
32 small diamonds
- A32 diamonds then cut with template A
Light · Powder Blue in the picture
48 small diamonds
- A48 diamonds then cut with template A
Accent · Apricot in the picture
32 small diamonds, the ring across the middle
- A16 diamonds then cut with template A
- B16 diamonds then cut with template B
Templates. Pieces marked “cut with template” aren’t a shape a straight ruler cuts: cut the size given, then trim it to the template’s shape. Quarter Inch prints Lone Star’s templates at true size with Quilter.
Worked out by @quarterinch/cutting · ¼″ seams included · strips cut across 42″ of usable width · the letters are the pieces the sewing steps name
A 9″ finished block measures 9½″ before it’s sewn into a quilt. Each fabric’s yardage is the least that cuts its strips across the width of fabric, with a strip to spare for straightening.
Background · Snow in the picture
4 corners and 4 triangles
- C4 corner squares then cut with template C
- D4 side triangles then cut with template D
Dark · Navy in the picture
16 small diamonds, at the center and the tips
- A16 diamonds then cut with template A
Medium · Denim in the picture
32 small diamonds
- A32 diamonds then cut with template A
Light · Powder Blue in the picture
48 small diamonds
- A48 diamonds then cut with template A
Accent · Apricot in the picture
32 small diamonds, the ring across the middle
- A16 diamonds then cut with template A
- B16 diamonds then cut with template B
Templates. Pieces marked “cut with template” aren’t a shape a straight ruler cuts: cut the size given, then trim it to the template’s shape. Quarter Inch prints Lone Star’s templates at true size with Quilter.
Worked out by @quarterinch/cutting · ¼″ seams included · strips cut across 42″ of usable width · the letters are the pieces the sewing steps name
A 12″ finished block measures 12½″ before it’s sewn into a quilt. Each fabric’s yardage is the least that cuts its strips across the width of fabric, with a strip to spare for straightening.
Background · Snow in the picture
4 corners and 4 triangles
- C4 corner squares then cut with template C
- D4 side triangles then cut with template D
Dark · Navy in the picture
16 small diamonds, at the center and the tips
- A16 diamonds then cut with template A
Medium · Denim in the picture
32 small diamonds
- A32 diamonds then cut with template A
Light · Powder Blue in the picture
48 small diamonds
- A48 diamonds then cut with template A
Accent · Apricot in the picture
32 small diamonds, the ring across the middle
- A16 diamonds then cut with template A
- B16 diamonds then cut with template B
Templates. Pieces marked “cut with template” aren’t a shape a straight ruler cuts: cut the size given, then trim it to the template’s shape. Quarter Inch prints Lone Star’s templates at true size with Quilter.
Worked out by @quarterinch/cutting · ¼″ seams included · strips cut across 42″ of usable width · the letters are the pieces the sewing steps name
How it’s sewn
For the 6″ block. Choose another size above and these steps follow it.
- Mark the dots
Push a pin through each dot on the templates and mark it on the wrong side of every piece: ¼″ in from each corner.
- Sew the diamonds in pairs, then the pairs in halves, then the halves into the star
Sew dot to dot, backstitching at each dot. Never sew into the seam allowance: it has to swing free.
- Set in a corner square (1)
Pin one side to a diamond, dots matched. Sew from the outer edge to the dot and stop, needle down. Swing the next side to the next diamond and sew from the dot out.
- Set in the side triangles (2), the same way
Press the seams round the center in one direction, so they spin and lie flat.
For the 9″ block. Choose another size above and these steps follow it.
- Mark the dots
Push a pin through each dot on the templates and mark it on the wrong side of every piece: ¼″ in from each corner.
- Sew the diamonds in pairs, then the pairs in halves, then the halves into the star
Sew dot to dot, backstitching at each dot. Never sew into the seam allowance: it has to swing free.
- Set in a corner square (1)
Pin one side to a diamond, dots matched. Sew from the outer edge to the dot and stop, needle down. Swing the next side to the next diamond and sew from the dot out.
- Set in the side triangles (2), the same way
Press the seams round the center in one direction, so they spin and lie flat.
For the 12″ block. Choose another size above and these steps follow it.
- Mark the dots
Push a pin through each dot on the templates and mark it on the wrong side of every piece: ¼″ in from each corner.
- Sew the diamonds in pairs, then the pairs in halves, then the halves into the star
Sew dot to dot, backstitching at each dot. Never sew into the seam allowance: it has to swing free.
- Set in a corner square (1)
Pin one side to a diamond, dots matched. Sew from the outer edge to the dot and stop, needle down. Swing the next side to the next diamond and sew from the dot out.
- Set in the side triangles (2), the same way
Press the seams round the center in one direction, so they spin and lie flat.
Blocks like it
More like this: Star quilt blocks · Eight-point quilt blocks · all quilt blocks
Questions
Short answers.
Something else? A real person replies.
hello@quarterinch.app
Is Lone Star the same block as Star of Bethlehem?
Usually, yes. Block names vary by region and by book, and the same block is often sold under several. Our library lists Star of Bethlehem and Lonestar as other names for this one, so a search for any of them finds it.
What size should I make it?
No size puts all its pieces on the ⅛″ marks: its 45° diamonds and the pieces set in between them can’t all be whole eighths at once, so they’re cut from templates. Make it whatever size your quilt needs.
Can I paper piece it?
Not on a foundation: it has set-in (Y) seams, where three seams meet and none runs straight through, and foundation piecing sews only straight seams in order.
Is it a good block for a beginner?
It’s an advanced block: 136 pieces in 3 different shapes, set-in (Y) seams and 153 points to match. Practise the hard seams on scraps first. We work the level out from the block’s own geometry, never by eye.