More Wonky Stars

The Wonky Star block is an easy one to construct in any size.  I love star blocks and this one is less tricky than most when it comes time to assemble blocks.  Because the points “float”, the intersections are not complicated.  And if you combine a few of these blocks with a common background, you can make the other intersections unimportant, too.

these wonky stars have pieced centers, are all made of solids and the background dotted fabric camouflages all intersections.

I find the block to be perfect for graphic drag-around quilts!  Quick assembly makes it a perfect choice for sew-ins and charity sewing.

The block is made using 13 squares of fabric, all the same size. Eight squares are the background, one is the center, four squares make the star points. I usually use the eight background squares from the same fabric, but that’s not required.

This colorful quilt uses black and white prints for the stars, solid backgrounds, and a field of red to show off Dewey Godwin’s fabulous quilting.

The star block is essentially a nine-patch, so if you use 2 1/2″ squares, you will end up with a 6″ block, if you choose 6″ squares, the block will be 16 1/2″ finished. (This presumes you use the standard 1/4″ seam allowance.) I’ve made this block in many sizes, sometimes using charm packs for convenience, sometimes based on a fixed size to use a particular print for the center.

In Wonky Stars with Sue (in the photo above), I had some fabric printed with Sue Spargo’s brightly colored flower designs. Those squares measured an unexpected 7 3/8″ inches, so that’s what I cut all the squares.

In my last post, I promised details for constructing this block. Here they are:

The block overview is: cut four squares in half diagonally to make star points. Position the triangles to cover the lower corners of the square, stitch using a flip and sew method, press, trim, then assemble block as a nine patch. I’ve outlined steps with photos below:

  1. Cut 13 squares of fabric, all the same size
    • 8 background
    • 1 center
    • 4 star points, cut in half diagonally

2. lay one triangle in position to cover lower left side of square, sew with right sides together, press outward.

3. Repeat with triangle on right side, taking care to be sure that lower corner of background fabric will be covered when the triangle is “flipped”.

backside of star point square before trimming

4 Press, trimming seams if desired, then trim to original size of square.

these squares have been trimmed. These finished at 2 1/2 “

5 Four star point squares should look like this.

6 Arrange into nine-patch layout taking care to have star points in the proper position.

7 Assemble in rows, press, then sew rows together.

The table topper I shared in the previous post was made using just two fabrics (one star points and center, the other background). I cut the squares as large as possible based on the fabric I had on hand. In that case, it was 11 1/2″.

Vero Beach Wonky Stars was pieced on my featherweight. Jim was taking a photography class and I kept busy.

And the quilt top in the first photo is a small piece using 2 1/2″ squares. (I actually started with 5″ charm squares. I cut them down because I wanted the star points to be the same fabric, and I only had one charm pack – was away from home, and improvised.

Author: Sandy Gilreath

I've stitched my way through life. Early skills in utilitarian and decorative sewing have merged with art in the world of quiltmaking. My love of journaling has now crossed into the cloth world, too. I love old songs, old souls, old words; my collections attest to my fascination with memories.

One thought on “More Wonky Stars”

  1. I love the quilt with the navy back ground! Such pretty contrast to the other colors.
    Have a blessed week.
    Vickie Holloway

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