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| Friendship Stars Quilt |
The Friendship Stars Quilt is a traditional and joyful project because it features one of the most popular block designs in the history of quilting: the Friendship Star block. The design of this pattern was created by Carol Thelen of QuiltNotes, and it is the perfect way to incorporate scrap fabrics into a patchwork effect while being easy to make.
“This block will continue to include half-square triangles (HSTs) and squares. The HSTs will form a nine-patch star block to create sparkling stars on the quilt top surface.”
What You’ll Need:
The Friendship Star unit consists of:
- Four units of Half Square Triangle (HST)
- One center square
- Four corner squares
All these units combine to make a single star block, and this repeats for a number of stars to make a quilt.
Because this pattern is scrap-friendly, it is a great way to use up your fabric scraps, fat quarters, and other leftovers in your fabric stash while making a cohesive quilt design.
How It All Connects:
1. Make Half-Square Triangles (HSTs):
Create four HST units per block using contrasting fabrics. HSTs form the star “points,” giving the classic star shape.
2. Assemble Blocks:
To create this block, arrange the units of HST in nine-patch style, with one center square and four corner squares. Visualize it as if it is a simple grid comprising light values as background, and the stars are made from the darker prints.
3. Combining Blocs into a Quilt Top:
Now that you have your star blocks pieced, you are going to sew them together into rows. You can use sashing or alternate with scrappy squares, depending upon your liking. This pattern will work well with or without the sashing.
Scrappy quilting allows you to create a one-of-a-kind quilt, but it also allows you to use up your stash of materials, ensuring that the finished product has color.
Design Tips:
Color Contrast: Select fabrics with strong color contrasts between lights and darks so that your stars are highlighted effectively. Scrappy Palette: Vary prints and solids for more appeal. The scrappy appearance of this quilt is what makes it attractive. Size Options: Depending upon how many blocks you make and whether or not you choose to add sashing or borders to this quilt pattern, this design could be considered for a lap quilt, or even for a bed sized quilt.
The complete pattern for Friendship Star Scrap Quilt, created by Carol Thelen, is freely downloadable from QuiltNotes as a PDF. It comprises step-by-step guidance on cutting and arranging the pieces to ensure that you properly complete the stars.
The Friendship Stars Quilt is a classic design that is beautiful no matter how it is interpreted through vintage reproductions, modern fabrics, or scrappy colors. Although it is not an especially complex project, it is easy enough for the beginner and challenging enough for the experienced sewer.
