Quilt pattern with star blocks

This quilt pattern with star blocks will brighten your home or make a friend happy! Choose your favorite fabrics and get sewing!

I love everything about my latest quilt called Market Star: the fabrics I chose, the borders, the whole design. The geometric lines are complemented by the floral and dots prints and lend a modern vibe to the quilt. Change the palette for a traditional piece that will add happiness to any decor.

Market Star measures 72″ x 72″, and the blocks finish at 9″ and 12″. It is perfect as a wall hanging (just add the sleeve – here is the tutorial on how I add hanging sleeves to quilts) or as a throw. However you decide to display it, I hope it will become a new favorite quilt for you.

What inspired me? The fabric collection! It is called Fresh as a Daisy by Moda Fabrics, and I think I should have gotten one bolt of each fabric for my stash. Those colors!!! Fresh as a Daisy was a dream to work with because of all the color and print options. I got to play with them and thought carefully about how to place them in the design for the best results. It can take a while, but I always know when I get there.

In this case, though, I remember that Ann Hammel Murphy, the editor-in-chief of American Quilter magazine (see below for details about the issue where this pattern was published), gave me her input when I was working on the borders. Ah… how good it is when you have a sounding board!

As with all my other projects, I designed this quilt with EQ8 (affiliate link). My work is less complicated and progresses faster than if I were using paper and pencil. I can audition fabrics for every block very quickly. If a block I chose is not working, there are thousands of other blocks to choose from in EQ’s library.

If you decide to use different fabrics when making this quilt pattern with star blocks, be sure there are lots of textures and enough contrast in color and print scale. Notice how I used large prints, small prints, dots, stripes, and fabrics with a tonal print.

The center block is comprised of four sections, and each is paper-pieced. This is a simple paper-piecing block, so even if you haven’t tried it, it will be a breeze to put it together.

When you are learning a new technique, it is easier when you begin with a project that has just a little bit of it. Beginner quilters might want to wait before they commit to making a whole quilt with blocks that use a new-to-them technique. This way, you get to decide if paper-piecing, for instance, is for you.

Here is a simple tutorial to help you out. If you would like to try your hand at curved paper piecing, or a more involved pattern, click on those words for tutorials that might be useful, too.

I do not know about you, but when making a medallion quilt, I like to begin with the center. And so I did. The same color that frames the center block is used on the border – when I design, I keep repeating colors to tie it all together and ensure a harmonious look.

You can also make it a scrappy quilt and still follow the same guidelines. The color on the center blocks is repeated on the stars and borders; choose a stripe or other textured fabric that has all the colors of the fabrics you are using for the mid-size border or make it a solid color. Then, pick a fabric for the border that will ‘contain’ everything.

Speaking of borders, there is nothing complicated about this one! It is assembled and stitched to the center like any other pieced border, except that the top and bottom strips have a block of a different color that is rotated. Cool, right?

Melissa from Sew Shabby Quilting did the long-arm quilting for me, as usual. It is fun to see what she will come up with because I never choose the quilting motif unless there is one that I really want on a quilt. The print on the middle of the star spells “Happy” to me…

Market Star was published in the September 2022 issue of American Quilter magazine. It comes packed with amazing projects, quilting tips, quilting motif ideas, and Gorillas… Yes! You must read that article! I am a member of the American Quilter’s Society, love the magazine, and have been dreaming about taking one of their cruises. Maybe soon! In the meantime, I will be honored every time they accept one of my works for publication.

Have a wonderful week!