Ribbon Star Quilt Block Tutorial & Pattern

This time we are sewing the Ribbon Star, which is made up of half square triangles and a simple economy block in the centre.

We will be sewing two 8” blocks (8.5” unfinished) and making them up to 12.5” (unfinished) with sashing.

This diagram gives you the arrangement of colours in the block, with the specific shades listed in the tables below. The blank areas are sewn from background fabric.

Cool palette:

Warm palette:

For each block, cut the following:

First, we are going to make the centre of the block, which is a simple square-in-square, or economy block. Begin by drawing a diagonal line across the wrong side of the four 3” x 3” coloured squares:

Line up one edge of the 3 3/8” background square with the diagonal line drawn on the colour 1 square, and sew. Trim 1/4” away from the sewn line and press seam towards the coloured fabric:

Repeat with the other coloured squares, making sure that they are in the correct order:

Trim to 4.5” square, making sure that the points where the seams intersect are at least 1/4” away from the edge, otherwise you will lose them in your seam allowance when you sew the block together.

Next we need to make half-square triangles. Draw a diagonal line across the wrong side of the four 3.5” x 3.5” background squares, and put them in pairs with the 3.5” x 3.5” coloured squares as below:

Sew a scant 1/4” from each side of the drawn line on each pair of squares, then cut along the line to make two HSTs:

Press with the seam towards the darker fabric, and trim to 2.5” x 2.5”, making sure the 45º line on your ruler is in line with the seam:

You will have a total of eight HSTs, two in each colour:

Lay out your pieces to match the block diagram, then sew together to make an 8.5” block.

Cut sashing strips from background fabric:

Add the sashing according to the block A and B layout diagrams. Attach the 8.5” pieces to the top and bottom of the block first, press, then add the 12.5” strips to the sides.