8 Point Sawtooth Star Quilt Pattern

This 8 point star quilt pattern is really a sawtooth star quilt pattern. It uses 12 inch quilt blocks. Beginners, it's easy and fun!

We quilters love star quilts! And, the easier the stars are to make all the better.

Though I designed this quilt with a single background fabric and a different single fabric for the stars you can make it scrappy.

To make this design look more like a scrap quilt, use several different shades of blue for the background and several shades of light gray and or white fabrics to make the stars.

The quilt is made simply with plain squares, large and small, and flying geese. So, you can change up the pattern easily by making more or fewer star blocks and plain background squares.

Pretty much the only difficult part of this quilt is making sure that you do not cut off your star points by sewing over them.

But, I will show you the solution to that as you stitch the flying geese to the center squares of the star blocks.

Block Name: Eight Point Star Quilt Block

Finished Block Size: 12 inch

Setting: Straight-Set, 6 x 7 blocks

Approximate Finished Quilt Size: 84 x 96 inches

Fabrics for Quilt Top

In addition to your usual quilting supplies here are your fabric requirements, based on 42 inches usable fabric.

Rounded to the nearest 1/4 yard. 

1 1/4 yard Fabric A - light gray (or white), mottled

6 1/4 yard Fabric B* - dark blue, mottled

*Assumes that you will piece border strips.

Backing, Binding, Batting Fabrics

Backing: 3 yards of 108 inch wide backing fabric

Binding Fabric: 3/4 yards

Batting: prepackaged queen size (or 88 inches X 100 inches)

Prerequisites

• 4-At-A-Time No Waste Flying Geese
  

Eight Point Star Quilt Pattern

• All seams are 1/4 inch unless otherwise noted.
• WOF = width of fabric

Cut Fabric for Units

If you prefer to cut all of your fabric at once, here's what you need to cut. The quilt pattern instructions will also direct you went to cut what fabric and shape.

From Fabric A- light gray (or white), mottled cut:

3 (6 1/2 inch by WOF) strips; subcut 16 (6 1/2 inch) squares for center squares of star blocks

7 (3 7/8 inch by WOF) strips; subcut 64 (3 7/8 inch) squares to make 4-At-a-Time Flying Geese

From Fabric B - dark blue, mottled (or several different shades of blue fabrics) cut:

9 (12 1/2 inch x WOF) strips; subcut 26 (12 1/2 inch) for Block B (Alternate Squares)

6 (3 1/2 inch by WOF) strips; subcut 64 (3 1/2 inch) for Corner Squares of star blocks

4 (7 1/4 inch by WOF) strips; subcut 16 (7 1/4 inch) squares to make 4-At-a-Time Flying Geese

10 (6 1/2 inch x WOF) strips for borders

8 Point Star Quilt Pattern Instructions

First, we will make the Eight Point Star block (aka sawtooth star quilt block) as shown below. Each 12 inch star block uses

• 1 (6 inch) center square
• 4 (3 inch) corner squares
• 4 (3 by 6 inch) flying geese

Block A: Eight Point Star Block

Step 1a: Cut Fabric for 64 Flying Geese

From Fabric A- light gray (or white), mottled cut:

7 (3 7/8 inch by WOF) strips; subcut 64 (3 7/8 inch) squares to make 4-At-a-Time Flying Geese.

From Fabric B - dark blue, mottled (or several different shades of blue fabrics) cut:

4 (7 1/4 inch by WOF) strips; subcut 16 (7 1/4 inch) squares to make 4-At-a-Time Flying Geese.

Step 1b: Make 64 Flying Geese

Make 64 flying geese using the 4-At-a-Time No Waste Flying Geese method (opens a new window). To make 4 flying geese rectangle units at a time use:

• 4 (3 7/8 inch) squares (Fabric A - light gray or white, mottled)
• 1 (7 1/4 inch) square (Fabric B - dark blue, mottled)

Step 1c: Make 16 Eight Point Star Blocks (Block A)

Layout and stitch together 16 (12 1/2 inch) 8 Point Star quilt blocks (opens in a new window).

Step 1d: Trim all the star blocks to 12 1/2 inches, or the size of the smallest block, which may be a little less than 12 1/2 inches.

Step 2: Cut Block B (Alternate Squares)

Using the 9 (12 1/2 inch x WOF) strips, subcut 26 (12 1/2 inch) squares (Block B). Or, subcut the squares to the same size as you trimmed all of the blocks to in Step 1d.

Block B: 12 1/2 inch Square

Note: When Cutting/Piecing Long Strips

For the border strips, the exact measurements for the pattern are given. To account for variations that can occur in cutting and stitching, piece together each strip about 2 - 3 inches longer than specified and trim each to size after attaching it to the main quilt body.

Step 3a: Cut Fabric for Border Strips

If you have enough yardage you can cut the border strips by the width of the fabric (WOF)...

Cut from Fabric B - dark blue, mottled (or several different shades of blue fabrics) a total of:

10 (6 1/2 inch x WOF) strips.

Or, use scraps to piece the strips together in the length stated in Step 3b below.

Step 3b: Piece Border Strips

The approximate finished size of the quilt is 84 x 96 inches.

Whether from yardage or scraps, stitch together 2 (6 1/2 x 84 inch) strips and 2 (6 1/2 x 96 inch) strips.

8 Point Sawtooth Star Quilt Pattern

Quilt Assembly Diagram

star quilt assembly diagram

For the steps below, refer to the above 8 Point Star quilt pattern quilt assembly diagram.

Step 4: Layout the 12 1/2 inch star quilt blocks and plain 12 1/2 inch squares as shown...

Row 1: Star, 4 Plain Squares, Star

Row 2: Plain Square, Star, 2 Plain Squares, Star, Plain Square

Row 3: Star, 2 Plain Squares, Star, Plain Square, Star

Row 4: 2 Plain Squares, Star, Plain Square, Star, Plain Square

Row 5: 3 Plain Squares, Star, Plain Square, Star

Row 6: Plain Square, Star, 2 Plain Squares, Star, Plain Square

Row 7: Star, Plain Square, Star, 2 Plain Squares, Star

Or, arrange the blocks in a pattern to your liking.

Step 5a: Stitch the blocks of each row together. Press seams of Row 1 to the right and press the seams of each successive row in the opposite direction of the previous row.

Step 5b: Stitch each row together. Press the seam between rows downward.

Step 6: Attach Border Strips

Attach border strips to the main quilt body in the order shown on the star quilt pattern quilt assembly diagram. Press seams toward border strips.

Finishing the 8 Point Sawtooth Star Quilt Pattern

Batting

Batting: queen size (cut to 88 x 100 inches)

Backing

Backing: 3 yards of 108 inch wide backing fabric (cut to 92 x 104 inches)

Step 7: Make the Quilt Sandwich

Put the star quilt pattern quilt sandwich together by layering in this order the backing, batting and quilt top. Pin baste the three layers together.

Step 8: Quilt the Quilt

Now quilt the three layers.

May I suggest a straight line quilting pattern of diagonal lines, first going from left to right and then going from right to left of the quilt. Make the grid lines about 2 inches apart.

Or, if you know how to free-motion quilt go for it!

Step 9: Bind the Quilt

Binding Fabric: 3/4 yard fabric

From the 3/4 yard of fabric cut 10 (2 1/2 x WOF) strips, trim selvages and join to make a single long binding strip.

Easy Star Quilt Pattern Complete

This 8 Point Sawtooth Star quilt pattern is easy to make! Beginners and experienced quilters alike, I hope you have fun making it.

Raid your fabric stash and really make it your own!

Updated: March 26, 2019

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