Patchwork and Quilting: Friendship Star Block

I love the idea of a ‘friendship star’, it gives me a warm feeling inside, so that’s probably why I enjoy making this block and the fact that I often use it when making blocks for projects. The design is quite simple, using the 4” square and 4” triangle templates.

Below is a picture you can print of this pattern and colour in, so you can decide which colour you would like each patch to be before you start choosing fabric or cutting. It will also give you a good idea of what the end block will look like.

I am using a pack of templates from ‘Prym’, I have had them for 8 years, they are in constant use and they are still going strong. The pack contains 6 templates, 3 squares (2”, 2&4/5”and 4”) and 3 triangles (2”, 2&4/5”and 4”). I recommend buying some templates as they will last for many years and so they are definitely worth it if you are planning to do a lot of patchwork, but if you are unable to buy these templates, you can make your own. I drew around the templates and scanned the images for you to download with the following link, print them out and carefully trace them onto a vinyl template sheet and cut them out (it is very important to be accurate when tracing and cutting otherwise the patches will not match up).

1. Wash and iron your fabrics and decide which one you would like to be the star and which one will be the background. If you are unsure, print the downloadable pattern above and colour it in to give you an idea of what it will look like.

2. Using the largest (4”) square and triangle templates cut out 5 square and 8 triangle paper templates (inserts).

3. Adding a ¼” seam allowance (using the quilters quarter if you have one) cut out 1 square and 4 triangles in the fabric chosen for the star, and cut out 4 squares and 4 triangles in the fabric chosen for the background.

4. Pin the paper templates onto the centre of the fabric squares and triangles and tack them in place. Make sure the corners are folded and tacked correctly so you have crisp edges and points to work with.

5. Lay out all the patches out in front of you in their correct place, this will help you see which patches will be sewn together. Start by sewing all the triangles into pairs to make squares. There will be four pairs of triangles to sew together. Pin two different coloured triangles together right sides facing and oversew the two longest sides. When sewn and opened out they will make a square.

6. Now you can sew your rows like we did for the ‘nine patch block’. Keep your patches in front of you and refer to the photos to help keep the pattern right and to ensure you are sewing the correct sides together. Always double check before sewing.

7. Once you have completed the three rows, pin and sew the top row to the middle row, then the bottom row to the middle row, always double checking that the pattern is correct. Remember when pinning to carefully match up the edges and points where the patches meet. Don’t worry if you can see the stitches when your block is opened out, that’s part of its charm.

8. You have now completed the ‘Friendship Star’! Your block can now be made into a lovely cushion, wall hanging or as one side of a bag (project coming soon) or stored together with the ‘Nine Patch Block’ ready for a larger project (quilt/throw).

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