This free star quilt pattern is called, “The Sister Star.” A modern spin on the classic star quilt. The Sister Star Quilt features two sawtooth star blocks nested inside each other, a symbol of the bright light sisters can hold in your heart. This free quilt pattern will be an enjoyable for the quilters who are interested in trying triangles for the first time or want to practice.
About Star blocks:
American pioneer’s stars block hold unique significance. In one tradition, When a young woman was moving west, friends and families would sew a star blocks to wish the woman well on her journey. Later, the woman could sew the star quilt blocks together to make a larger quilt, and remember her friends and her previous home. Fittingly, this pattern was created by my sister and I.
This pattern is great for an oversized baby/toddler quilt at 40 x 40 inches or a throw. The block size is small enough that this pattern works well for using up scrap fabric. The quilts shown in the pictures throughout are made from 100% cotton. This quilt pattern can include more scrap and color variation – read this article to learn how.
Consider this big star my well wish to you. Happy Sewing!
Cutting Fabric
This quilt can be made with just two cotton fabric colors. To add more interest and complexity in this teal quilt, I used a cream fabric with a variety of teal prints as the color #2.
Color #1:
A: Cut 12 – 6” squares
B: Cut 16 – 5.5” squares
Color #2:
C: Cut 12 – 6” square
D: Cut 16 – 5.5” squares
Half Triangle Block Assembly:
Two Color Single Square
1. Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of a Piece A
2. With right sides facing each other layer A over Piece C. Stitch 1⁄4” in away from the line on each side.
3. Cut on the line to create two pieces.
4. Trim squares pieces to a be a 5.5” x 5.5.” When trimming half triangle blocks, use a ruler that has a diagonal line through the center the block on.
This cut will remove the “tails” that are created on the corner and square the block. This bulk is important to remove before piecing the entire quilt. The incorrect cut is shown below, notice how the diagonal line isn’t in the corner – avoid this.
Piece and Assemble the Sawtooth
Using the drawing below, 5.5in pieces, half triangles, piece the quilt together.
While some quilters prefer to piece their quilts line by line, this quilt comes together nicely by quilting 4 squares into a square block and combined all those blocks together.
Now all that is left to do is quilt and put on the binding.
If you love this quilt pattern, look at this variation in a fall inspired palette. It has a hint of horse theme and the addition of heart appliqué is a variation from the original design. There are a ton of different ways to design this quilt with color – I’m only scratching the surface!
Sawtooth star Quilt In Fall Color Palette
Rather than using one orange fabric for the orange areas I chose to use many different orange prints just like with the blue quilt shown. When pieced together the orange fabric reads as one group but the randomness adds a bit of complexity to a simple quilt.
The back of the quilt is chocolate brown and the star pattern is visible in the quilting on the back. I used a free motion technique to create the meandering lines as well as loop-de-loops to accent the squares.
This quilt shown is a heavier quilt, with an extra layer of batting. The edges have a satin cream edging – just like my childhood blanket.
Whether this is your first sawtooth or one of many, I hope you enjoy this beautiful quilt, fit for a sister or another bright star in your life.
