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The Friendship Star is a nine-unit quilt block made from four corner squares, four half-square triangles (HSTs), and one center square. In the 2021 Riley Blake Designs version, the block finishes at 12 inches square and measures 12½ inches before it is sewn into a quilt. The instructions below follow that specific pattern while showing you how to keep the points sharp and the block correctly sized.
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What you are making
The block is arranged as a 3-by-3 grid. Four HSTs sit around the center square, with their contrasting triangles aimed inward and outward to create four star points. Four plain squares fill the corners.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems| Unit | Quantity | Cutting or finished size in the Riley Blake Designs pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Corner squares | 4 | 4½ inches square |
| HSTs | 4 | Made from 5-inch starting squares; trim each HST to 4½ inches square |
| Center square | 1 | 4½ inches square |
| Completed block | 1 | 12½ inches unfinished; 12 inches finished |
These measurements belong to this 12-inch pattern. Other Friendship Star patterns may use different block sizes, cutting dimensions, or construction methods.
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- 1 pattern to a make 3 yard lap size quilt
- Fabric not included
Materials and tools
- Two contrasting quilting fabrics, as specified by the pattern
- Four 4½-inch squares for the corners
- Two 5-inch squares from each of the two fabrics for the HSTs
- One 4½-inch square for the center
- Rotary cutter, cutting mat, and quilting ruler
- Sewing machine with a consistent quarter-inch seam
- Iron and pressing surface
- A square quilting ruler for trimming HSTs; the pattern does not require a particular brand
Cut the pieces
- Cut four 4½-inch corner squares.
- Cut two 5-inch squares from each fabric. Pair one square of each fabric with right sides together. You will have two pairs.
- Cut one 4½-inch center square.
Accurate cutting matters because every finished unit must fit the same 4½-inch grid. Label fabric pieces if your color placement is easy to confuse.
Make and trim the four HSTs
1. Mark the diagonal
On the wrong side of the two squares identified as fabric B, draw one diagonal line from corner to corner. The Riley Blake Designs 2021 instructions state: “Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of the two B squares.”
2. Sew on both sides
Place each marked square right sides together with an unmarked square from the other fabric. Sew a quarter-inch seam on both sides of the drawn diagonal. Keep the seam allowance steady; an inconsistent seam changes the unit size and can move the points.
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3. Cut apart
Cut directly on the marked diagonal. Each sewn pair produces two HSTs, giving four HSTs total.
4. Press and trim
Press the seam allowance consistently, then trim every HST to exactly 4½ inches square. Align the ruler’s diagonal with the HST seam and make sure the unit has equal edges on all sides. Trimming all four units to the same size is what lets the rows join evenly.
Lay out the Friendship Star
Before sewing, place the four corner squares, four trimmed HSTs, and center square on a design wall or flat surface. Rotate each HST until the contrasting triangles form four points around the center. The HSTs should mirror one another across the block rather than all pointing in the same direction.
Rank #3
- Designer(s): Debbie Maddy
- Straight Seams, No "Y" Seams, Fat Quarter Friendly
- Finished Size(s): Wall 36in x 36in, Lap 70in x 70in, Queen 90in x 102in.
- Pattern No. CCQD150
- Please Note: Offered for sale is a Pattern, Not a finished item.
Check the layout from a short distance or take a quick phone photo. The photograph makes a rotated HST easier to spot before it is sewn in permanently.
Assemble the rows
- Sew the three units in the top row together, matching the edges and the quarter-inch seam.
- Sew the three units in the middle row together.
- Sew the three units in the bottom row together.
- Press the row seams in a consistent direction, or press adjoining rows in opposite directions so intersections can nest.
- Join the three rows, matching the seams at each intersection. Pin or clip at the HST points if needed.
- Press the completed block. Measure it before quilting: it should be 12½ inches square unfinished for this pattern.
Why points fail to line up
The starting size does not match the pattern
Five-inch squares are the starting pieces for the Riley Blake Designs 12-inch version. Substituting a different size without recalculating the block changes the HST and row dimensions.
The HSTs were not trimmed uniformly
Even small differences compound across a nine-unit block. Trim every HST to 4½ inches, checking both the diagonal seam and the outside edges with a square ruler.
The seam allowance is inconsistent
A seam wider or narrower than a quarter inch changes the finished unit. Test on scraps if your machine’s seam guide is unfamiliar, then maintain the same allowance for every seam.
An HST is rotated
Lay out all nine units again and compare the four HSTs as pairs. Their contrasting triangles must create the four-point star around the center; a single quarter-turn can make one point disappear.
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Let the feed dogs move the fabric rather than pulling it. Match seams first, sew slowly over intersections, and press after the rows are assembled.
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Adapting the block to another size
Do not scale only the corner and center squares. A different finished size requires a coordinated calculation for the 3-by-3 grid, HST starting squares, seam allowance, and trimming size. When evaluating another pattern, compare its finished and unfinished dimensions, cutting instructions, HST method, fabric requirements, and diagram orientation. The 12-inch specifications here are a reliable reference for the cited Riley Blake Designs version, not a universal Friendship Star formula.
Final size check
- Each corner and center square measures 4½ inches before assembly.
- Each HST measures 4½ inches after trimming.
- The sewn block measures 12½ inches unfinished.
- The block finishes at 12 inches after the quilt’s seam allowances are used to join it to neighboring blocks.
Once those measurements and the triangle orientation are correct, the Friendship Star will read clearly and its points will meet the surrounding seams as intended.
Quick Recap
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