ModernQAL: Parisian Star Block

Time for another Modern QAL block and this month it is my turn to share the tutorial. I’ve chosen Parisian Star because I love star blocks and this one has the perfect place to feature my favourite fabric. You might remember that I liked that about the Spool block, too, a few months back.

You will find this block on Page 128 of the Modern Blocks book by Susanne Woods including a lovely example block with a grey background. I’ve once again gone for a crisp white background like my other ModernQAL blocks.

What You Need

• Center square: 4.5″ x 4.5″
• Background fabric: 8 squares: 4.5″ x 4.5″
• Star Points: 4 squares: 4.5″ x 4.5″ (I’ve done one in each of 4 colours but you could use the same colour for all the points if you prefer)

What To Do

For each set of star points you make a block like this:

1. Use one background square and one point square. Cut the point square in half to make two triangles.

2. Lay one point triangle on the background square, right sides together. The right angle of the triangle needs to on top of the background square and the other two points need to extend past the edges of the background square.

3. Stitch the triangle in place along the longest side, using a quarter inch seam. Trim off the excess background fabric.

4. Press the seam folding the triangle over to the right side.

5. Place the second triangle of fabric right side down over the background, again with the right angle in the centre and the other points overlapping the first triangle and another edge and extending past the edges.

6. Stitch into place along the longest side and trim the excess background fabric.

7. Press the triangle to form the second point.

8. Use a quilting ruler to square off the edges to the size of the background fabric – 4.5″ x 4.5″

9. Do this for all four points of the star.

10. Lay out the star pieces and join in rows of three. Press the seams, then join the three rows together to create the finished block.

In case you’ve missed it, this block is a part of a larger project that we are doing over a twelve month period. The team from And Sew We Craft have chosen blocks from the Modern Blocks book and are all taking turns in hosting the tutorials.

Here are my other blocks in this quilt so far:

May: Follow the Leader

June: Spool

July: Megan’s Star

August: Quatrefoil Block

September: Escalator Block

October: Best Friend Block

November: Pogo Stick Block

December: Everything Equal Block

It’s not too late to join in if you’re interested. Visit And Sew We Craft to see links to all the related posts so far. Remember to look out for sharing on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and Flickr with the hashtag #ModernQAL. When you’ve made your Parisian Star block, we’d love you to link up and show it off over at And Sew We Craft.

Find it on Amazon: Modern Blocks: 99 Quilt Blocks from Your Favorite Designers (Affiliate links)

Want to try quilting and patchwork? Check out this free Craftsy class to get you started (Affiliate link)