Wonky Star Tutorial

My sister just hit the big 3-0 and I had it on good authority that she'd love some throw pillows for her guest room as her gift. She and I tend to like the same things, and I love wonky stars, so a wonky star pillow is part of the set ; ) I'll share the finished project in a separate post, but in case you're new to "wonky," today I wanted to show you how to whip up a wonky star block that you can use for pillows, minis and quilts!

Because everyone knows you can never get enough rainbow, I chose a bunch of brights for this paired with a white on white swirly print. (l-r: Dear Stella Mini Dots, Deb Strain Fresh, Joel Dewberry Herringbone, ???, Michael Miller Kiss Dot, Lizzy House Jewels, Lizzy House Mini Pearl Bracelets, Me & My Sister Designs Good Morning)  

STEP 1 - Cut eight (8) 4.5" squares for the star points. Cut eight (8) 4.5" squares for the background of the star points. Cut one (1) 4.5" square for the center of the star. (I love my 4.5" square Olfa ruler for this task!) 

STEP 2 - Align a patterned square and a white square, right sides together (RST). Hint: On each side, whichever point you sew first will be overlapped by the second. For example, I'm sewing orange first, and then red will overlap it once sewn in Step 6. Just to keep in mind in case you have a color dominance preference : )

STEP 4 - ​Trim 1/4" beyond seam.

STEP 6 - Align second patterned square with the white square, RST. Hint: This point will overlap the first, as explained in Step 2.

STEP 8 - Trim 1/4" beyond seam.

STEP 3 - Stitch a straight line diagonally across one corner of the set. Hint: However large the resulting triangle is to the right of the stitched line is the size of the star point once pressed open. Do not begin stitching within 1/4" of the top corner, or the point will be lost in the seam allowance when the block is finished.

STEP 5 - ​Press open with iron.

STEP 7 - Stitch a straight line diagonally across the corner that is adjacent the first stitched line.​

STEP 9 - Press open with iron.

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STEP 10 - Trim block to 4.5" square. Repeat Steps 2-9 for remaining three sides of the star.

STEP 11 - (a) Lay out sub-blocks. Sew sub-blocks in left column to those in middle column. Press seams.* (b) Sew sub-blocks in middle column to those in right column. Press seams. (c) Once each row is joined, sew each row together and press seams. 

*Pressing tips for nesting seams:

If you alternate the direction you press seams in each row, you can easily nest them when you pin and sew the rows together. Below, you can see how I pressed seams out for the top and bottom row, and in toward the center of the star for the middle row.

For very accurate matching points when you open and press the block, slide the pin between the nested seams through just the top and bottom fabric. It will feel easy to slide the pin in if you're in the right spot because it will only be going through two layers of fabric and not four. Then while you're stitching, wait to remove it until you've caught the four layers *just* before the pin to secure the alignment.

Voila! You're done! 

​This wonky star is destined for a pillow, but it's also the perfect size
for the center of my new Starbright Baby Quilt pattern, which I'm
releasing for free to newsletter subscribers later this week.
Get the free pattern by signing up for my monthly newsletter right here. ​
And if you make a wonky star block, tag me on Facebook or Instagram so I can see it!

​Happy sewing!

P.S. Are you loving the embroidery craze that's underway? Pop over to IG before January 7th and enter to win a signed copy of Nichole Vogelsinger's gorgeous new book Boho Embroidery: Modern Projects from Traditional Stitches!

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Linking up with Let's Bee Social & Oh, Scrap!