Quiltspiration

Rising Star barn quilt pattern

The Rising Star barn quilt is painted on a 8 × 8 grid. On a 4 × 4 ft board each grid square is 6", and on an 8 × 8 ft board 12". It has 33 shapes in 3 colors.

A small star inside a large one. The inner star is half the width of the board, so on a 4 × 4 board it is a 2 ft star of its own.

By Editorial Staff

Rising Star barn quilt painted in cream, navy, harvest gold
Painted in cream, navy and harvest gold.
Rising Star barn quilt layout on a 4 by 4 foot board with measurements
The layout on a 4 × 4 ft board, with the grid marks in inches from the top left corner. Numbers are the paint colors below.

Measurements for 2, 4 and 8 ft boards

Marks along the edges
BoardGrid squareMarks across the top and bottomMarks down the sides
2 × 2 ft3"6", 9", 12", 15", 18"6", 9", 12", 15", 18"
4 × 4 ft6"12", 18", 24", 30", 36"12", 18", 24", 30", 36"
8 × 8 ft12"24", 36", 48", 60", 72"24", 36", 48", 60", 72"

Each mark is measured from the top left corner, rounded to the nearest ⅛". Mark both opposite edges, then join the marks with a straightedge and a sharp pencil.

Paint for the Rising Star barn quilt

Two coats of exterior latex on the front, at 100 square feet a quart for each coat (labels say 300 to 400 square feet a gallon). Reds and yellows often need a third coat to cover evenly, so buy the next size up for those. Exterior paint starts at a quart, so on a 2 × 2 ft board 8 oz bottles of outdoor acrylic craft paint go further; what is left is for touch-ups.

Paint by board size
ColorShare2 × 2 ft4 × 4 ft8 × 8 ft
1. Cream50%1 quart (2 oz)1 quart (6 oz)1 quart (21 oz)
2. Navy37%1 quart (1 oz)1 quart (4 oz)1 quart (16 oz)
3. Harvest gold12%1 quart (1 oz)1 quart (2 oz)1 quart (6 oz)
Exterior primerFront, back, edges1 quart (3 oz)1 quart (11 oz)2 quarts (42 oz)

Ounces are what the paint takes; the size is what to buy.

Paint the lightest color first: cream, then harvest gold, then navy. A darker color covers a lighter one that creeps under the tape, but not the other way round. The full method, from priming the board to hanging it, is in how to make a barn quilt.

The Rising Star as a fabric quilt

The Rising Star quilt block page has the cutting for four block sizes and the piecing steps. Quilts made with it: Rising Star.

Try the colors before you paint

Quiltspiration draws any block in any colors, and gives the cut list when you sew it in fabric.

More barn quilt patterns