Martha Washington Star quilt block
Eight half-square triangle points around a center of four units, each a half-square triangle and two quarter-square triangles, turned so the small dark triangles spin, on a four-by-four grid.
The Martha Washington Star is pieced on a 4 × 4 grid, so a 12" block has 3" grid squares.
Cutting for 6", 8", 10", 12" blocks
| Fabric | Pieces | Cut | 6" block | 8" block | 10" block | 12" block |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| background | Squares | 4 | 2" | 2½" | 3" | 3½" |
| background | Half-square triangles | 6 | 2⅜" | 2⅞" | 3⅜" | 3⅞" |
| main | Half-square triangles | 4 | 2⅜" | 2⅞" | 3⅜" | 3⅞" |
| main | Quarter-square triangles | 1 | 2¾" | 3¼" | 3¾" | 4¼" |
| background | Quarter-square triangles | 1 | 2¾" | 3¼" | 3¾" | 4¼" |
Cut sizes include ¼" seam allowances.
How to sew a 12" Martha Washington Star block
Make 8 half-square triangles, 3" finished. Pair a 3⅞" background square with a 3⅞" main square right sides together. Draw a line corner to corner, sew ¼" on both sides of it, cut on the line and press. Each pair makes 2.
Make 4 quarter-square triangle units, 3" finished. Cut 4¼" squares twice on the diagonal, then sew the triangles in pairs and join the pairs as drawn.
Lay out the units as drawn and sew them into 4 rows. Press the seams of each row the opposite way from the one before so they nest, then sew the rows together. The block measures 12" finished, 12½" with seam allowance.
Quilts made with the Martha Washington Star block
Martha Washington Star quilt patternTo paint it on a board, the Martha Washington Star barn quilt pattern has the measurements for 2, 4 and 8 ft boards and the paint for each color.
Design a quilt with this block
Quiltspiration draws it in your own fabric and gives the cut list for any size.
