Ohio Star Quilt Pattern Using 7 Fat Quarters!

Sew an easy Ohio Star Quilt using my free quilt pattern! The Ohio Star is a traditional quilt block that is popular again in quilts of all sizes. This Ohio Star Quilt Pattern uses 7 fat quarters (pre-cut 18” x 21” pieces of fabric) and 4 1/2 yards of background fabric to make a 71” x 86” twin size quilt.

This blog post has been converted to an optional PDF that’s optimized for printing. Find it here. The free Ohio Star Quilt Pattern is included in the blog post below and is totally free to read, print, and sew! Just hit CTRL +P on your computer to print. The PDF download is inesxpensive and optional. Did you know you can get ALL the Optimized for Printing PDF files organized in a library to access anytime you want?

Sew through your fabric stash with all my free quilt patterns.

There are 20 Ohio Star Blocks in this quilt. First you will cut up the 7 fat quarters and some of the background fabric. Then you’ll mix and match the pieces, putting together a set of 9 squares for each block. Finally, I’ll show you how to sew each set of 9 squares into a gorgeous Ohio Star.

You will love it! This Ohio Star Quilt tutorial:

• Uses easy patchwork piecing
• Would make a great housewarming or birthday gift
• Is a generously wide size for a twin bed or a big quilt to snuggle with on the couch.

If you love to use your AccuQuilt fabric cutter like I do, I’ll share the optional cutting die numbers to make this pattern Accuquilt-friendly. Using an Accuquilt is optional, but I love it! See all my Accuquilt-friendly quilts. Look under the cutting dimensions below for a list of fabric-cutting dies you may use instead.

The pre-cut fat quarters that I used were from a collection from Moda Fabrics called Ombre Fairy Dust by V and Co. These fabrics give the Ohio Star a fresh modern look!

Of course, you can also use more traditional fabrics if you want to give your Ohio Stars a classic look. I used EQ8 quilt design software to show you how that might turn out.

What is an Ohio Star Block?

Let’s break it down! The Ohio Star is a 9-patch quilt block made up of 1 center square, 4 corner squares, and 4 quarter square triangle units.

Remember that I mentioned above: after cutting, we’ll divide our squares up into sets of 9 squares for each block. We’ll take 4 of those squares and sew them into 4 quarter square triangle units. After that, it’s easy to finish the Ohio Star block.

After all 20 of your blocks are sewn, we’ll put them together with some sashing, add a border, and finish the quilt.

So let’s get started!

How to Sew an Ohio Star Quilt

Finished quilt dimensions: 71’’ x 86’’. Finished block size: 12” x 12”.

You will need:

• 7 coordinating fat quarters (18” x 21” pieces of fabric)
• 4 1/2 yards background fabric
• 1/2-5/8 yard binding fabric
• 5 1/4 yards backing fabric, or enough to piece together a 94” x 79” square
• a 94” x 79” piece of quilt batting
• a rotary cutter, acrylic ruler, and mat
• sewing machine
• thread (I suggest thread matching the background fabric)

Cutting:

From each fat quarter, cut:

• 9 squares 5 1/2” x 5 1/2” (for the quarter square triangles in the blocks)
• 3 squares 4 1/2” x 4 1/2” (for the block centers)

From the background fabric, cut:

• 20 squares 5 1/2” x 5 1/2” (for the quarter square triangles in the blocks)
• 80 squares 4 1/2” x 4 1/2” (for the block corners)
• 31 rectangles 4” x 12 1/2” (for the sashing strips)
• 12 squares 4” x 4” (for the sashing cornerstones)

For the borders, cut and piece together:

• 2 strips 6 1/2” x 74 1/2”*
• 2 strips 6 1/2” x 71”*

* Border tips:

• You will need to piece strips together to make the border.
• I highly recommend that you do not cut your border strips now. Instead, wait until the center of the quilt top is finished so you can measure it and sew accurate borders. See how to measure and cut accurate quilt borders.

instructions:

Sort Your Fabrics Into 20 Blocks

1. This is the most fun part in my opinion! Bring together all of the 5 1/2” and 4 1/2” squares that you cut for your star blocks. If you picked 7 fat quarters that coordinate, then it won’t matter very much which fabrics you put together for each block. They will all come together beautifully in the finished quilt.

2. For each quilt block, place in a pile:

• 2 squares 5 1/2” x 5 1/2” of one color
• 1 square 5 1/2” x 5 1/2” of a second color
• 1 background fabric square 5 1/2” x 5 1/2”
• 1 square 4 1/2” x 4 1/2” of a third color
• 4 background fabric squares 4 1/2” x 4 1/2”

It is important to keep each set of 9 squares together while you make the blocks. You can put each set in a plastic bag, or simply stack all 9 squares and fold them in half to keep them together.

3. Make 20 sets, each with 9 squares as indicated in the diagram. You will have 4 squares of print fabric from the fat quarters leftover (3 that are 5 1/2” x 5 1/2” and 1 that is 4 1/2” x 4 1/2”).

Ohio Star Quilt Block Tutorial

Bring to your workspace a single set of 9 squares to make the block.

Make 4 Half Square Triangle Units first

You will only use 5 1/2” square pieces to make the HST units. Use a scant 1/4’’ seam allowance and a short stitch length such as 1.5-2.

1. Place the 5 1/2’’ x 5 1/2’’ background fabric square right sides together with one of the print squares for which you have 2 matching 5 1/2” x 5 1/2” squares. Use a pencil or fabric pen to draw a diagonal line across the top square. This is a cutting line. Pin the squares together.

2. Sew a scant 1/4’’ away from the cutting line on on both sides of the drawn line.

3. Cut the pieces in half diagonally along the line. 

4. Open and press the seams toward the darker fabric.

5. Repeat with the remaining two 5 1/2” squares to make 2 more half square triangle units.

Use the Half Square Triangles to Make 4 Quarter Square Triangle Units

1. Place one of each of the two different half square triangles right sides together with the seams aligned and the matching fabrics on opposite sides. Draw a diagonal line that crosses over the seam on the top HST. This is a cutting line. Pin the HST units together.

2. Sew 1/4’’ away from the cutting line on on both sides of the line.

3. Cut the piece in half diagonally along the line.

4. Open and press the quarter square triangle (QST) units. Trim each unit to 4 1/2’’ square. Repeat with the remaining HST’s to make 2 more quarter square triangles.

Sew the 9 Patch Ohio Star block together

1. Arrange 4 quarter square triangle units together with the 4 1/2” center square and four 4 1/2’’ x 4 1/2’’ background fabric squares as shown. Sew together in 3 rows. Sew the rows together to make the Ohio Star Block.

2. Trim the block to 12 1/2’’ square, if desired.

Tip: I love my 12 1/2” square ruler for squaring up blocks this size.

Sew 20 Ohio Star Quilt Blocks

1. Follow the steps above with each set of 9 squares to make a total of 20 Ohio Star Quilt Blocks.

2. Lay out your quilt blocks on using a quilt design wall, on a bed, or on the floor. Make 5 rows of blocks, each row with 4 blocks.

Assemble the Quilt Top

1. Sew 4 blocks into a row with a 4” x 12 1/2” sashing strip in between each block. Press the seams toward the sashing strips. Make 5 rows.

2. Sew four 4” x 12 1/2” sashing strips with 4” x 4” squares in between. Press the seams toward the sashing strips.

This is a sashing row. Repeat to make 4 sashing rows.

Note: You may use a long strip instead of a sashing row, but I do not recommend it. Sashing rows with cornerstone squares make it much easier to keep your blocks in even rows and columns without using pins because you can nest the seams!

3. Sew the quilt block rows together with the sashing rows in between.

4. Attach the borders. Sew the 6 1/2” x 74 1/2” border strips to the sides of the quilt. Sew the 6 1/2” x 71” border strips to the top and bottom edges of the quilt.

Tip: Instead of using the specified lengths for the border strips, I recommend measuring your quilt and using the actual measurements as I show in this blog post. This helps to prevent wavy quilt borders or puckering where the borders are attached.

Finishing the Ohio Star Quilt Pattern

1. Cut or piece together a 94” x 79” piece of backing fabric and make a quilt sandwich with the backing, batting, and top.

2. Baste together with fusible batting, pins or basting spray.

3. Quilt as desired. Straight line quilting or cross hatch quilting with your walking foot would be fast and easy.

4. Cut 7-8 binding strips and bind using your favorite method. This is my favorite quilt binding method.

xoxo,