Mystery Star Quilt /Ohio Star Block Tutorial

I am having so much fun with these star blocks! Each month we are featuring a fun Mystery Star Block over on my Block of the Month group on the Lilly's Doll House Facebook page.  Star blocks are fun and versatile with several possibilities using light, medium, and dark fabric combinations. For the month of May, we are sewing an Ohio Star variation by using a three-color combination for the hourglass square along with a white background. These blocks turned out so crisp and neat. I hope you have as much fun as I did in being creative with this block! 

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Step 1:

For each block, you will need:

• Four 4.5" corner squares
• One 4.5" center square
• Two 5.5" squares in medium fabric (I chose a floral design for mine); cut on the diagonal
• One 5.5" square that matches the corner squares (mine are white); cut on the diagonal
• Two 5.5" squares of dark fabric; cut on the diagonal

 When you cut the 5.5" squares on the diagonal, you will have four medium triangles, two white triangles, and two dark triangles ( eight triangles in all).

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Step 2:

​Sew four half-square triangles using the two white triangles, four medium (floral fabric) triangles, and two dark ( pink with white polka dot) triangles as shown here. Clip dog ears, but don't trim the squares at this point.

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Step 3:

Next, we want to construct our hourglass squares.  Place right sides together as shown above, and "nest" seams in opposite directions so they will form crisp, neat center points.

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Step 4:

After placing right sides together in Step 3, draw a diagonal line from corner to corner as shown above. I had my line drawn in the previous photo, but you can add it at either point in the process. 

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Step 5:

After placing half-square triangles together with nesting seams, pin and sew a 1/4" seam allowance down both sides of the drawn line.

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Step 6:

​Carefully cut on the drawn diagonal line to create two hourglass blocks.  Repeat this process twice to use the four half square triangles you made in the previous steps.

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Step 7: 

​Press seams open for all four hourglass squares.

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Step 8:

​Using a square-up ruler, trim each hourglass square to 4.5". Please click HERE for a  link to my blog post on "How to Trim Half-Square Triangles in Three Easy Steps" if you need some tips on trimming.

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Step 9:

We're almost done! You're looking good friend! You will now have four lovely hourglass squares to use in building your Ohio Star block. Wasn't that fun? Just in case you would like a little bit more guidance on making those hourglass squares,  click here to watch a tutorial video from Missouri Star Quilt Company which explains how to sew quick and easy hourglass squares.

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Step 10:

You're in the home stretch! Simply lay out the center square, four corner squares, and four hourglass squares as shown in the pattern above. 

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Step 11:

Sew top, middle, and bottom squares together horizontally to form three rows as seen in the image above.

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Step 12:

For the final step, pin the top row to the middle row and sew a 1/4" seam, then pin the  bottom row and sew another 1/4" seam.  Make sure to "nest" seams in opposite directions to reduce bulk. Press seams open so the block will lay flat. 

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Congratulations! You have made a beautiful Ohio Star Block! Now take a picture of your handiwork and share it with the world to keep the happiness going. Trust me; it will start a conversation! I hope to see you here again soon with more quilting tutorials and tips. In the meantime, remember that quilts are memories that we hold in our arms. Happy Quilting my dear friends!