How to Quilt>Sewing 8 pointed stars

Sewing an 8-Pointed Star Can Be Easy

The most difficult part of sewing stars seems to be getting the center to lay flat. Yet, using some very simple techniques, eight pointed stars can be really easy to sew together.

Not too long ago, I published a tip showing how to trim the ends of your triangles off so they are easier to match up. That tip is useful especially if you are sewing half- square triangles together.

But, if you are sewing diamonds together, trimming the tips from the points of your pieces is not necessary.

Years ago, a quilting teacher pointed out that if you sew the points into pairs so that the final seam is just a straight seam through the center of the star, that you are more likely to have the star lay flat.

Below is a step-by-step discussion showing you how to sew an 8 pointed star together using that process.

In this example, the seams are pressed open. This makes the star lay flatter than if you press the seams to one side. However, if you choose to press your seams to one side, making sure that they all face the same direction around the star will help keep your star flat.

	The first step is to pin pairs of your star points together. Place your diamonds right sides together and put a pin in the side you will sew. This is especially helpful if the placement of each diamond is critical to the design. In my case, I wanted every other diamond section to have that blue stripe down the center.
Sew the diamonds together using your 1/4 inch seam allowance. You will have 4 pairs of diamonds. Press the seam allowances open and then trim off the little pointy tips. The left pair is before the tips have been trimmed. The one on the right is after the points have been trimmed.
	The next step is to take the pairs of diamonds and sew them together. Place them right sides together and put a pin where you will sew the seam. Sew the pairs together using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.
The picture on the right shows the wrong sides of the two halves of the star. This is after you have sewn the two pairs together and are ready for the final seam. Press the seam allowances open. Place the two halves right sides together and sew the final center seam.
	Stitch your final seam, sewing the two halves together. Press the seam allowances open, and your star will lay flat.
The right side of the center of the finished star made from diamonds.

The finished 8 pointed star. This star measures about 24 inches from the tip of one point to the tip of the point across from it. The next step is to add triangles and/or squares between the points to finish the shape.

If you missed the article about cutting the diamonds, check out: Cutting Diamonds with a template

© 2009-, Penny Halgren. This article courtesy of http://www.How-To-Quilt.com. You may freely reprint this article on your website or in your newsletter provided this courtesy notice and the author name and URL remain intact.