Learn to Make a Goshen Star Quilt Block

A beginner friendly design

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Skill Level: Beginner

The Goshen Star quilt block is all sorts of pointy goodness...

...but can you believe it?

You don't need to cut a single triangle or sew a single bias edge!

This fanciful star is constructed using the 'connector corners', sometimes known as the 'sew and flip' technique.

Simple cutting.

Simple piecing.

A ultimate perfect beginner quilt block with anything but simple-looking results!

Let's see what's 'Goshen' on and get started!

General Instructions

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The open toe applique foot is the perfect presser foot for stitching on a drawn line because there's nothing between your eyes and the needle.

For piecing the units together, I prefer my quarter inch foot with a guide on the right-hand side.

This foot along with starched quilt fabrics and a quick seam allowance test are the perfect recipe for an accurate 1/4" seam.

These abbreviations are used throughout this tutorial:

SA - seam allowance
RST - right sides together
HST - half square triangle
Sq - square

SA are 1/4" unless otherwise noted.

The newest quilt fabrics to tickle your fancy...

Click the images below to see the full collection. We share any commercial and/or free patterns that showcase them, too. (For inspiration, of course!)

Violetta Batiks
Hoffman

Antoinette fabric collection by French General for Moda

Antoinette
French General
Moda

Dinah's Delight 1830-1850 fabric collection by Betsy Chutchian for Moda

Dinah's Delight 1830-1850
Betsy Chutchian
Moda

Step 1: Cut patches for a Goshen Star

Goshen Star design

Sample Size: 8" finished / 8½" unfinished

Grid: 8x8

Attribution: Clara Stone

Design Type: Uneven 9-patch, small center | Star

I prefer to cut oversized patches for my half square triangles and then trim them to perfection after stitching. That's exactly what I've done with the 8" sample block in this tutorial.

I cut my #4 and #5 patches at 4-1/8" x 4-1/8"—a quarter inch larger than the 3-7/8"x3-7/8" listed in the cutting chart below.

I've marked these patches with **.

If your 1/4" seam is reliably accurate, use the dimensions in the chart.

The choice—to cut larger and then trim to size or rely on the accuracy of your seam allowance—is up to you!

			Cutting Chart for a Goshen Star Quilt Block ~ Traditional Piecing with Connector Corners ~
Patch	Fabric	Qty	Finished Block Size
Patch	Fabric	Qty	8"	12"	16"
1	Light	1	2½” x 2½”	3½” x 3½”	4½” x 4½”
2	Dark	4	2½” x 3½”	3½” x 5”	4½” x 6½”
3	Light	16	1½”sq	2”sq	2½”sq
4**	Light	2	3⅞” x 3⅞”	5⅜” x 5⅜”	6⅞” x 6⅞”
5**	Dark	2	3⅞” x 3⅞”	5⅜” x 5⅜”	6⅞” x 6⅞”
Unfinished Block Size			8½"	12½"	16½"
Grid Size			1"	1½"	2"
**These are for HST units. You may choose to cut them oversized. Then after stitching, trim to the correct size.

Step 2: Create the units for your Goshen Star

HST

Goshen Star quilt block - half square triangles

Make 4

We'll use the Quick Pieced Method to make our HSTs.

On the back side of the #4 squares draw a diagonal line with a pencil. Use a light touch. Draw just dark enough for you to see it.

With right sides together (RST) layer a #4 and #5 patch.

Install a quarter inch foot. Stitch a 1/4" away from the line on both sides for both pairs of patches.

I use my standard quarter inch foot for this technique

Cut the pairs apart on the drawn line with a scissor or rotary cutter—whichever works best for you.

Each pair yields two HST (below). Press the units first flat to set the seam and then open with the SA towards the darker fabric.

If you started with oversized patches like I did, you'll need to trim the HST to size(above, right). If you started with the exact size patches, your HST should equal the measurement in the chart below.

Finished Block Size	Trim HST to...
8”	3-1/2” x 3-1/2"
12”	5" x 5"
16”	6-1/2” x 6-1/2"

Click here if you want more detailed instructions for this Quick Pieced method.

Side Units

Make 4

On the backside of all sixteen #3 squares, draw a diagonal line. Again, only as dark as you need to see it.

With RST, layer a smaller #3 with a larger #2 square. The line touches two adjacent sides.

This time, stitch directly on the line. I've switched to my open toe applique foot because it's easier to see where the needle pierces the fabric.

Stitching connector corners with an open to applique foot.

To be efficient with our sewing time, add a second #3 to the opposite corner of the #2 in the same manner. The #2 rectangles are large enough to do this without interfering with the first stitching line.

Now you have a decision to make—how to trim away the excess fabric before adding another patch. We must trim these first patches now because the seam of the remaining patches would make it impossible to trim away the excess later.

Below you can see where I've trimmed away just the extra #3 fabric leaving behind a 1/4" SA. (below, left) and then pressed the two corners into place (below, center).

Then the remaining two #3s were added (below right) and SA trimmed (arrows).

Trim, press and finally add the two remaining squares.

The alternative is to trim away both the #2 and #3 excess leaving behind a 1/4" seam (below, left).

Removing the extra fabric from both the #2 and #3 patches

Trimming after adding the first two #3 (left). From the backside after all four #3 are stitched, trimmed and pressed (right).

One final consideration as to which method to use for handling the excess fabric is whether or not the #3 fabric 'shadows' or shows through the lighter #3.

In the photos, a couple corners look like there is some shadowing. In person, though, it isn't noticeable. I suspect it was the lighting for the photographs.

Repeat for the three remaining #2 rectangles.

Step 3: Assemble your Goshen Star quilt block

Arrange the units—both sewn and cut—into rows.

With RST stitch the units in each row together. SA are pressed toward the HSTs in the top and bottom rows and toward the center in the middle one.

This Goshen Star is almost finished...

With RST, stitch the rows together.

Seriously, I never met a Goshen Star block I didn't want to pin! :D

After stitching, give your finished Goshen Star quilt block one last press. If your block's a bit lumpy, try my favorite pressing technique.

It's even simpler than this block was to make!

Voila! Our Goshen Star block is pointy perfection at its best!

Looking for something truly stellar?

To browse all the star quilt block patterns in one place, click here

You've finished your star quilt block, and you're ready for more!

Browse our collection of 50+ stellar star quilt block patterns. All have instructions and cutting charts in multiple sizes. If templates or paper piecing is used in the tutorial, there's a free download for you of those materials.

Eeny. Meenie. Miney. Moe.

Which star quilt block will you sew?

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