Stars Upon Stars: A Quilt Block That Shines

Stars Upon Stars: A Quilt Block That Shines

This blog post introduces the Stars Upon Stars quilt block, a playful and eye-catching design that evolved organically and delivers a layered, star-filled look. Built from a simple four-piece unit using small squares and half square triangles, the block comes together easily while offering plenty of visual impact. Using fabrics from Benartex’s Affinity collection and a warm tan background, the post highlights how thoughtful fabric selection and unit rotation create movement and depth, resulting in a fun, approachable project that feels intricate without being complicated.

This little beauty is one I like to call Stars Upon Stars because the finished block feels wonderfully full of movement and sparkle. It actually started out as a completely different idea and slowly morphed into this design by accident, which makes me love it even more. The best part is that it is very simple to make. This version finishes at 12 and a half inches, though I intentionally worked with smaller units so I could show more detail on camera. I usually work with larger half square triangles, but scaling everything down for this block gave it a delicate, intricate look.

The entire block is built from one small unit made of four pieces. If you can make that single unit, you can make the whole block. To begin, choose a background fabric. I used a tan background this time, which was a fun change from my usual white or black. I really love how it turned out. The fabric collection I used is called Affinity by Benartex. This collection leans heavily into peacock-inspired colors, which blend beautifully and give the block a rich, almost safari-like feel.

For each unit, you will need one 2 inch square of background fabric and one 2 inch square of print fabric. I chose four different prints, and using fabrics from the same collection makes this easy because they are designed to work well together. You will also need two half-square triangles that finish at 2 inches. To make those, start with two and a half inch squares, one print and one background. Draw a diagonal line, stitch a quarter inch on both sides, cut the square in half, and press them open.

Once you have your pieces, place the print square in the top right position, the background square in the bottom left, and fill in the remaining spaces with the half square triangles. The arrangement should resemble an arrowhead or rocket shape. Sew the pieces together in pairs, then join the top and bottom to complete the unit. Make four of these units, each using a different print fabric.

The magic of this design happens when you start rotating the units. Arrange four units to form a star, then rotate one unit so it points toward the center instead of outward. That single rotation completely changes the look of the block and creates the layered star effect. Repeat this process, alternating the prints so no two identical fabrics touch, which adds visual interest and keeps the design dynamic. Busy prints work especially well here and really enhance the starry effect.

Stars Upon Stars is a fun, approachable block that delivers a big visual impact with simple construction. I think you will enjoy making it just as much as I did. Be sure to like us on Facebook, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and as always, happy sewing.