Shoofly and Friendship Star Sampler

Guest Author - Kim Noblin

Here's a quick and easy project that features two of my favorite quilt blocks. Made up of five Shoofly blocks and four Friendship Star blocks, this sampler will look great hanging on a wall or draped across a table. The quilt measures 38-1/2" x 38-1/2" and each block is 9" square. The sashing strips and cornerstones are 1" wide and are surrounded by a 3" border.

Fabric Requirements:

3/4 yard of red fabric

3/4 yard of blue fabric

3/4 yard of cream fabric

1/2 yard of gold fabric

Cutting Instructions:

From red fabric:

Cut one 3-7/8" strip across the width of the fabric. From this strip, cut ten 3-7/8" squares.

Cut one 3-1/2" strip across the width of the fabric. From this strip, cut five 3-1/2" squares.

Cut one 1-1/2" strip across the width of the fabric. From this strip, cut sixteen 1-1/2" squares. (Cornerstones)

Cut five 2-1/2" strips across the width of the fabric. Save these for the binding.

From blue fabric:

Cut one 3-7/8" strip across the width of the fabric. From this strip, cut eight 3-7/8" squares.

Cut one 3-1/2" strip across the width of the fabric. From this strip, cut four 3-1/2" squares.

Cut two 3-1/2" strips across the width of the fabric. Cut each strip to measure 3-1/2" x 31-1/2". (Border)

Cut two 3-1/2" strips across the width of the fabric. Cut each strip to measure 3-1/2" x 37-1/2". (Border)

From cream fabric:

Cut two 3-7/8" strips across the width of the fabric. From these strips, cut eighteen 3-7/8" squares.

Cut four 3-1/2" strips across the width of the fabric. From these strips cut thirty-six 3-1/2" squares.

From gold fabric:

Cut six 1-1/2" strips across the width of the fabric. From these strips, cut twenty-four 1-1/2" x 9-1/2" strips. (Sashing strips)

Shoofly Block Instructions:

Step 1: With a pencil (or your favorite marking method), draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the wrong side of ten 3-7/8" cream squares.

Step 2: With right sides together, layer a cream 3-7/8" square on a red 3-7/8". Sew a 1/4" seam on BOTH SIDES of the drawn line. Cut apart on the drawn line and press seam allowances toward the red fabric. Trim points. Repeat nine more times for a total of twenty cream/red half-square triangles.

Step 3: Arrange four cream/red half-square triangles, four 3-1/2" cream squares, and one 3-1/2" red square as shown below. Sew them into rows and press seam allowances toward the red fabric. Sew the rows together and press the seam allowances toward the middle row. Repeat until five Shoofly blocks have been made.


Arrange pieces	Sew into rows	Sew rows to form block (Make 5)

Friendship Star Instructions:

Step 1: With a pencil (or your favorite marking method), draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the wrong side of eight 3-7/8" cream squares.

Step 2: With right sides together, layer a cream 3-7/8" square on a blue 3-7/8". Sew a 1/4" seam on BOTH SIDES of the drawn line. Cut apart on the drawn line and press seam allowances toward the blue fabric. Trim points. Repeat seven more times for a total of sixteen cream/blue half-square triangles

Step 3: Arrange four cream/blue half-square triangles, four 3-1/2" cream squares, and one 3-1/2" blue square as shown below. Sew them into rows and press seam allowances toward the cream fabric on the top and bottom rows and toward the middle blue square on the middle row. Sew the rows together and press the seam allowances away from the middle row. Repeat until four Friendship Star blocks have been made.


Arrange pieces	Sew into rows	Sew rows to form block (Make 4)

Putting It All Together:

Step 1: Lay out the blocks, sashing strips, and cornerstones as shown below. Sew into horizontal rows and press seam allowances toward the gold fabric. Sew rows together and press seam allowances toward the sashing strips.

Step 2: Sew a 3-1/2" x 31-1/2" strip to the left and right sides of the quilt. Sew a 3-1/2" x 37-1/2" to the top and bottom of the quilt.

Step 3: Quilt and bind as desired.