Friendship Star Quilt Block — Cutting Chart for Any Size

2 fabrics · Difficulty 2 of 5

Friendship Star is a 3×3 block of 13 pieces. Cut sizes for 6″, 9″, 12″, 15″, 18″ are below; for any other size it divides into cleanly, type the size and the chart recomputes.

At a glance

Grid

3×3

Pieces you cut

9 — subcutting turns them into the 13 in the sewn block

Difficulty

2 of 5 — easy · How this is scored

Which sizes divide cleanly

Scroll sideways to see every column.

• A 5-patch block at 12″ would need 2.4″ units, which is not a mark on any ruler. Try 10″ or 12½″ instead — Sister's Choice is the 5-patch block on this site.
• A 7-patch block at 12″ would need 1.714…″ units, which is not a mark on any ruler. Try 10½″ or 14″ instead — Bear's Paw is the 7-patch block on this site.

More about the sizes that do not divide cleanly

The sizes in between

A 10″ Friendship Star cannot be cut accurately on its 3×3 grid. Use 9″ or 10½″ instead; both cutting charts are on this page, computed by Quilt Block Atlas.

Both columns are FINISHED block sizes — the size a block will be once it is sewn, never a size to cut. Look the clean size up in the charts on this page for its cutting numbers.

Scroll sideways if the table is wider than your screen.

These sizes divide cleanly but sit between the main chart's columns — the same computed cuts, published here so they exist on paper too. Any other clean size still computes in the size input above.

Column headings are the FINISHED block size — the size it will be once it is sewn. Every number in the table is the size to CUT, which includes ¼″ of seam allowance on each edge. Rows that are subcut on a diagonal are cut larger still, so the allowance survives the extra cuts.

Scroll sideways to see every size.

About this block

Pieces in the finished block

13

Unit types

half-square-triangle unit, square

Divides cleanly at

1½″, 3″, 4½″, 6″, 7½″, 9″, 10½″, 12″, 13½″, 15″, 16½″, 18″, 19½″ and 21″ finished.

Fabric for one 12″ block

¾ yd total, rounded up to the nearest ⅛ yard, assuming 40″ of usable width.

Star points sit in the edge positions as single triangle units, each leaning onward around the centre. They touch the centre square only at its corners, so the seams flanking the middle row must cross those diagonals precisely — a scant seam is the difference between a sharp point and a blunted one.

Piecing order

1. Make the 4 half-square-triangle units.

2. Lay out row 1 of 3 and sew its pieces together, left to right.

3. Lay out row 2 of 3 and sew its pieces together, left to right.

4. Lay out row 3 of 3 and sew its pieces together, left to right.

5. Join the 3 rows, matching the seams.

Cutting oversize

The chart gives the standard cut sizes, nothing padded. Some quilters cut this block's triangle units a little oversize and trim back — published allowances genuinely disagree on how much, so the range with its sources is on how to square up a quilt block.

History

The name records a social custom more than a design lineage: friendship blocks were pieced, signed and gifted to mark weddings, departures west and recoveries from illness, the autographed blocks assembled into presentation quilts. The design itself is a nine patch with half-square-triangle points, and a first publication, if one exists, has not surfaced in the sources checked for this page.

Sources: Threadbare Creations — Friendship Star.

Common questions

Published 2026-07-26 · Last updated 2026-08-15