Evening Star quilt block
The Sawtooth Star with its points reversed — the triangles swing the opposite way, which changes how the star reads when blocks are set side by side.
Also known as Reverse Sawtooth Star.
Star blocks with mirrored point orientation appear throughout nineteenth-century quilting, and Evening Star is one of several names attached to them. The distinction matters most in a full quilt: two stars whose points swing opposite ways create a completely different secondary pattern where their corners meet.
Evening Star cutting chart
Cut sizes include a ¼″ seam allowance: ½″ on squares and rectangles, ⅞″ on half-square triangles, and 1¼″ on quarter-square triangles. Pick a finished block size:
| Fabric | Shape | Cut size | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accent | Square | 3½" × 3½" | 1 | finishes 3" × 3" |
| Background | HST square | 2⅜" × 2⅜" | 4 | cut once on the diagonal → 8 triangles |
| Background | Square | 2" × 2" | 4 | finishes 1½" × 1½" |
| Dark | HST square | 2⅜" × 2⅜" | 4 | cut once on the diagonal → 8 triangles |
| Fabric | Shape | Cut size | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accent | Square | 5" × 5" | 1 | finishes 4½" × 4½" |
| Background | HST square | 3⅛" × 3⅛" | 4 | cut once on the diagonal → 8 triangles |
| Background | Square | 2¾" × 2¾" | 4 | finishes 2¼" × 2¼" |
| Dark | HST square | 3⅛" × 3⅛" | 4 | cut once on the diagonal → 8 triangles |
| Fabric | Shape | Cut size | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accent | Square | 5½" × 5½" | 1 | finishes 5" × 5" |
| Background | HST square | 3⅜" × 3⅜" | 4 | cut once on the diagonal → 8 triangles |
| Background | Square | 3" × 3" | 4 | finishes 2½" × 2½" |
| Dark | HST square | 3⅜" × 3⅜" | 4 | cut once on the diagonal → 8 triangles |
| Fabric | Shape | Cut size | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accent | Square | 6½" × 6½" | 1 | finishes 6" × 6" |
| Background | HST square | 3⅞" × 3⅞" | 4 | cut once on the diagonal → 8 triangles |
| Background | Square | 3½" × 3½" | 4 | finishes 3" × 3" |
| Dark | HST square | 3⅞" × 3⅞" | 4 | cut once on the diagonal → 8 triangles |
| Fabric | Shape | Cut size | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accent | Square | 8" × 8" | 1 | finishes 7½" × 7½" |
| Background | HST square | 4⅝" × 4⅝" | 4 | cut once on the diagonal → 8 triangles |
| Background | Square | 4¼" × 4¼" | 4 | finishes 3¾" × 3¾" |
| Dark | HST square | 4⅝" × 4⅝" | 4 | cut once on the diagonal → 8 triangles |
How it goes together
Built exactly as a Sawtooth Star, with the diagonal of each point triangle running the other direction. Piece one and set it next to a standard Sawtooth Star to see the difference clearly.
Tips
- Alternate it with the standard Sawtooth Star in a quilt to produce a secondary diamond grid between the blocks.
- Everything about the cutting is identical to Sawtooth Star — only the orientation of the diagonal changes.
How much fabric for a Evening Star quilt?
Yardage for a whole quilt of Evening Star blocks, computed the way the studio does it — every piece packed across a 40″ usable width with 10% added for waste.
| Quilt size | Blocks | Finished | Top fabric | Backing | Binding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baby 36×48 | 12 | 36" × 48" | Background 1¼ yd · Dark ⅝ yd · Accent ½ yd | 2½ yd | ⅜ yd |
| Throw 60×72 | 30 | 60" × 72" | Background 2⅝ yd · Dark 1½ yd · Accent 1 yd | 3⅞ yd | ½ yd |
| Queen 90×108 | 72 | 96" × 108" | Background 6⅜ yd · Dark 3½ yd · Accent 2½ yd | 8¾ yd | ⅞ yd |
What it looks like in a quilt
A single block only tells you half the story. Set sixteen of them together and the secondary pattern appears where the blocks touch:
Evening Star questions
How is Evening Star different from Sawtooth Star?
Only in the direction the point triangles lean. The cutting list is identical; the effect across a whole quilt top is not.