Carpenter’s Wheel: A Classic Star Block in a Small Project

If you’ve been practicing Half Square Triangles (HSTs) or Flying Geese, you already have the building blocks for something special.

Those two techniques are some of my favorites. They’re useful on their own, but when you put them together, they can create beautiful and intricate-looking designs.

That’s exactly what I did with the Carpenter’s Star Pillow, a small project inspired by the classic Carpenter’s Wheel quilt block.

This pillow is made entirely from Half Square Triangles and Flying Geese, using the 8-at-a-time method for Half Square Triangles and the 4-at-a-time method for Flying Geese. The finished design looks intricate, but the construction is made up of familiar units and straightforward steps.

Carpenter Star quilted pillow
Carpenter’s Star Pillow featuring Evolve by Suzy Quilts for Art Gallery Fabrics

From Familiar Quilt Units to a Finished Project

One of the things I love about designing quilt patterns is deciding which construction methods to use for the piecing. There are so many different ways to make a quilt block, and finding the right combination can be part of the fun.

For this pillow, I challenged myself to create a project that uses both the 4-at-a-time Flying Geese method and the 8-at-a-time Half Square Triangle method.

The result is the Carpenter’s Star Pillow!

Play around with these techniques and see what you can come up with!

The Carpenter’s Star Pillow is made with 8-at-a-time Half Square Triangles
Designing the Carpenter’s Star Pillow with the 4-at-a-time Flying Geese method

Choosing Fabrics for Your Carpenter’s Star

The key to making the star design stand out is contrast.

Choose fabrics that have enough difference in value, color, or print scale that the individual pieces don’t disappear into one another. You don’t necessarily need a lot of different fabrics—the right combination can create plenty of visual interest.

I especially like using a mix of small and medium-scale prints with a low-volume background fabric to help define the star.

Carpenter Star quilt block close-up

And because this is a pillow, it’s a great project for using pieces from your stash. You don’t need a large quantity of each fabric, which makes it an easy project to pull together from fabrics you already have.

Fabric Requirements

To make this 18″ Carpenter’s Star pillow you’ll need:
• (1) Fat Eighth for star (10 ½” x 18″)
• (1) Fat Quarter for star (18″ x 21″)
• (1) Fat Quarter for background (18″ x 21″)
• (1) Fat Quarter or (2) 1 ½” x 42″ strips for borders
• ⅜ yard pillow backing fabric
• ¾ yard (20″ wide) lightweight fusible interfacing
• (1) 22″ square lining fabric (such as muslin)
• (1) 22″ square batting
• (1) 18″ pillow insert

Change the Look With Your Fabric Choices

One of my favorite things about quilt blocks is seeing how much the design changes when you change the fabrics.

I had fun making different variations of this pillow for gifts.

My sister particularly likes the Heirloom collection by Sharon Holland for Art Gallery Fabrics – me too! So I made her this pillow.

Carpenter Star Pillow made with Heirloom fabric by Sharon Holland
Carpenter’s Star Pillow featuring Heirloom by Sharon Holland for Art Gallery Fabrics

I also made this version with fabrics by Bonnie Christine. My favorite color is blue, so I had fun playing around with Bonnie’s fat quarter bundle to come up with this combination for the pillow.

Carpenter Star Pillow made with A Year in Petals by Bonnie Christine
Carpenter’s Star Pillow featuring A Year In Petals by Bonnie Christine for Art Gallery Fabrics

I also love purple—who am I kidding, I love all colors!—so I made this version with Duval by Suzy Quilts in the Haze colorway.

I think my oldest sister will like this one. It might just be her Christmas present this year.

Carpenter Star Pillow made with Duval by Suzy Quilts in Haze
Carpenter’s Star Pillow featuring Duval by Suzy Quilts for Art Gallery Fabrics

The same quilt block can look completely different depending on the fabrics you choose. Try the Carpenter’s Star with:

  • Christmas fabrics for a seasonal pillow
  • Low-volume prints for a subtle, modern look
  • Bright prints for a colorful accent pillow
  • Blues and whites for a classic quilted look
  • Scrappy fabrics for a pillow with lots of variety

What If You Made a Carpenter’s Star Quilt?

You can make more blocks, add in some fun striped sashing strips, and turn them into a large quilt. Here’s a mock-up to give you an idea of what that might look like.

Carpenter’s Star Quilt Mock-Up for inspiration only (maybe a pattern in the near future)

What do you think? Maybe this should be my next quilt pattern!

A Small Project With Lots of Possibilities

If you’ve been wanting to try a Carpenter’s Star but aren’t ready to make a whole quilt, this pillow is a great place to start.

It’s also a project you can come back to again and again. Make one for a particular season, coordinate one with a quilt, or simply use your favorite fabrics to make a pillow that fits your home.

And if you’ve been practicing Half Square Triangles or Flying Geese, this is a fun way to take those familiar techniques and turn them into something finished.

Ready to make your own Carpenter’s Star Pillow?

Get the Carpener’s Star Pillow here.

I can’t wait to see what you make with this pattern!

Happy stitching,

Jen

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