How To Make A Star Block for the Flight of Beauty Panel Quilt

Published April 2026

This star block from the Flight of Beauty panel quilt looks like the kind of intricate piecing that takes years to master — sharp flying geese points nested around a crisp square-in-square center. In reality, it comes together with two specialty tools doing the precision work for you, a deliberate pressing choice that keeps everything lying flat, and a panel print that turns the rest of the quilt into simple cutting and strip piecing.

In this video, you'll learn:

• How to build a square-in-square unit using either the traditional draw-and-trim method or a Creative Grid Seam Guide.
• How The Ultimate Flying Geese Tool's lettered trim guides produce accurate, finished-size flying geese units in just two cuts, without ever lifting the block off a spinning mat.
• Why this block is pressed open rather than to one side, and how a clapper and a presser bar coax a stubborn seam to lie flat.
• The "point to point, then wiggle" pinning technique that lines up flying geese and corner squares with real precision.
• Why this quilt's panel print does most of the design work for you, leaving just a little strip piecing and a border to finish the top.

Check the links for everything you need.

Introduction

This star block is one of the featured units in the Flight of Beauty panel quilt — a design that looks far more advanced than the process actually is. Between a panel print that handles most of the quilt's design work and two specialty tools built for exactly this kind of piecing, this is a project a confident beginner can absolutely tackle.

It's not luck — it's good technique. Sharp, consistent points aren't about a steady hand or years of practice. They come from clean cuts, the right tool for the job, and knowing exactly where to place your pins before you sew.

Building the Square-in-Square Center

The block's center starts as a simple square-in-square unit, and there are two equally good ways to build it.

1. Traditional method: draw a diagonal line corner to corner on the back of each corner square, lay it right sides together on the center square, and sew directly on the line.
2. Or use a Creative Grid Seam Guide to sew a scant quarter inch to either side of where that diagonal would be, without drawing a line by hand at all.
3. Trim away the excess corner fabric a scant quarter inch from the seam, and press. Either method gets you to the same place, so use whichever you find more comfortable.
4. Check your finished unit against your ruler before moving on — it should measure exactly what your pattern calls for.

Flying Geese With The Ultimate Flying Geese Tool

The flying geese units framing this block get their crisp points from The Ultimate Flying Geese Tool, which uses lettered guide lines to produce a specific finished size — the letter used for this block's geese yields a finished 1.5-inch by 3-inch unit.

1. Sew your goose and sky rectangles together following the tool's instructions for your chosen letter.
2. Working on a spinning mat, line the tool up for your first trim and cut, rotating the mat rather than lifting the block off the surface.
3. Without lifting the block, reposition the tool for the second trim and cut again — two trims, no repositioning of the fabric itself, and no risk of the block shifting between cuts.

A spinning mat means no more dangerous cuts and no more lifting blocks. Rotating the mat under a stationary tool keeps your hands clear of the blade and keeps the block from shifting between the two trims — both of which make for more accurate, more consistent flying geese every time.

Point to Point: Assembling the Block

Once your square-in-square center, flying geese, and corner squares are ready, laying everything out in the correct orientation before you sew a stitch will save you from an easy mistake — it's a genuinely striking block even assembled the wrong way, just not the block the pattern calls for.

1. Lay your pieces right sides together and look for the crisscross where your seam allowances meet.
2. Place a pin directly through that crisscross, point to point, rather than just pinning generally along the edge.
3. Give the layers a gentle wiggle before pinning to settle everything into its exact position, then pin securely on either side so nothing shifts as you sew.
4. Sew a scant quarter-inch seam, backing your seam guide off slightly right where the needle crosses that pinned point so you don't sew through the pin itself.

Pressing Seams Open

Unlike most patchwork, this block's seams are pressed open rather than to one side — a deliberate choice that keeps a block with this many set-in points lying flat.

1. Some seams resist lying open at first, especially where several seam allowances meet. Roll the block over a presser bar to help coax the seam open before pressing.
2. Press with a hot iron, then set a clapper on the seam and let it cool completely — the clapper holds the seam flat while it sets, even on a stubborn spot.
3. While that seam cools under the clapper, move on to piecing another block or another section — there's no need to stand and wait.

Repeat the same pinning, sewing, and open-pressing process for the remaining corners and edges of the block, always keeping your flying geese points facing outward as you go.

Finishing the Quilt

This star block is just one element set into a larger panel print, which does most of the remaining design work for you.

1. Cut the panel itself to the measurements given in your pattern — there's no piecing involved in that portion at all.
2. Add a small amount of strip piecing where called for, join your blocks and borders together, and add your outer border.
3. From there, your top is ready to send off to your quilter.

Between a panel that handles the bulk of the design and two tools built specifically for square-in-square and flying-geese piecing, this block proves that an intricate-looking quilt doesn't require intricate skills — just good technique and the right tool for each step.

Reserve your Flight of Beauty kit while it's available, and be sure to pick up The Ultimate Flying Geese Tool, a Creative Grid Seam Guide, and a spinning mat if you don't already have one in your sewing room.

For personal use only, not for commercial production. No part of this pattern may be reproduced, shared, or distributed in any form unless given express written consent by Shabby Fabrics. Not to be used with any online classes or video tutorials other than the official Shabby Fabrics tutorial. All designs, photographs, and images are protected by federal copyright law. All rights reserved.