Looking for some tips on how to get the seams to match up and the fabrics to go all the same direction on your Balsam Star Quilt? This blog post is for you! Even though this modern pattern is beginner friendly, I find any extra advice and tutorials are always appreciated. So strap in for some refreshers or reminders on making this sawtooth star pattern work for you. 

The Balsam Star Quilt Pattern includes two variations. So this blog post will include tips for both versions. 

Sewing Tips

First, quilters seem to either like flying geese or loath them. I am in the used to loath and now like camp. What made the change? 

Practice... I became a better quilter and my seams became more accurate. I also slowed down in favor of exact seams over speed. 

Trimming tools... I experimented with different ways to trim by blocks and really didn't love the traditional way of trimming with a regular quilting ruler. I am usually not for spending money on specialty rulers, but in this case it was worth it. I like to use the Wing Clipper Flying Geese Ruler. But with lots of options on the market find a method or ruler that works for you. 

As I said the Balsam Star Quilt Pattern has 2 versions. One is fat quarter friendly and more scrappy looking. The stars are different colors throughout the quilt and the sashing is also mixed with cornerstones matching the background.

The other version uses yardage and less fabrics. The stars in each row match all the way across and the sashing matches the background. This is a more modern version of the pattern. 

You can see a side by side of both versions of the pattern in the image below. 

I love both versions and they are both very fun to make. 

You can buy your copy of the Balsam Star Quilt Pattern here. 

Fabric Choice

If you really want to make the stars stand out in your quilt then choose contrasting accent fabrics from the background fabric. 

Don't Forget To Pin

For the fat quarter version... It's important when sewing the sashing and corner stones to the rows of stars to pin all the way across at each intersection. This will help get nice crisp points. Pressing so that your seams nest will also help. 

Fussy Cutting

If you have a special fabric you want to showcase, the Balsam Star Quilt Pattern is a great one to use. You can fussy cut the fabric you want to highlight and put it in the center of each block with the square in the middle of the star. Just make sure to buy extra fabric than the pattern calls for because fussy cutting requires lots of fabric to get those special cuts.