Midnight Medallion Quilt Along, Week 4 – Exploring Color Play in Sawtooth Stars

by Wendy Chow March 23, 2026

Welcome to Week 4 of the Midnight Medallion QAL! This week, we are creating Sawtooth Star quilt blocks using your flying geese from last week (see pattern page 8). Sawtooth Star blocks are a timeless, glowing block that really brings the “celestial” energy to the quilt. Combined with the Friendship Star quilt blocks created last week, these star blocks help frame and brighten your medallion beautifully.

In this post, we’ll cover:
• What a Sawtooth Star block is
• How to construct a 6" Sawtooth Star using the stitch-and-flip method
• Four different color layout variations

If you’re following along, grab your Midnight Medallion quilt pattern and flip to page 8. Haven’t snagged your free copy yet? Don’t worry—you can download it here.

This is the fourth blog post of the Midnight Medallion QAL series, with a new post dropping every Monday (starting March 3, 2026). Each week’s post will feature tips for completing that week’s tasks or fun bonus projects that build on the skills being explored. Even if you’re not following the Midnight Medallion pattern, these insights can be applied to future quilt projects. Sign up for the weekly QAL newsletter* here to stay up-to-date on tasks, tips, and bonus content. The newsletter will only run for the six weeks of the QAL, so you won’t miss a thing.

For a comprehensive overview of what the QAL entails—including the schedule, tools, supplies, and more—check out previous Midnight Medallion QAL blog post here. Remember, you’re welcome to join at any time and work at your own pace. If you’d prefer, you can save the posts and follow along at a later date.

All weekly tips, tricks, and resources will be centralized here for easy reference, so don’t forget to bookmark it!

*By signing up for the Midnight Medallion QAL updates, you also agree to sign up to be on The Weekend Quilter email newsletter list. We will not sell your email or spam you.

SUPPLIES AND TOOLS

For this week’s task you’ll need the following to make one 6in square (finished sized) Sawtooth Star Block:
• Coordinating quilting cotton – 2 to 3 different fabrics, one fat eighth, one ⅛ yard or fabric scraps for each fabric.
Background:
o Four (4), 2in x 3½ rectangles
o Four (4), 2in squares

Center square:
o One (1), 3½in square

Star Points:
o Eight (8), 2in squares
• Quilting ruler
• Rotary cutter
• Fabric pen or pencil
• Iron

WHAT IS A SAWTOOTH STAR BLOCK?

The Sawtooth Star is one of quilting’s most recognizable and beloved blocks. Dating back to at least the 19th century, it’s popular because:
• It’s easy enough for beginners
• It uses basic shapes (squares + flying geese)
• It creates a clean, striking star motif
• It adapts beautifully to color changes

Once you understand the structure and proportions of the block, you can create endless variations just by swapping colors.

HOW TO MAKE A SAWTOOTH STAR (STITCH-AND-FLIP METHOD)

The following steps below walks you through how to make a 6in square (finished size) Sawtooth Star quilt block using the stitch-and-flip method.

Step 1: On the wrong side of all 2in Star Point squares, raw a diagonal guideline.

Step 2: Noting the orientation of one (1) marked 2in Star Point square and with right sides together, place marked square on the right side of one (1) Background 2in x 3½ rectangle as shown in the diagram below. Sew on the drawn guideline.

Repeat this step with all four (4) Background 2in x 3½ rectangles and four (4) 2in Star Point squares.

Step 3: Create the seam allowance by trimming ¼in away from each of the outside of the sewn lines. Press the seam to create one (1) Flying Geese A unit.

Repeat this step to create a total of four (4) Flying Geese A units.

Step 4: Noting the orientation of the marked guideline and with right sides together, place one (1) marked 2in Star Point square from Step 2 on the left of one (1) Flying Geese A unit. Sew on the drawn guideline.

Step 5: Create the seam allowance by trimming ¼in away from the outside of the sewn line. Press the seam to create one (1) Flying Geese B unit.

Repeat this step to create a total of four (4) Flying Geese B units.

Step 6: As shown in the diagram below, sew all four (4) Background 2in squares (A2), four (4) Flying Geese B units and one (1) Center 3½in square (B1) to create Sawtooth Star Block. Press the seams as you go.

FOUR COLOR LAYOUT VARIATIONS

Now that you know how to make a Sawtooth Star Block using the stitch-and-flip method, here are four different color layout variations:

1. Classic Three-Color Layout

• Center Square: Color A
o One (1), 3½in square

• Star Points: Color B
o Eight (8), 2in squares

• Background: Color C
o Four (4), 2in x 3½ rectangles
o Four (4), 2in squares

2. Offset Two-Point Variation

• NE + SE Star Points: Color A
o Four (4), 2in squares

• NE + SW Star Points: Color B
o Four (4), 2in squares

• Center + Background Color C
o Four (4), 2in x 3½ rectangles
o Four (4), 2in squares

3. Inverted Star Variation

• Center Square: Color A
o One (1), 3½in square
• Star Points: Color B
o Eight (8), 2in squares

• Background: Color A
o Four (4), 2in x 3½ rectangles
o Four (4), 2in squares

4. Scrappy Star Layout

Use any colors you love – each point, each corner or center can be different. A great stash-busting option! See Supplies and Tools section for the dimensions and the number of squares and rectangles required to make your Sawtooth Star Block.

Your Sawtooth Star blocks are complete for your Midnight Medallion Quilt — such a satisfying border to add, right? By now, you would have made several blocks in preparation for what’s to come: a night sky full of stars for taking shape for you Midnight Medallion quilt top!

You’re welcome to stitch along weekly or begin anytime — all blog posts will be added to the QAL hub page so you can follow the full series at your own pace. And if you want reminders each Monday, don’t forget to sign up for updates.

Can’t wait to see how your quilt is looking — next week we work through all the Border Quilt Blocks. Seeing your work brings us so much joy! Be sure to share your works-in-progress on social media by tagging Wendy @The.WeekendQuilter and @BrotherSews and using the #MidnightMedallionQuilt #BrotherSews hashtags.

Till next time, happy sewing!