Superstar Patterns: The Flat Star Download

This neat star pattern uses geometric peyote stitch with two alternating increase/decrease progressions – the Triangle Increase (also known as the Herringbone Increase) and the Hexagon Decrease (a three-round slow progression) in the valleys. We have a simple chart for you plus a fully illustrated pattern and blank graphs for colouring.

Note: our Test Patterns have lists of corrections/suggestions at the bottom of the pattern page. See below and make a note on your printout. When we think we’ve caught everything, we’ll finalize the pages for the books.

Click these links for PDF downloads of the Flat Star pattern in two-page book Spreads and Single Pages (best for printing). and in a special Small File size for older computers.

Combining these two progressions to make a flat star is not a new idea, but it was new to us. It seems to be one of those fundamental arrangements that appears in people’s hands when they are asking just the right sorts of questions. I am not personally familiar with what others have done with this idea, but I know that there have been many interpretations over the years. We hope you enjoy our own.

From this single basic pattern, over the next weeks we’ll take you into the Star Spiral (which will teach you the Casting Spine as well) and Starflowers, the advanced Reverse Starflower, and then a series of cycles and morphing surfaces. We’re releasing the main patterns in this chapter for free to everyone, because this is a fundamental idea and fundamental ideas belong to everyone.

We were given this pattern by English beader Susannah Thomson, who found it while fooling around with geometric peyote. She created a Star Spiral from a Spine and several other interesting variations on the Flat Star and sent the lot to us in a little box, which blew our minds (and blew up our schedule) when we opened it.

I hope you enjoy playing with the series of Star patterns while we finish up the ten thousand small details required to get to press with our basket full of books. All of our progress in all things is due to the work of every person who has participated, or even wished us well. What a collection we have for you!

Have fun with this, if you’ve never seen it before, and we will be available to help with people’s questions with each of the patterns here on the blog and also on social media. There are some blank graphs included for other shapes, such as a butterfly and a Starflower with rounded petals – we’ll show you how we do these over the coming weeks. The most intense variation Kathryn Shriver created is definitely the Reverse Starflower, and we’ll be releasing that pattern next.

It may be advanced, but we hope that our chapter is well-built enough to carry others forward as well. Start with the Flat Star, and have fun! The Stars and Starflowers make fantastic components, and we’ve had fun with layered coat brooches, earrings and rings.

Beadwork in the Flat Star pattern by Kathryn Shriver, Susannah Thomson and Karen Beningfield, illustrations (including blank graphs) by Karen Beningfield. Please mention these artists if you use or republish their work.

Download the PDF of the introductory Flat Star Pattern here:

SPREADS (best for digital viewing):

SINGLE PAGES (best for printing):

SINGLE PAGES : SMALLER FILE for older computers or full phones

Have fun!

Pattern Corrections

Step 10 should read 2B, C, 2B

About katemckinnon

Kate McKinnon has devoted herself to the study of how things are done, and how they could be done better.

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