I checked my EQ6 and the only block I have called a courtyard is a sorta Mariner's Compass block. Is that it? The one that comes up via Google is a snowball block.
Did you paper piece it or sew it using templates?
That's a big difference...can't be because of seam allowances.
Don't take this the wrong way but maybe, just maybe, you didn't realize the centers aren't supposed to touch...that when you put all the rays together, there should be a hole in the center?
And looking at the 12" block, it would be a 3 inch hole.
There would be another template - a circle - that is then appliqued over it.
Although now that I've written it, you probably wouldn't even have gotten the rays together if you didn't know that. So, sorry for that.
Next I would suggest you print out the templates (or foundation) again from EQ5 - making sure you're printing them for a 12" block. Compare them to the ones you're using.
Sometimes the block size gets resets or it remembers a size from another session, and it's just not noticed before you print. It's happened to me. The size should have printed at the bottom of the page (which I've stupidly ignored and not checked :roll:).
Can you post a picture?