I like the way katier825 makes her star point stay way AWAY from the edges so she can just whiz away sewing the blocks together without worrying about cutting off points! That quilt must go together FAST :!:
I vote for 48 X 60 - gives plenty of room to wrap an adult up in on a chilly night - or to snuggle up with a DG. I've used fleece as a backing instead of 3 layers, but you have to baste carefully, because fleece stretches. I like spray basting for that reason - and I pin along the edges.