As for your setting, since you asked, here are some random thoughts......
Take a hint from PP's quilt up above - I think the SS and RS blocks ALWAYS looks better when set on point (plus you won't need to make so many of them).
A 16" block on point would be ~22.5" across.
jmho, but do anything other than a straight grid of blocks.....so very, very not interesting. ;-)
You could always alternate, say, a 4 patch of the 8" blocks mixed in with the larger RS block.
Also, to add interest, you could also put a smaller SS block in the center of some of your 8" SS block (iow, making a 8" Rising Star block).
Here's a quick mock-up of using the different configurations - needs work (made in two minutes on a finicky laptop) but it gives you an idea of possibilities.
I didn't included sashing, but that's a personal preference.
It's your quilt. Do what you want.
Making something like that isn't really any more difficult than just putting blocks together in rows, but aesthetically, it's definitely makes a much more interesting quilt.
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Another idea....
I'm usually not a pattern person as I prefer to come up with my own settings, but one of my favorite star quilts that I've ever seen is the Shakespeare in the Park pattern by Judy Martin (from The Creative Pattern book - a really terrific book).
Again, just the SS and RS blocks, on point, alternating with a Snail's Trail block.
Really simple and still a fabulous looking quilt.
Take a look a these renditions of the quilt:
https://www.google.com/search?q=shak...the+park+quilt