What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Burano is a tiny Italian island known for handmade lace and sherbet-hued homes. 

Why were those little houses painted aqua, lavender, and cotton-candy pink? According to legend…it was to help tipsy fishermen find their way home! 

This week, the Doan girls are stitching up 3 new Drunkard’s Path quilts, and they’re just as colorful and charming as the streets of Burano! 

Watch the latest Triple Play tutorial to learn how to transform layer cakes and charm packs into Drunkard’s Path quilts that are quick, easy, and “sew” much fun!

Looking for love this Valentine’s Day? Keep an eye on the birds! 

Spot a dove, and you’re destined for a happy, peaceful marriage. Spot a crossbill, and your future spouse is sure to be a grouch.

A sparrow means you’ll marry a pauper, and a goldfinch signals wealth. And if an owl shows up? That’s it! You’ll be single for life! 

All things considered, it may be wiser to stay inside and quilt! This week Jenny is using precut charms to stitch up a super-sweet Valentine heart quilt. These half-square triangle hearts are so simple ...

Do you remember discovering precuts for the very first time? Vanessa Goertzen sure does! 

It was 2010, and Vanessa had just learned that her new baby was going to be a girl. On the way home from the ultrasound, she stopped at a fabric shop to pick up something pink.

There, she laid eyes on a stack of precut 5 inch charms, and a creative fire was lit! (12 years later, Vanessa designs incredible precut patterns for her very own Lella Boutique!)  

This week, Jenny is stitching up one of Vanessa’s prettiest patterns. Chandelier is a quick and easy ...

Quilters love a classic and there are few blocks more classic than a Disappearing Nine Patch! In this incredibly simple Vintage Jenny tutorial, Jenny Doan demonstrates how to stitch up this easy block using Charm Packs. First you’ll use your 5″ squares of precut quilting fabric to create a giant nine patch (which is just as simple as sewing nine squares together) and after that, you’ll use your ruler and rotary cutter to quarter your middle square. Flip those squares around and just like that, you’ve created a Disappearing Nine Patch!

Needing some more inspiration to create ...

If you love cats, you’re in good company!

Catherine the Great kept up to 300 cats inside her Winter Palace.

Florence Nightingale’s personal writings are dotted with the inky paw prints of her feline companions.

Itty Bitty Kitty Committee

And Abraham Lincoln took his cats to live at the White House, where Tabby was fed with a golden fork during a formal dinner with visiting dignitaries, and Dixie was declared to be “smarter than my whole cabinet!”

Cats in the Window

Of course, here at Missouri Star, we love cats so much, we can’t stop quilting them ...

In 1825, 14-year-old Jane Valentine started an Irish Chain quilt. Five years and 10,092 blocks later, her quilt was finally complete. 

According to the National Museum of American History, Jane used 130 different cotton prints and a plain white background that is quilted “6 stitches per inch with a flower motif.” 

(Keep in mind, every one of those tiny stitches was done by hand. No wonder it took 5 years!)

This week Jenny whipped up a new version of the Irish Chain based on our quick and easy Irish Change pattern. The addition of a sweet little flower block ...

In the olden days, tumbler quilts were often made with scraps gathered from friends and neighbors. A bit of paisley from Aunt Maude. A stripe or two from Granny.  A pretty toile from Jane next door.

Four Patch Tumbler

These quilts represented community and the magic of sisterhood. It’s little wonder they came to be called “charm quilts!”

Patchwork Tumbler

For this month’s Triple ...

There’s a beautiful, old Goose Tracks quilt at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. 

It was made 150 years ago by Mrs. Ellen Parsons of Shelbyville, Tennessee. A hand-written note explains: “Mrs. Parsons planted and grew the cotton in her garden. She picked the cotton and spun it into thread. She wove the threads into cloth to make the lining for the quilt. She pieced and quilted it by hand.” Phew! That’s a lot of work!

This week, Jenny is whipping up a quick and easy version of the Goose Tracks pattern using precut charm packs. 

She ...

When pioneers trekked west, they took only what could fit in one small covered wagon. Most worldly treasures were left behind. 

But quilts? Quilts were an absolute necessity. They were used as shelter; they were used for warmth. Quilts swaddled babies and protected fragile family heirlooms as they bumped and jostled along the dusty Oregon Trail.

Those antique pioneer quilts were made from scraps, skillfully stitched by hand into simple 9-patches, log cabins, and pinwheels. 200 years later, we are making those same old-fashioned patterns, and they’re just as pretty as ever! 

This week Jenny is working on a ...

Did you know? The world’s biggest spool of thread is located right here in Hamilton, Missouri! It’s 22 feet tall, 8 feet wide, and wrapped with ONE MILLION yards of thread. Come for a visit, and you can add a few yards of your own!

Jenny’s Design

It’s no secret we love thread, so our newest Triple Play tutorial is all about spools! We’re using charm packs, layer cakes, and 2.5 inch strips to create big spools, little spools, and everything in between! Fun fact: Jenny’s larger-than-life spool quilt pattern is actually a ...

You’ve finally made it! You have your supplies in hand and you have a great knowledge of precut quilting fabrics so it’s time to create your very first quilt block! Before we begin, remember Jenny’s favorite phrase, “finished is better than perfect”. Your first quilt block might not be perfect (maybe it will!) but what is most important is that you learned new skills along the way and ...

For our ninth make of Christmas I am bringing you a FREE pattern for the Charm Pack Table Runner.

I probably dozens of these for gifts for my family when I was a new quilter, and it is still one of my favorite ways to use a charm pack. They are so fast, and inexpensive to make that you can easily make one for all the seasons.

One charm pack and 1 1/2 yards of coordinating fabric will get you one large, or two small table runners, and the pattern includes instructions for both.

This project can easily be ...

Did you know Pablo Picasso was a classically trained artist? His traditional realism was as beautiful as any on earth.

Jenny’s Design

But, early in his career, he started to experiment—and that’s how he became one of the most famous artists of all time. Picasso said, “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”

Misty’s Design

In this month’s Triple Play tutorial, the Doan ladies are “breaking the rules” with the Ohio Star.

Natalie’s Design

You will be amazed at the magic they create with the addition of ...

I met a young quilter whose mother was diagnosed with cancer. Right away, this sweet daughter began to put together a special “chemo quilt.” Each of the kids and grandkids contributed a block. The quilt was completed the day before the first treatment, and this brave grandmother was able to face her new journey wrapped in the love of her family.

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Jenny designed a gorgeous “From the Heart” quilt. This pretty little heart applique quilt can be personalized with hand-written messages of encouragement of love. It is so fun to put together and ...

I could stare at Jenny’s Good Fortune quilt for a hundred years and never realize…it’s a simple disappearing 9 patch!

It’s true! All those cute little pieces are nothing more than a chopped-up 9 patch with one fun twist: a snowballed sashing.

And the best part? You can use the leftover fabric to make a 2nd quilt with a whole new layout! (Watch all the way to the end of the tutorial to see how it looks!)

Talking about flying geese can be tricky. Is it one flying goose or one flying geese?

Jenny’s Design

Two flying geese or two flying…geeses? We may never know!

Misty’s Design

But you know what’s not tricky? Quilting with those pretty little geese!

Natalie’s Design

This week’s Triple Play tutorial features three new flying geese quilts from Jenny, Misty, and Natalie. And these goose…er…geese blocks are as fun and easy as it gets!  Click HERE to watch the tutorial!