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!

Quick! Gather your scraps! We’re making crumb quilts today! 

When you truly love fabric – and I KNOW you do – you simply can’t toss away those beautiful bits and pieces; you have to make ‘em into something fabulous! So for this month’s Triple Play quilt tutorial, Jenny and the girls have whipped up 3 great crumb piecing projects. 

Jenny’s crumb quilt is framed with a crumb-style piano key border, Natalie’s crumb-pieced Carpenter’s Square comes together just like a charm quilt, and Misty’s Full Circle quilt combines crumb piecing with the classic orange peel. 

(I ...

A Round Robin quilt is the sweetest of group projects. It is passed among friends, each adding blocks or borders of their own.

And when it is finished, that quilt represents the talent and creativity of everyone involved. (I get all tingly and sentimental just thinking about it!) 

For this month’s Triple Play tutorial, Jenny and the girls stitched up one big Round Robin quilt. They named it Sparkling Stars, and it sure is a beauty! 

Jenny built the center with 9-patches and half-square triangle lemoyne stars, Misty added pretty sawtooth star blocks and quarter-square triangles, and Natalie finished ...

It started like any other Triple Play tutorial.

Jenny, Misty, and Natalie were each asked to design a quilt with pieced sashing. Simple, right?

Natalie’s Pieced Sashing

Natalie created a cute arrow sashing with strip sets and hourglass blocks.

Misty’s Pieced Sashing

Misty used a traditional Seminole technique to sash her quilt with diamonds. And then, there was Jenny. (Oh, Jenny!)

Jenny’s Pieced Sashing

First, Jenny stitched stacks and stacks (and STACKS!) of half-square triangles. Then the sashing began. 

She made pinwheel, chevron, and herringbone sashing. She made flying geese, square-in-a-square, and sawtooth. And then…she kept ...

If you catch an Autumn leaf as it falls to the ground, good things are in store! 

Jenny’s Design: Fall Festival I & II

According to British superstition, you’ll avoid head colds all winter long. Even better, each leaf caught brings a full month of luck in the year to come! (If you spot me chasing leaves in the park, don’t be alarmed! I need all the luck I can get!) 

Misty’s Design: Happy Harvest

In this month’s Triple Play tutorial, the Doan gals are stitching up cozy Autumn quilts based on the Lovely Leaves quilt ...

It’s simple geometry:

When the 3 Doan gals whip up 3 new quilts using the Equilateral 60 Degree Triangle Ruler, the result is infinite fabulosity!

Natalie’s Design: Mountain Magic

First, Natalie fussy-cuts fabric panels to create a modern masterpiece featuring mountains, trees, and woodland creatures on every block.

Jenny’s Design: Hexi Stacks

Next, Jenny pieces intricate, overlapping hexis using holiday jelly roll strip sets—with enough left over for TWO bonus table runners.

Misty’s Design: Grandma Etta’s Stars

Finally, Misty uses a beautiful floral layer cake to recreate an heirloom triangle star quilt made by ...

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 ...

Hold onto your Santa hat, folks!

We’re celebrating Christmas in July with 3 festive quilts + 3 bonus projects made with our brand new Wing Template!

Christmas Tree Farm

Of course, these pretty new layer cake patterns would shine in any season, but we’ve added a sprinkling of Christmas magic with holiday fabric and machine quilting stitch patterns featuring snowflakes, jingle bells, and Christmas lights!

Layered Diamonds

Best of all, each of these quilts ...

In 1899, an unknown quilter began stitching fabric scraps on a paper foundation. Alas, the quilt was never finished. (It happens to us all!) The incomplete top is on display at the Virginia Quilt Museum, and the paper is still intact.

Candy Lane

Can you guess what that paper foundation is made of? Old letters! I’d sure love to inspect those tiny bits of history!

Skyward

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 ...

Years ago – when Missouri Star was just starting out – we held monthly “Friday night sews” at our one tiny quilt shop. 

10 or 12 of us gathered to chat, snack, and quilt. We took turns choosing patterns: Churn dash, log cabin, bowtie. 

When it came time for Jenny to pick a block, she chose the Missouri Star, and … everyone kind of groaned. The Missouri Star was waaay too tricky! Boy, have things changed! 

Jenny’s Design

Natalie’s Design

Misty’s Design

This month’s Triple Play tutorial is all about the Missouri Star. And with a few new tips ...

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 ...

Meet Jacquie Gering, a modern textile artist based out of Prairie Village, Kansas. She began quilting in 2009 and her quilting style has evolved from first exploring traditional quilting to settling into her own way of creating that encompasses a modern, minimalist style that she works through today. 

We had an opportunity to ask Jacquie a few questions ahead of her special appearance on BLOCK Party on Thursday, March 18. Keep reading to get to know Jacquie, from her favorite tools to her history of sewing, and join us on Thursday to see her in action!

What is ...

Fun fact: Jenny Doan used to be terrified of dresdens. (Dozens of little pieces. Loads of top stitching. Scary, scary, scary!) But then…she finally gave ‘em a try. And guess what? She fell head-over-heels in love! 

Jenny’s Design

Over the years, Jenny has stitched up dresden plates, dresden bouquets, and even dresden turkeys! (22 different projects in all! Watch the entire playlist HERE!) 

Natalie’s Design

Misty’s Design

For this month’s Triple Play tutorial, Jenny and the girls created 3 gorgeous dresden quilt patterns made with jelly rolls, layer cakes, and charms. Click HERE to watch ...

Hugs make us happy. 

A good snuggle releases oxytocin, a chemical associated with happiness and less stress. But I wonder…can quilts do the same?

This week Jenny, Misty, and Natalie showcase 3 new projects based on the classic X’s and O’s quilt. And these hugs and kisses are almost as sweet as the real thing!

Jenny’s Design

Jenny calls her quilt “Social Distanced Hugs” because the O’s are separated with a fun sashing. (What a unique way to remember these “unprecedented times!”)

Natalie’s Design

Natalie adds Wonky Star legs to her quilt, creating a ...

I’ll always remember 2020 as the year we stayed home. We wore stretchy pants. We watched movies. We sewed and sewed and sewed (and sewed). And, we baked A LOT of banana bread. 

Jenny’s Design

Some days were boring; some were lonely. But through it all, I’ve felt grateful for the peace and safety of these four old walls. Dorothy was right, there’s no place like home.

Natalie’s Design

For this month’s Triple Play tutorial, Jenny and the gals used Daisy & Grace’s tiny house quilt-as-you-go templates to make a garland, a pillow, and ...

BLOCK Magazine is a simple thing. Just 100+ pages of pretty pictures and words.

Jenny’s Design

But when you open that front cover, the heart and soul of Missouri Star come rushing out like a flood of inspiration and creativity!

Misty’s Design

For this month’s Triple Play tutorial, Jenny and the girls gathered ideas from the December 2020 BLOCK to design a treasure trove of quick and easy projects that are perfect for holiday giving!

Natalie’s Design

Click HERE to learn how to make BLOCK-inspired placemats, pillows, pincushions, and table runners with your favorite precut charm ...

2020 has been rough. Too much division. Too much loneliness and distress. Too much heartache. But when the world seems to fall apart, we quilters stitch it back together.

“Through Love” is a quick and easy jelly roll pattern with a powerful message: LOVE. It was created by Allie Perry of Taren Studios who says, “We are all connected through love, and when we come together, we can create something beautiful.” 

As you work on this simple strip set quilt, I hope it brings healing and peace to your heart. Click HERE to watch the tutorial!

Are you ready to celebrate? Birthday Bash comes to you live from the comfort of your own home this year on September 24th and 25th! We’ve got SEW many great projects planned to share this year and special virtual guests that we didn’t want you to miss a thing. Check out this video below for our complete Birthday Bash schedule and be sure to mark your calendars for all the quilting fun!

Be sure to share your quilting creations using #msqcshowandtell and let us know your favorite Birthday Bash memory!

Click HERE to learn more about Birthday Bash!

I went for a walk in the woods last night, and what do you think I found? Autumn-hued leaves in fiery shades of crimson and gold!

Jenny’s Design

All of a sudden, I’ve got a hankerin’ for pumpkins and witches and all-things spooky.

Misty’s Design

Luckily, Jenny and the girls have 3 new Double Square Star projects—each one oozing with creepy-cute Halloween vibes.

Natalie’s Design

Click HERE to learn how to make two gorgeous Halloween quilts and a Halloween table runner out of – you guessed it – Halloween charms!