What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

By now, you guys probably know that Jenny and Ron and their family LOVE Halloween—the themed costumes, themed food, Halloween quilts and wall hangings, and the fun of getting together. This year, although Jenny and Ron are in Africa, the family kept the tradition alive and got together for another fun-filled evening.

This year’s theme was “Movies,” and let’s just say the Doans understood the assignment….from costumes all the way to themed food.

And we just love that although they don’t celebrate Halloween in Africa, Jenny and Ron couldn’t help but continue the costume ...

It is just the beginning of summer but the northern hemisphere is already scorching with record temperatures. Please stay cool and drink lots of water. 

Should you need any encouragement to stay indoors and sew, all my Etsy patterns are on sale - 20% off through July 8, 2024.

And click on the link to get 20% off on all Missouri Star Quilt Company purchases over $50.

Arabella's Garden - Pattern on Sale

It is Mari, the mild-mannered professor by day and a fierce quilter by night, who often begins her blogpost with a weather report. I have teased her about ...

It is a busy time in the Sew Preeti Quilts studio but cannot show anything much yet. So here is a catch up post. Hope you are handling the heat well so far. It is only going to get worse :-(

All Island Batik ambassadors were invited to become affiliates for the Missouri Star Quilt Company, and I was accepted :-) 

This means that if you order over $50 from Missouri Star, you will get 20% off your order and I will receive a small commission. Thank you for your support!

Here is what I got.

Steam a Seam 2 Stabilizer and ...

It's that time again.  Time to head out to Kansas City for the annual Reject's Retreat.  This year my friend, Kailie was joining us.  She and I decided to drive from MI to MO.  Hubby mapped out several quilt shops for us to stop at along the way as we progressed.  He even put the times they opened up for us.  We started at Shipshewana.  Kailie had not ever been there.  First stop was Yoders and

Meet Amy Barickman, founder of Indygo Junction and author of Vintage Notions: An Inspirational Guide to Needlework, Cooking, Sewing, Fashion & FUN! Through her YouTube videos, blog, website, and e-newsletter, Amy inspires fabric arts enthusiasts to learn from the past and experiment with new products and techniques for creating in vintage made modern style. Now you have the opportunity to learn more about Amy and her work! Join us on Missouri Star LIVE March 8th, 2022 at 11:00 am cst for a special segment with Amy herself – but in the meantime, get to know her little more with this exclusive ...

Life is a whirlwind of extremes. Happy times; hard times. Miracles and loss. But as our hearts are stretched in a thousand directions, they sure do grow! 

If you’re anything like me, you pour your emotions into your quilts. And this week’s quilt is bursting with love!

Watch Jenny stitch up the wildly popular Exploding Hearts quilt by Laura Piland for Slice of Pi Quilts. This stunning heart quilt is a triumph of triangles with half-square triangles, hourglass blocks, and quarter-square triangles, too. (We love Exploding Hearts SO MUCH, we created a kit with the pattern and beautiful ...

Meet Marla Arna Jackson, self-taught fiber artist, painter, doll maker, indigo dyer, shibori dyer, portrait artist, seamstress, and author. Marla is the Founder and Executive Director of Marla Quilts Inc. African American Quilt Museum and Textile Academy, whose goal is to be “an impetus for developing artistic skills, enhancing individual and communal expression, and furthering intellectual awareness.” We had the honor to get to know her a little more as an artist and as a person – and we loved her so much that she’ll be taking over the Missouri Star Instagram on February 23rd, 2022 to share a little ...

It doesn’t get easier than this classic quilt block! Using Layer Cakes cut into half-square triangles, the chevron quilt block is the perfect project for a new beginner quilter! Even if you’ve been stitching up quilts for awhile now, this simple pattern offers a unique opportunity to quilt in a hurry (not like any of us would EVER wait until the last minute to make a handmade gift).

To make this into a full quilt, all you’ll need is a solid layer cake and a printed layer cake – but the good news is you can truly make ...

Valentine’s day is right around the corner and if you’re looking for a treaty for your sweetie (or treat yourself, we won’t judge!) then the Red Heart Fancy Zipper Bag is an easy and quick project that is simply bursting with love! Nothing says love like a handmade project, so treat someone special in your life to a fantastic new bag to show your love!

Supplies Needed:

Two 1/3 Yard Cuts of Contrasting Fabric

One Missouri Star 14″ Fancy Zips

Bosal In-R-Form Double-Sided Fusible Plus

Even if you’ve never worked with Bosal In-R-Form before, have ...

Every year when the weather turns cold, the peacock butterfly finds a cozy bed inside a hollow tree. There she naps for months at a time, with her wings wrapped around her body like a quilt. 

At the first sign of spring she emerges, wonderfully refreshed and ready to flutter!  (Add a tiny sewing machine and a stack of pretty precuts, and I’d call that the perfect winter!)

This week Jenny is stitching up a new butterfly quilt using a border print and layer cake from the beautiful Elysian collection by Jason Yenter for In the Beginning Fabrics. 

She ...

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 ...

The Hourglass quilt block is one of the more simple traditional blocks and comes together with ease using 10″ squares of precut quilting fabric. All you need to do is chop up your layer cake corner to corner, recreate a square using two different fabrics and stitch them back together – and just like that you’ve put together a gorgeous and traditional quilt block!

This block in it’s own is an absolute favorite amongst quilters, but why stop the fun with just the basic hourglass! This block can be used in a wide variety of quilting patterns that all ...

On live TV in 1956, magician P.C. Sorcar began to “saw” his wife in half. Suddenly, the host signed off and the program went dark!

Viewers across the country assumed the worst. (Something went wrong! The poor woman was dead!) But the truth was much less gory: The live broadcast had simply run out of time. How’s that for an illusion falling flat!

This week, Jenny has a trick up her sleeve that’ll earn you big “oohs” and “ahhs” without a single hiccup!

“Wallah!” – or voilà – is a magical layer cake quilt pattern from Material Girlfriends. With ...

The holidays are here and it’s time to deck the halls and welcome in the festive season! A Christmas Tree Skirt is the perfect holiday project to stitch up on those cold December nights because not only does it make an excellent gift, but it can be kept and displayed almost immediately! Grab your favorite holiday charm packs (or some from your stash that you’ve been looking for a reason to use) and get stitching!

Supplies Needed

2 Packages of 5″ Print Squares (Charm Packs)

3/4 Yard Border ...

Amy Latta is passionate about inspiring her online community by sharing honest inspiration for everyday life. On her award-winning blog amylattacreations.com, you’ll find easy-to-follow hand lettering tutorials, along with all kinds of craft and DIY projects anyone can create. Amy recently stopped by to teach us some hand lettering, show off some new fabric markers, and design some beautiful quilt labels that you can DIY for your next project! Before the tutorial comes out, let’s learn more about Amy – from her creative journey and process to her inspiration and more!

How did you become ...

If you wish upon a star, your dreams might come true…but be ready for a wait!

The closest star is 26 trillion miles away. That starlight magic won’t reach the earth for 4+ years! (If my calculations are correct, wishes from 2017 are just starting to arrive!)

Of course, if you’re short on time, you can whip up your own lucky stars in a jiffy! 

The Brightly star quilt was designed by Allison Harris for Cluck Cluck Sew. It’s a stunning layer cake pattern that is timeless and modern all at once.

(Watch to the end ...

The holidays are coming and it’s time to show off your new found sewing skills at all your family gatherings! If you’re anything like us, your Christmas list is filled with handmade holiday projects that you may or may not have started (don’t panic just yet, there’s still plenty of time). Instead of trying to squeeze in a quilt for each and every person close to you, consider a small yet functional project like the Casserole Caddy that will not only be a beautiful handmade gift, but a ...

When you make the Serendipity Infinity quilt, you’ll end up with scraps. 

You can use those scraps to make a pretty table runner. But guess what? You’ll still have scraps. Make another table runner, and still, more scraps. Keep sewing!

When all is said and done, you’ll have a beautiful quilt + up to NINE table runners to use as gifts! Is it a Christmas miracle? Nope! It’s Serendipity Infinity!