Checking your list and realizing you forgot a few people? No worries! It happens to the best of us and guess what?! No one has to know! With these quick projects, your friends and family will be wondering when you had the time to whip up something so wonderful!
Gather up your scraps and start making!
Make some Mug Rugs to give away at the next Christmas Party. These would make great stocking stuffers!
Whip up a Scrap Buster Table Runner for a friend to display in their dining room. Have an over-abundance of scraps? Make this runner reversible so your friend can use this gift no matter the occasion!
Creativity starts in the home and then follows wherever we may go. As parents, grandparents, aunts, or uncles we all hope we are instilling the right amount of imagination and creativity into our little ones.
From backyard adventures to far away lands, to blanket forts and box castles, to treasure hunting with toy ships and chocolate gold, our little ones are always there to share with us their need to create.
Allow their imagination to grow while enhancing their skills! Teach your littles to sew with these fun projects:
The Cut, Sew, Create collection is a good place to start. Each kit has skill building levels from beginner to intermediate to advanced. Here are a few of our favorites:
Try this intermediate Monster Zipper Pouch Kit, by Stacy Iest Hsu for Moda. It includes instructions and a 100% cotton panel. Grab the kit and don’t forget to choose a zipper before you check out!
For your little first-time sewers, this beginner Animal Pillows Kit by Stacy Iest Hsu for Moda is great! It comes with a 100% cotton panel that will make a sloth, unicorn, and llama pillow set. Also included is a practice sewing session!
Jenny has made a quilt for all twenty-two of her grandchildren, but she also has just as much fun making with them as she does for them. I fact, a few of her grandkids have starred in some of our Missouri Star LIVE mini tutorials! So pull up a seat for yourself and the kids and start watching. This holiday season, make something together!
“Great stories happen to those who can tell them.” -Ira Glass
After the winter holidays, I like to write down the moments that made me smile. Like the care that went into a handmade gift from a grandchild, the friendly chatter around the family dinner table, and the sweet older lady who talked to me at the post office. Every day there’s something to remind me there is good in this world. These little moments make up each day and when I stop to appreciate them, it changes my perspective, and ultimately, my life.
Our lives are composed of small moments that make up our stories. Taking the time to recognize them and record them creates a narrative that connects generations. And quilting is another way of telling our stories. Each quilt begins with a moment of inspiration, a desire to create something beautiful and show we care. When a friend or a family member needs some extra love, I may not always know the perfect thing to do or say, but I know of at least one way I can help. Quilts communicate love beyond words.
If you’re ever wondering if your stories matter, take heart! They matter more than you’ll ever know. For the first time ever, this issue of BLOCK features stories from you, our readers. Thank you so much for sharing them with us! It has been a joy to read over them. We sincerely wish we could include them all. If you would like to submit your story for a future issue, we’d love to listen. Send it to us at blockstories@missouriquiltco.com. Here’s to a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year and many more stories to come.
Love, Jenny
Behind the Scenes of BLOCK MagazineVolume 6 Issue 6
One of the photographs in this issue was taken above Missouri Star’s Penney’s Quilt Shop. It’s a spectacular space that has yet to be renovated and still holds the heart of Hamilton’s history within its walls. To keep to the authenticity, we modeled two of our very own employees: Joe Morgan, our amazing carpenter who has played a huge role in the renovations of most all our buildings and his sweet wife, Elizabeth, who can usually be found in our Kids & Baby shop.
During this shoot, the photography team got to work closely with Jenny and some of her family. Jenny and Ron posed together for a snugly shot while her son, Alan, his wife, Drea, and their sweet baby Porter modeled for a cookie exchange photo-shoot. Jenny’s grandson, Porter, loved being the center of attention and put on a great little show!
Here are just a few quilts you’ll find in our next issue, featured in different colors and new collections! Within this magazine, you’ll find that each quilt pattern is tied to an inspiring story and beautiful photography!
Each issue includes 10 patterns plus a few of Jenny’s special projects! That’s over $50 worth of information all packed into each bi-monthly issue of BLOCK Magazine for just $7.99! ($9.99 bi-monthly for Canadian subscriptions)
Subscribe by November 25, 2019 to get this issue in December!
There are some of us who like to feel connected in some way to the mysteries around us. Thus, we read our daily horoscopes and give meaning to our birthstones because whether they hold true or not, fate or folklore, they are a fun way to celebrate ourselves and our loved ones.
To celebrate our birthday this year, we wanted to find a way to set some meaning in stone… or quilt. So we’ve come up with a few birthstone-inspired projects!
Our birthday is in September, making our gemstone, the gorgeous Sapphire. Find your gem color and sew with us!
Now that we’ve got the right colors, let’s start making!
Hexi Gems Quilt
Get your “mod” on with this insanely versatile technique from guest designer, Lisa Hirsh. The pattern includes a blank diagram of the quilt that can be enlarged so you can color and spec-out a creation of your own. The best part is this quilt pattern is a great place for your scraps to end up! Grab the hues you need, and get started!
