holiday sewing | Missouri Star Blog

November 3, 2021November 2, 2021

Sew Fast & Fun: Casserole Caddy

The Casserole Caddy from Missouri Star Quilt Co.

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 handy accessory that will be used for years to come!

Supplies Needed

1/4 yard of six quilting fabrics (each)

2/3 yard quilt fabric for strap and binding

1 yard of quilt backing fabric

4″ length of velcro

1 2/3 yards of webbing

1 Basting Product

This quilt as you go project comes together before you know it using no more than just a little scrap yardage and some products which you most likely already have in your sewing room. Need it before the holidays? No worries! Pick up The Casserole Caddy Quilt as you Go Kit by June Tailor Company to make this project easy to finish in a hurry, too!

Not your style? We’ve got you covered there as well! Flex your creativity and create this gorgeous kitchen accessory with some circle magic! Get the full pattern and instructions to stitch up a Circle Magic Casserole Cozy that’s just as darling and creative as the original Casserole Caddy! This is a great project to practice your circular quilting (we promise it’s not that difficult)! Be sure to check out Courtenay’s full tutorial on the Casserole Caddy below for even more guided instruction to help make your holidays handmade!

July 13, 2020July 12, 2021

Handmade Holiday | Gift Gorgeous Quilts

You know the saying, “One who sleeps under a quilt is comforted by love?” When you give a quilt, you aren’t just giving a quilt. You’re giving love, inspiration, wonder, joy, peace, comfort, and so much more. Fueled by love, we are inspired to create for those we hold dear and a handmade quilt is a perfect representation of that love. This year, give a Handmade Holiday.

Create Joy || 2 for 1 Project Panel

Spread joy with a big display of someone’s favorite things. Choose from hundreds of favorite themes such as nature, sports, animals, holidays, flowers, and more. Create a playful wall hanging or mini quilt for a favorite person in your life!

Make Inspiration || Finish Line

Show someone the way with appliqué. The Finish Line Quilt has gorgeous, cascading “leaves” representing imagination and free thinking. Gift this quilt to someone you know who may need an ounce of inspiration. (Find this pattern in BLOCK Magazine 2019 Volume 6 Issue 1.)

Create Wonder || Castle Wall

Built brick by brick, a finished “castle” is there in the end to protect from chills. Choose a mystical panel filled with woodland creatures or cozy critters to live inside the castle walls! Watch your loved ones wonder in awe at this super cute and oh sew fun gift!

Make Friendship || Friendship Pinwheel Pattern

Pinwheels are just fun and who are the people we grow up in life having fun with? Our friends. That’s why the Friendship Pinwheel Pattern is the perfect gift for a close friend this year. Give friendship and share smiles!

Create Creativity || Star in a Hexagon 1 ¾” Quilt

Feeling creative? Use that energy to give for the holidays. The Star in a Hexagon Quilt is a fun quilt-as-you-go project sure to fuel that creative spark. You’ll be making jewels, diamonds, and hexagons in a variety of colors that would make the recipient of this gift very happy!

Make Handmade || Stars & Stitches

Remember going through grandma’s old wooden trunk to find old, fraying quilts that were filled with dark colors and bright, wonky stitches?! The true homemade quilt, we all aspired to create one day. The Stars and Stitches quilt doesn’t compare to grandma’s, but it makes a beautiful handmade gift!

Make Comfort || Lattice Quilt

There are specific patterns and colors that are traditional in quilting and sometimes traditional is just more comforting. The Lattice Quilt is a plain and simple pattern with traditional diamonds and quick and easy rows. Create comfort for someone you love.

Create Peace || Morning Star

Imagine someone you love wrapped in a big, cozy quilt in a big, cozy chair, the sun peeking at them through the window, hot cocoa warming their hands, and they breathe in and out with the feeling of peace. The Morning Star quilt is a great gift to help your loved one create that peaceful morning! (You can also find this pattern in ModBLOCK Magazine 2019 Volume 5!)

When we make with our hands, we give of our hearts. Explore what it means to create a Handmade Holiday with Missouri Star and discover all you need to feel inspired this holiday season!

How are you giving handmade joy this season? Share ideas with us in the comments!

November 18, 2019December 10, 2019

A Look Inside BLOCK Magazine: Winter 2019

“Great stories happen to those who can tell them.” -Ira Glass

A Note From Jenny Doan, BLOCK Magazine Winter Issue 2019

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 Magazine Volume 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!

Get a sneak peek of what’s inside this issue…

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!

Behind the Scenes BLOCK Magazine Winter Issue 2019

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!

SUBSCRIBE TO BLOCK MAGAZINE TODAY!

While we’re buttoning up the odds and ends of this next issue, would you help us choose the front cover? We just love them all!

BLOCK Magazine Cover Voting Winter Issue 2019

Click HERE to send in your vote! Thank you!

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December 13, 2018December 14, 2018

Winter Wall Hanging

Decking the halls is delightful; putting it all away after Christmas is the pits. But..what if your holiday decor could stretch all the way through winter? I’m here to say, it totally can! Jenny’s Winter Wall Hanging is festive enough for Christmas, but you can leave it up all the way to spring!

This cheery project combines several fun-to-make elements: easy present blocks, little wonky stars, a simple evergreen tree, and a pair of fuzzy-bearded gnomes that will look as stylish in February as they do on December 25th!