Morning Star Quilt

The Morning Star Quilt from Missouri Star Quilt Co. Watch the free quilt tutorial today.

Have you ever given up on a quilting project? You’re not alone! Wavy blocks and unmatched seams have frustrated quilters since the invention of needle and thread!

The Morning Star Quilt from Missouri Star Quilt Co. Watch the free quilt tutorial today.

As a result, unfinished quilts are commonly found in antique shops, and quite often, they are Morning Star quilts! This pretty star is certainly breathtaking, but all those Y-seams and tiny bias-cut diamonds have caused many a quilter to call it quits. 

Lucky for us, the magnificent Tara Faughnan designed a modern Morning Star for our MODBlock Magazine, and it’s the perfect blend of quick, easy, and exciting! Click HERE to watch the tutorial!

The Morning Star Quilt from Missouri Star Quilt Co. Watch the free quilt tutorial today.
Watch the Latest Tutorial from Missouri Star Quilt Co!

Create a Classic – 5 Easy Quilt Patterns Inspired by Classic Quilt Designs

The Take Flight Quilt from Missouri Star Quilt Co. Watch the free quilt tutorial today.

Nothing beats a classic. The master level quilts that our grandmothers once stitched by hand with precision and care have never been easier to recreate with modern methods. Many of these patterns are surprisingly simply with just a little effort and dedication, but why take our word for it when you can find out on your own!

Thanks to Jenny Doan’s incredible quilt tutorials and patterns, these five time-honored traditional quilts can grace your home as you pass down the gift of quilting to the next generation of makers! Where there’s a quilt, there’s a way!

Happy Trails Quilt

The Happy Trails Quilt from Missouri Star Quilt Co. Watch the free quilt tutorial today.

A quilt by any other name will stitch the same! The Happy Trails quilt has been called many things in its storied past; the snail trail, monkey wrench, Indiana puzzle, Journey to California and Whirligig just to name a few! This beautiful and super easy to make project utilized 5 inch squares of precut fabric to create a fabulous design. Call it what you’d like, but we know you’ll have fun creating it!

We love the traditional look that Jenny created for her tutorial; it fits perfectly with the vintage pattern of the quilt! Pick up a more traditional blue charm pack, such as Indigo Gatherings for Moda Fabrics and capture that beautiful, antiquated look!

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Irish Change Quilt

The Irish Change Quilt from Missouri Star Quilt Co. Watch the free quilt tutorial today.

The Irish Chain pattern can trace its roots back to the early 1800s, over two hundred years ago! A staple for beginning quilters, this pattern has been widely popularized for its simplicity. Jenny’s twist on the classic, the Irish Change quilt, is a gorgeous new version of the traditional design that uses 10″ squares of precut fabric. The best part about this is that the “chains” of this quilt frame the 10″ squares, so you can feature your favorite fabrics in full!

Have a little fun when selecting a fabric for this quilt! Pick your favorite fabric square that you wish to frame, and if you really want a modern and wild touch on this classic, consider All Systems Glow Glow in the Dark 10″ Squares by Kanvas Studio. These glow in the dark, spaced themed squares will make this a favorite for any young person in your life!

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Vintage Blossom Quilt

The Vintage Blossom Quilt from Missouri Star Quilt Co. Watch the free quilt tutorial today.

Hexagon quilts have been around longer than you may think! Even in the early 1900s, quilters were creating these wonderful projects as the Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt. This simple yet effective design is a great way to introduce yourself to the world of quilting while creating a beautiful project with a rich history!

Traditional floral fabric is the way to go for this design! Whether you choose to use a pack of 10″ squares, or 4 packs of 5″ squares, strive for vintage fabrics for the desired classic look. A Bramble Cottage Layer Cake for Moda Fabrics is the perfect selection for this quilt; it will look just like what Grandma used to make!

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Take Flight Quilt

The Take Flight Quilt from Missouri Star Quilt Co. Watch the free quilt tutorial today.

This classic may look simple, but to ensure perfect pointed triangles requires care and precision. Flying Geese blocks used to be a difficult pattern to accomplish, but thanks to Jenny’s methods of creating these triangles, you’ll never lose a point again! This block was once used during the Underground Railroad to point the way to freedom, which in turn immortalized this pattern in the annals of quilting history!

The sky is the limit with the Take Flight quilt! There’re no limitations to your creativity for this project, so go with your instincts and pick your favorite precut fabric. If you’re in a creative rut, aim for sky blue colors to capture the motif of flight, such as the Artisan Batiks – Fancy Feathers 3 Charm Pack for Robert Kaufman!

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River Log Cabin Quilt

The River Log Cabin Quilt from Missouri Star Quilt Co. Watch the free quilt tutorial today.

The first quilt Jenny Doan ever made was a simple log cabin quilt. Many of us can say the same as this pattern has been the foundation for many quilters for generations. Adding just a little flair to the heirloom project while still honoring its roots, Jenny has created a new twist on an easy classic that is simply stunning!

The contrast between light and dark fabric in the River Log Cabin quilt is just wonderful, so when selecting your pack of 2.5″ strips to make this design, keep contrast in mind. Prose 2.5″ Strips from Maywood Studio will be the perfect starting point; a good contrast of color complimented by beautiful flowers, leaves and stripes!

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Tell us, what is your favorite classic recreation design?

Triple Play! Drunkard’s Path Tutorial

Join us for Triple Play from Missouri Star Quilt Co. featuring three unique twists on classic MSQC Quilt Patterns. Watch the free quilt tutorial today!

We’re quilting with curves, but don’t you worry! The Drunkard’s Path block has just one simple seam, and when you master that curve…the sky’s the limit!

Jenny’s Design

The Birds of Paradise Quilt from Missouri Star Quilt Co. Watch the free quilt tutorial today.

For this month’s Triple Play tutorial, Jenny, Natalie, and Misty each designed a brand new Drunkard’s Path quilt. (I can’t wait to hear which is your favorite!)

The Birds of Paradise Quilt from Missouri Star Quilt Co. Watch the free quilt tutorial today.

Misty’s Design

The Morning Glory Wall Hanging from Missouri Star Quilt Co. Watch the free quilt tutorial today.

These gorgeous projects are made with charms, yardage, and our new Drunkard’s Path template.

The Morning Glory Wall Hanging from Missouri Star Quilt Co. Watch the free quilt tutorial today.

Natalie’s Design

The River Path Wall Hanging from Missouri Star Quilt Co. Watch the free quilt tutorial today.

Three tutorials and three different takes on a classic design! Click HERE to watch the video!

The River Path Wall Hanging from Missouri Star Quilt Co. Watch the free quilt tutorial today.
Watch the Latest Tutorial from Missouri Star Quilt Co!

Meet Missouri Star Academy Instructor, Patsy Thompson

Our newest Missouri Star Academy instructor is Patsy Thompson of Patsy Thompson Designs. She is an expert in free motion quilting using rulers. As you scroll through this post, you will find some of the most beautiful quilts quilted and designed by Patsy! Get to know her a bit more and fall in love with ruler-work quilting in her class, Beginning Free Motion Quilting with Rulers!

Meet Patsy Thompson, Missouri Star Academy Instructor

When did you first give machine quilting a try?

In the year 2000. I had been a hand quilter for over 20 years, and when I would see machine quilted quilts at shows, I thought of them as “cheater quilts.” I figured I could quickly learn to machine quilt, and I was so, SO WRONG!! It was very hard and took me a couple years of what felt like endless practice! I am very glad I didn’t give up, though, because I love to free motion quilt!

Meet Patsy Thompson, Missouri Star Academy Instructor

When you started, did you first use rulers or are they something you came to use later on?

Oh, gosh, no! I had been free motion quilting for many years before I tried rulers. Back when I did start, there were no ruler feet for home machines and we had to improvise. Nowadays, the market is very much geared to the home quilter and there’s a ruler foot for pretty much any machine that’s available.

Meet Patsy Thompson, Missouri Star Academy Instructor

What advice do you have for someone just starting out with ruler work?

Get ready to have fun! It will feel very strange/awkward when you first start out, but stick with it and soon it will feel completely normal to be holding/moving the quilt and a ruler simultaneously. The learning curve for ruler work is much faster than for regular free motion quilting, so it’s worth giving ruler work a shot even if you’re a beginner free motion quilter.

Meet Patsy Thompson, Missouri Star Academy Instructor

What advice do you have for someone who just started machine quilting?

I know that no one wants to hear these words, but keep practicing, then practice some more. It’s all about putting in the time. I would also start with much smaller projects. There are really two very different skills you need to free motion quilt:

  1.  You need to learn how to control the quilt sandwich underneath the needle to create an appealing design.  This requires you learning how to move the quilt from point A to point B to point C to create the design, and also how to do the “dance” between how quickly you move the quilt across the machine bed and how fast you run the foot pedal.  This set of skills is best learned on small quilt sandwiches.
  2. You need to learn to handle the quilt from the standpoint of a mechanical engineer.  A quilt is big and bulky and has a weightiness that will always be pulling against you until you learn how to position it to avoid drag.  When you’re a sit-down quilter on a home sewing machine, you also have that small harp space to contend with.  I don’t think about any of these issues anymore because it is second nature to me how to position/manipulate the quilt as I work, but when you’re first learning to free motion quilt, you’ll really need to focus on how to overcome these challenges.  
Meet Patsy Thompson, Missouri Star Academy Instructor

Do you have an all-time favorite quilt that you have quilted?

I have two all time favorites. Both of them have some hand-dyed cotton sateen fabrics in them, and there is something about those luscious colors that thrills me as I am quilting! They both have a lot of ruler work quilting, and also lots of feathers, so they each have many of my favorite parts of quilting.

Where do you look for inspiration in your work?

Pretty much everywhere.  I am very affected by color, especially rich, saturated colors, so I generally find myself stimulated by colors I see in everyday things.  I also am aware of combinations of colors (i.e. colors next to one another) that I find pleasing.  Those combinations will frequently find their way into quilts!

Meet Patsy Thompson, Missouri Star Academy Instructor

How long have you been teaching classes and what do you enjoy most about sharing your skills?

I taught my first class in early 2002. A friend of mine talked me into it and I remember being SO nervous driving to the class, questioning how I let myself get talked into doing it, wishing I could somehow get out of it. By the end of the class, I felt so exhilarated by seeing all these students learning how to free motion quilt, that I never questioned teaching again.  The best part of teaching is seeing a student realize that he/she can “do it.” There is nothing like the thrill of being a part of that spark! 

What are the must have tools for ruler work you always have on hand?

A ruler foot that fits your machine, machine quilting rulers/templates, and either a plexiglass extension table for your machine or the ability to sink the machine so it is flush with the quilting surface. You’ll also want marking tools (to mark your starting/stopping points), a seam ripper, and I like having a short ruler (6-8 inches long) for any measuring/marking that need to be done on the fly.

Meet Patsy Thompson, Missouri Star Academy Instructor

What is your favorite ruler to use/design to make when machine quilting?

Arc rulers, for sure! You can make so many different types of designs with arc rulers, and the more curves you have at your disposal, the better. Arcs RULE!!

START MACHINE QUILTING WITH RULERS

What is your favorite machine quilting design?
Show us in the comments!

Old Mill Path

Old Mill Path Quilt from Missouri Star Quilt Co.

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, but this isn’t a race! We’re quilting with curves and enjoying each stitch!

Old Mill Path Quilt from Missouri Star Quilt Co.

Our new Drunkard’s Path templates make quick work of curved blocks, and this week we’re giving you an up-close look at how those curves are stitched together. It really is so fun and simple! Click HERE to watch the tutorial!

Old Mill Path Quilt from Missouri Star Quilt Co.
Watch the Latest Tutorial from Missouri Star Quilt Co!