Spiders are master weavers. Their webs are made with silk “thread” that is the envy of quilters: 1,000x thinner than human hair and 5x stronger than steel! (Scientists think pencil-thick web could stop a jumbo jet!)
They work at a dazzling pace, completing incredibly intricate webs in about an hour. But this week, Jenny is giving ‘em a run for their money!
The Disappearing Four-Patch Weave quilt starts as a super-simple 4-patch and then, like all disappearing blocks, we slice it and rearrange the pieces. The result is a gorgeous, woven layer cake pattern that comes together lickety-split. (Our spider friends would be so proud!)
Do you remember your first cartwheel? It was probably a little wobbly. Maybe you didn’t land on your feet. But chances are, before the recess bell rang, you could cartwheel your way across the playground without stopping!
Jenny is not turning cartwheels this week. (Wouldn’t that be a sight!) But … she IS turning quilt blocks, and that’s even easier! The Simple Squares method of setting quilt blocks on point is so quick and painless, you’ll be turning blocks like a pro in no time!
Happy New Year, dear quilters! This is sure to be a memorable year filled with many exciting moments here at Missouri Star Quilt Co. We are grateful for your loyalty and patience with us as we grow and we think 2018 is going to be the best year yet! But before we jump right into it, let’s take a moment to reflect and look back on some of the highlights from 2017.
Shark Applicutter
Our dear friend, Rob Appell of Man Sewing, designed an innovative cutting tool that took the sewing and quilting world by storm! With a 14mm blade, the Shark Applicutter is the go-to rotary cutter for freestyle piecing and intricate cutting. Learn more about the handy Shark Applicutter HERE.
Missouri Star Academy
Missouri Star Academy began as a dream. We imagined quilters gathering together from across the globe in Hamilton, Missouri, to learn directly from professionals in the industry and from each other. In 2017, this dream became a reality for more than 450 students and instructors who traveled to Quilt Town, USA, for a two-day, immersive, creative experience filled with demonstrations, classes, and trunk shows. We are still amazed by the ideas and inspiration shared during Missouri Star Academy. Thanks to everyone who attended! We hope to see you again this year. Be sure to mark your calendars for June 7 and 8 for our second Missouri Star Academy! It’s going to be a lot of fun!
Missouri Star Academy classes and presentations were held at the United Methodist Church in Hamilton.
Jenny Turns 60
Our very own Jenny Doan hit a milestone birthday in 2017, and we celebrated her “Sweet 60th” together. We are so thankful for her contagious enthusiasm, her kind spirit, and the creativity she shares with us every day!
Birthday Bash
Missouri Star Quilt Co. celebrated its 9th birthday last year. Can you believe it? Time seems to have passed as quickly as our bobbins go empty! Three days filled with fun, games, food, and inspiration culminated in a party that will be long-remembered here in Hamilton. Reminisce about all of the festivities from the 2017 Bash HERE.
Stay tuned for 2018 Birthday Bash. We’ll be pulling out all the stops for our big 1-0 coming up later this year, and make plans to attend September 20-22nd!
Hurricane Relief Quilts
Thanks to quilters like you, our hearts were filled to the brim this year by the overwhelming support you showed when we asked for donations to help those affected by the hurricanes that ravaged our coastal states. You answered the call with more than 9,000 quilts, blankets, and afghans, as well as 4,000 pillowcases! These handmade labors of love were donated to organizations and distributed to those in need.
The entire Doan family and dozens of Missouri Star employee volunteers helped sort and repackage the donations.
Top Tutorials from 2017
Jenny and Rob each created 52 amazing quilt tutorials for you last year, for a grand total of 104 new videos! While it would be impossible to pick a favorite, here are some of the best of the best tutorials from 2017:
You can catch all of Jenny’s tutorials on QuiltingTutorials.com or on our Missouri Star Quilt Co. YouTube channel, and be sure to catch Rob’s tutorials on the Man Sewing YouTube channel. We can’t wait to see the quilts you are creating for 2018! Make sure to share them with us on our Facebook and Instagram using #msqcshowandtell.
MSQC has figured out another great way to give you a whole lot of info in a little bitty clip. This is the Disappearing Hourglass block that only takes two contrasting 10″ squares, a few small cuts and you get a gorgeous creation with minimal efforts!
Watch the full tutorial and get all supplies needed HERE!
When it comes to quilting, we like to think that Jenny Doan is the go-to guru for quick and easy quilting with precuts! Sometimes it’s hard to keep track of all the amazing inspiration that comes from her tutorials each week, which is why we’ve brought you the Tutorial Reboot series on the first Monday of every month, so we can revisit some of our favorite tutorials from the past!
This month we’re taking a new look at the X’s and O’s Quilt. This is a tutorial that was first released five years ago, but it is a simple block that serves as a beautiful foundation for some of our favorite quilt patterns.
Here’s a list of everything you need to make this version of the X’s and O’s quilt.
There’s no fabric cozier and more forgiving than Shannon Cuddle fabric and since we’re getting into the season of holiday gift-giving, I thought it would be the perfect choice for this oversized X’s and O’s pattern. All you need to do is follow Jenny’s original tutorial, but instead of using 5″ squares and 2.5″ square snowballs, use 10″ squares with 5″ squares to snowball the corners. Since Cuddle isn’t as stiff as quilting cotton, the larger squares will be easier to handle.
You can find some excellent tips on working with Shannon Cuddle HERE. The walking foot is extremely helpful with this project and make sure to lengthen your stitch to 3-3.5mm. The finished size of this quilt is approximately 54×54 inches (I used a .5″ seam allowance). I chose to leave out the black pieces in the precut set, since I had 40 squares and only needed 36 to create the quilt top.
I decided to have this quilt machine quilted using Missouri Star’s Machine Quilting Services and I am so glad that I did! I just love how it turned out (I chose a Simple Stipple quilting pattern)! If you want to add a little bit of extra weight to the quilt, you can use batting, but you actually don’t have to use batting when you’re working Cuddle.
When it comes to binding with Cuddle, you may not know that Jenny has a tutorial that tells you everything you need to know!
Instead of the typical 2.5″ strips for binding, you only need your strips to be 1.75″ – 2″ when you’re working with Cuddle! (Side note: I LOVE using Wonder Clips when I’m doing binding! They’re so much easier to handle than pins)
I used the serpentine stitch for my binding, just as Jenny recommends in the tutorial. Cuddle fabric really is very forgiving, so you can’t even tell what color the thread is. It just creates a fun finished edge!
The result is an extremely cozy Cuddle quilt, which is a perfect gift for the holidays! I love the colors in this particular precut because they’re just perfect for the men in your life!
Whether you use Cuddle or your favorite quilting cotton prints, I hope you’ll give this Oversized X’s and O’s Quilt pattern a try! It comes together so quickly and the result is just beautiful!
