An Overwhelming Response
When I first announced the Oh Kaye Quilting Carpenter’s Star Quilt Along, I hoped a few quilters might want to stitch along together. I had noticed that a lot of people online seemed to be suffering from the “Winter Blues” and I was stuck at home taking care of Mr. C who just had knee surgery. I impulsively decided to host a Quilt Along and what happened was something truly special.
More than 1,100 quilters signed up to make a Carpenter’s Star quilt together! Watching so many people join in from different places, skill levels, and quilting styles made this event incredibly fun from the very beginning.
A Classic Block with Endless Possibilities
The Carpenter’s Star is one of those quilt blocks that never goes out of style. Its bold geometry creates a striking design, but it also leaves plenty of room for creativity.
And creativity is exactly what showed up.
By the end of the quilt along, 180 finished quilts were submitted, and I loved seeing how each participant interpreted the design in their own way. Some quilters leaned into dramatic contrast, while others chose soft, blended palettes. A few added playful border treatments or unexpected color combinations that made their stars really sparkle.
One of my favorite parts of hosting a quilt along is realizing that even when everyone starts with the same pattern, no two quilts are the same. Quilters bring their own personalities to every stitch.
The Grand Show-and-Tell
While everyone enjoyed making their quilts, I had the best job! I got to look at every quilt as it was submitted. Scrolling through the finished quilts felt like attending the world’s biggest quilt show—except it was happening right on my screen. There were bold modern palettes, cozy traditional colors, scrappy interpretations, and some beautifully creative borders that gave the Carpenter’s Star a whole new look.
It was inspiring to see so many quilters push their creativity a little further and make the design truly their own. I was also pleased to see that many chose to only use fabrics from their stash which may have led them in directions they would not have normally chosen.
Thank You to Our Generous Sponsors
We were also able to celebrate the finishers with ten prize winners, thanks to the generosity of our wonderful sponsors:
- Connecting Threads
- Handi Quilter
- Superior Threads
- WonderFil Specialty Threads
Their support helped make the event even more fun, and I’m grateful for companies that encourage and celebrate the quilting community. Of course there were some prizes from Oh Kaye Quilting as well. I chose some of my favorite quilting tools to share with the participants.
The Best Part of a Quilt Along
Quilt Alongs aren’t really about finishing fast or making the “perfect” quilt. They’re about community, creativity, and the joy of making something with your own hands.
Seeing over a thousand quilters join in and 180 beautiful quilts completed in only 3 weeks reminded me why I love teaching and sharing quilting so much. Most participants were from the US but we had participants from the UK, Canada, Australia, Singapore and several from Guam!
Thank you to everyone who participated, cheered others on, shared progress photos, or simply followed along. You made this quilt along something special.
And if you missed this one… don’t worry. You can still make this quilt!
Carpenter’s Star PDF Pattern and Video Tutorials ($14.99)
There will definitely be more quilting adventures ahead. I’m thinking about a Christmas in July event! So stay tuned and make sure you are getting my newsletter!
— Kaye
Oh Kaye Quilting
