October Pattern of the Month: Joyful Stars

Meet October's Pattern of the Month - Joyful Stars!

Hi there! It’s October, and I’m super excited to bring back one of my all-time favorite quilt patterns to the spotlight - Joyful Stars! ✨ This pattern has been around for a while, but it’s one of those designs that I can’t help but love, and I think it’s the perfect time to share it again. Joyful Stars is one of those quilts that just makes you happy to look at, sew up, and snuggle under. Plus, who doesn’t love a good star block, right?

Joyful Stars quilt by Cotton and Joy, featuring sawtooth star blocks in ombre shades of orange, pink, red, purple, blue, and green. Held up outdoors at sunset, with soft sunlight filtering through trees.

Joyful Stars is on Sale All Month!

In honor of this pattern getting its time in the spotlight, Joyful Stars is on sale all month long! If you haven’t grabbed a copy yet, now’s the perfect time. You can get either the digital or printed version and start stitching up your own stars in no time!

About the Joyful Stars Quilts

Now, one of the best things about this pattern is just how versatile it is, so I thought it’d be fun to walk through all four versions I’ve made and share a little bit of the story behind each one.

Fairy Dust Ombre Version

Joyful Stars quilt by Cotton and Joy displayed outdoors by a pond, with sunlight streaming through trees. The quilt features sawtooth star blocks in ombre shades of orange, pink, red, purple, blue, and green on a white background.

This one holds a special place in my heart because it’s where Joyful Stars really began. I got my hands on some Fairy Dust Ombre fabric from Vanessa of V and Co, and it was love at first sight. The ombre colors, the metallic stars - it was like this fabric was made for this pattern. I only needed half of the colors from the fabric line, but picking just 16 out of 32 was so hard! I went with a rainbow effect, which came together even better than I imagined. The quilting is simple straight lines spaced about ¾" apart to let those fabrics really shine. This quilt is true happiness in fabric form.

An assortment of colorful ombre fabrics featuring small white stars, fanned out on a gridded cutting mat. The fabric range includes shades of yellow, orange, red, pink, purple, blue, green, and neutrals.

Unfinished quilt blocks for the Joyful Stars quilt by Cotton and Joy, featuring sawtooth star designs in a variety of ombre colors like red, pink, purple, blue, teal, and green, with a white background.

Joyful Stars quilt by Cotton and Joy held outdoors, featuring sawtooth star blocks in ombre shades of green, blue, purple, pink, red, orange, and yellow on a white background.

Scrappy Navy Version

Joyful Stars quilt by Cotton and Joy in scrappy navy blues, displayed against the wooden exterior of a Wagon Shop, featuring sawtooth star blocks with a white background.

Ah, the scrappy navy Joyful Stars. This quilt is seriously one of my all-time favorites. It came together during one of those "I need to make something just for me" moments. You know the kind - the kind of quilt you make just because it feels good, not because you have to make it. I dug into my stash, pulled out every navy blue I could find, and started cutting. Fat quarters, yardage, scraps - I didn’t overthink it, just sewed. And wow, did it come together beautifully. I had the top quilted by Morgan at Sisters Quilt Shop, and she added curved quilting that softens up all those star angles perfectly.

A stack of modern blue quilting cotton fabrics held in a hand, showcasing various patterns and shades from dark navy to lighter blues, including florals, dots, and subtle textures.

Unfinished Joyful Stars quilt top by Cotton and Joy, featuring sawtooth star blocks in various shades of blue quilted cottons with white backgrounds. The fabrics include a mix of solid blues, florals, and small prints.

Close-up of the Joyful Stars quilt by Cotton and Joy in scrappy navy blues, showing sawtooth star blocks with decorative curved quilting. The quilt's backing features a white and blue floral print, and the binding is a coordinating blue stripe.

Baby Boy Joyful Stars Quilt

The Joyful Stars quilt, the Pattern of the Month by Cotton and Joy, displayed against a minimalist white wall. The quilt features sawtooth star blocks in soft shades of mint, blue, gray, and white, creating a light, airy look.

I have such a soft spot for this quilt! It came to be when Mandy reached out about a baby quilt before they were even expecting. She wanted to get the quilt "in the works" as they started their fertility journey. Fast forward to the email telling me they were expecting - it was time to make the quilt! Mandy and I chose a Joyful Stars pattern and picked fabrics in soft greys, mints, and blues. Since Mandy didn’t know the gender right away, I made two fabric pulls, and when the boy palette was chosen, it was game on. I used straight-line quilting to keep things classic, and the striped binding really tied everything together. And don’t even get me started on that backing with the little astronaut bears - it’s just the sweetest touch! It makes me so happy to think I was a part of this little family's life!

A selection of modern soft-colored quilting cotton fabrics arranged in a circular pattern, featuring shades of gray, blue, mint, and white, with a mix of solids, dots, and tiny star prints on a marble background.

Unfinished quilt block from the Joyful Stars pattern, Cotton and Joy’s Pattern of the Month, featuring sawtooth star shapes in soft mint, blue, gray, and white fabrics. The block is pinned on a design wall with an iron and crafting supplies visible nearby.

Close-up detail of the Joyful Stars quilt, the Pattern of the Month by Cotton and Joy, showing sawtooth star blocks in soft shades of mint, blue, and gray. The quilt features straight-line quilting and a striped binding.

All-Solids Summer Sherbet Version

Joyful Stars quilt, Cotton and Joy’s Pattern of the Month, displayed against a white wall. The quilt features bright sawtooth star blocks in a variety of pastel colors including orange, pink, blue, green, and yellow, framed by white sashing and finished with a striped binding.

Okay, last but definitely not least is the all-solids version. At first, I wasn’t going to make one, but it just didn’t feel right to skip it. So I went for a bright, summery palette using Bella Solids from Moda, and let me tell you - these fabrics are so soft and rich. I had so much fun choosing these colors, and as the quilt top came together, it was like a little piece of sunshine in the middle of all the craziness in the world. For quilting, I tried something new - a decorative stitch on my machine. I was nervous at first since I can often rely on my trusty straight-line quilting to give me a great result. But the texture this new-to-me stitch brought to the quilt was totally worth it! And of course, I finished it off with a bold stripe binding because I just couldn’t resist that contrast.

A hand holding a bundle of folded modern quilting cotton fabrics in bright pastel shades of blue, mint, green, pink, orange, and yellow, arranged in a gradient.

Unfinished Joyful Stars quilt block, part of Cotton and Joy’s Pattern of the Month, featuring sawtooth star shapes in bright pastel shades of orange, mint, blue, pink, green, and yellow against a white background, placed on a marble surface.

Close-up of the Joyful Stars quilt, Cotton and Joy’s Pattern of the Month, featuring sawtooth star blocks in bright pastel shades of orange, blue, green, pink, and yellow. The quilt has a white background with wavy-line quilting for added texture.

Special Offer from Stitched by Alexis

I’m super excited to share that my friend Alexis from Stitched by Alexis is offering 15% off edge-to-edge quilting for Joyful Stars quilts sent to her by November 15th! She’s done such a beautiful job bringing these quilts to life, and I know yours will be in good hands. Just use code JOYFULSTARS15 when placing your order!

Wrapping It Up

Joyful Stars quilt, Cotton and Joy’s Pattern of the Month, held outdoors on a sunny day. The quilt features sawtooth star blocks in vibrant ombre shades of green, blue, purple, pink, orange, and yellow, set against a white background.

Joyful Stars has definitely brought a lot of... well, joy, to my quilting journey, and I hope it does the same for you. Whether you go scrappy, solids, or somewhere in between, this pattern is just so fun to make, and I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Happy quilting, and don’t forget to check out all the past Patterns of the Month. See you next month for a new highlight!

Joyful Stars quilt by Cotton and Joy, draped over a wooden dock by a lake. The quilt features sawtooth star blocks in vibrant ombre shades of red, orange, blue, green, and purple, set against a white background, with scenic water and greenery in the background.

Joyful Stars quilt by Cotton and Joy, the Pattern of the Month, displayed near a lakeside in a park. The quilt features sawtooth star blocks in a gradient of warm to cool ombre shades, set against a white background.

Joyful Stars quilt by Cotton and Joy, the Pattern of the Month, displayed on a grassy lakeside with trees and a bridge in the background. The quilt showcases sawtooth star blocks in an array of warm and cool ombre colors, arranged in rows, and set against a white background.