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A Visit from Scotland!

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We were so excited about this pair of friends who were shopping in Hamilton today that we wanted to share their story with you!

Meet Margaret Digance from Kingseat, Scotland. She’s a retired School Assistant for special needs kids ages 11-16 years old.

She’s never quilted, though she first “bumped into” quilting 12 years ago. She and her husband were staying in a hotel in Canada and all of the rooms were full because of a quilting convention. (Easy to imagine, right?! Ha!)

According to Margaret, people don’t quilt in Scotland. They knit, crochet and embroider because of all the wool.

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Margaret had never heard of Missouri Star or Jenny until her friend Julie, who lives in Kansas City, brought her up today.  They sent the men to the golf course, too! Can you believe the men thought the ladies would only be here for a few hours?! Haha!

These photos are from the Penney’s Quilt Shop store (which we’ll profile in the next Hamilton Visitor’s Guide post).

Margaret said “it was like sweet shoppe” and she was “gob-smacked” at all of the color. So cool! She says she loves the pale pastels like duck egg (the American equivalent would be “robin’s egg” blue. Ha!) She fell in love with the dresden bag and the modern patterns in the shop.

We LOVED meeting you, Margaret and Julie! Until we see you again, happy stitching!


Sew Glamperous: A MSQC Glamping Retreat

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There is something so exciting and empowering about being around people who are just as passionate about quilting as we are!  Every time we have an MSQC Retreat, we get to be a part of that and it just invigorates us!  Last week, we had such an amazing group of women here for our ‘Sew Glamperous’ Glamping Retreat and we had the best time!  Here’s a little recap.

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First, you may be wondering what ‘glamping’ is… well it’s basically glamorous camping… a style of camping with amenities and, in some cases, resort-style services not usually associated with “traditional” camping (according to google).  So while most people stayed in the retreat center, we had some people bring their ‘glampers’ and they were amazing!  Here are just a couple.

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You can’t have glamping without flamingoes!! :)  Don’t they look right at home??

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This glamper lined her awning with lights that were wrapped in jelly rolls!  They looked so cute at night!!

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This mother and daughter duo (below) is from Paducah, Kentucky, home of the American Quilter’s Society Annual Quilt Show & Contest.  Last year they wore their Missouri Star t-shirts to the quilt show and people kept stopping them, thinking they worked for Missouri Star!  Eventually, so many people stopped them that when people would say how much they loved Jenny and the tutorials, they just started saying, ‘Thank you!’ and went along with it! :) We loved hearing their story and were so glad to have them with us for the week!  It was so great to meet you, Lisa and Laura!

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Mr. Jenny did some extra special construction for this retreat… he built the most adorable glamper photo prop!  Here’s Jenny and Ron having a little fun! :)

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This is Hope from Nebraska (below).  She came across Jenny’s tutorials when she was trying to make a Jelly Roll Race Quilt as her first quilting experience ever.  At the retreat she was doing her first piecing and did such an amazing job!!  Look how perfectly all of her seams match up!  You’re a pro already, Hope!  I think it’s safe to say that you’re officially a quilter! :D  (Hope’s son was with her for the week and was just as quiet and well-behaved as anyone could’ve hoped!)

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Some of the activities included one of Jenny’s amazing trunk shows, a mystery quilt class taught by Jenny, antiquing and lots and lots of sewing!!  They even had some visits from Mr. Jenny (Ron) and Rob Appell from Man Sewing, who was in town filming tutorials.  Our retreaters didn’t seem to mind (see photo below)! ;)

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We had such a great time and can’t wait for our next glamping retreat!! :)

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If you hope to participate in one of our future retreats or events, you can find more info on those here: Missouri Star Quilt Company Events

Jenny Doan and Crafty Gemini Retreats // 2015

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This past couple of weeks, we had a special visitor in Hamilton at MSQC! Vanessa Vargas Wilson, the Crafty Gemini, was here for two back to back Jenny Doan/Crafty Gemini quilting retreats and these gals seriously had a blast!

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There’s always plenty of time for sewing and shopping when you’re here for a retreat, but this one was packed full of some fantastic classes as well! Jenny taught the retreaters how to make various disappearing blocks and then showed them how to turn them into a tablerunner. :)

These gals are sisters who all love to sew and quilt! They came with their own matching t-shirts and even their own catch phrases! It was so fun to meet them!

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Vanessa taught a class on how to make this adorabe ‘Any Which Way’ quilt using paper piecing!

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Jenny even tried this one out because she wanted to improve her paper piecing skills! Those arrows are looking good, Jenny! :)

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Vanessa did something that was so fun! She brought a Polaroid camera and took a special photo with each of the retreaters and signed it for them! What a fun little souvenir to take home! :)

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We hope you had a wonderful time, retreaters!

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RETREATERS ROUND 2

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If you are hoping to visit Missouri Star Quilt Company in Hamilton, Missouri, check out our complete list of events and retreats here: MSQC Retreats & Events

Missouri Star’s 7th Birthday Bash & J.C. Penney Days!

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Missouri Star Quilt Co. hit a big milestone, turning 7 years old as a company this year! It’s all thanks to our fans for helping us make it this far, and that’s why we planned a big celebration for you all! A lot has changed since day one, but family and friends is still at the center of everything we do, and that’s why we were thrilled to see so many of you visit us in Hamilton this past weekend to help celebrate, not to mention all the love and support that we had online from those of you who were unable to attend. Here’s a little recap for you!

Wednesday Night: We kicked off our Birthday Bash with an intimate dinner at Blue Sage with the Doan Family and guests. It was a wonderful night of laughing, storytelling and incredible food! Check out the awesome photo booth that Ron (A.K.A. Mr. Jenny) made us!

Dinner With the Doans

Did we mention laughing? So much laughing!!

Doan Family at Dinner

At the end of the night, there was a slideshow of the first 7 years of MSQC focusing on family and growth. It brought everyone to tears and was such a beautiful end to the night. Here’s a group photo of those in attendance!

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Thursday is when the party really started here in town! We had tons of giveaway contests, including a “Layer Cake” walk, and the Traveling Riley Blake Quilt Show was set up in the patio are as well!

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Meet Sue! She was the big winner at the Quilter’s Cash Grab Machine! (You know those machines where the wind blows the cash up everywhere and you have to grab as much as you can? Yep, we had one!) She can buy a lot of fabric with that! :)

Sue Big QC Winner

All of the MSQC employees got a 7th Birthday T-Shirt to sport throughout the event. Here’s the customer service team showing it off with Josh Doan, Jenny’s son, from the Wholesale team! (Is it really work if you’re having fun?) ;)

As part of our 7th Birthday Bash we had $0.77 Fat Quarters in the local shops! It was a Fat Quarter Frenzy!

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We held a quilt raffle each day of the Bash and all proceeds went to the local Hamilton Chamber of Commerce. Jenny wrapped up in one as we were drawing the winning ticket, even though it was 80 degrees outside!

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Friday evening the Penney Hornets football game was projected on the big screen in the park for all to enjoy! Go Hornets! And look at the beautiful view of the patio all lit up at nighttime! Ah, we love this small town life!

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The Birthday Bash continued into Saturday, and J.C. Penney Days was celebrated in the town as well with tons of fun for the whole family!There were blow ups for the kids, a flea market area for the adults and much more. The kids got to take a swing at our “7” pinata full of Auriful Thread! That’s better than candy, right? At least if you’re a quilter! ;) (We did throw some candy out for the kids as well, so everyone was happy!!)

Saturday Day

This celebration wouldn’t have been what it was without our amazing Local Events Cruise Director, Meg (on the right) and our excellent DJ for the event, BJ Scott (left)! Here they are with Sarah, Jenny’s daughter, after a LONG, tiring, wonderful weekend of fun! :D

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Lastly, Saturday evening a couple of live bands played for J.C. Penney Days, and there was a J.C. Penney Look-alike contest! This little cutie was the only contestant, and won a $100 Gift Card to the J.C. Penney’s Store!

Penney Look Alike

We thank you all for making these past 7 years so wonderful and for celebrating our 7th Birthday with us! Here’s to many more! :D

 

Victoria Findlay Wolfe and Sizzix Retreat Recap – 2015

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We just loved having Victoria Findlay Wolfe here along with Linda Nitzen from Sizzix for our retreat! It was such a blast and such a wonderful learning experience for all. Jenny even sat down with the retreaters and followed along with Victoria’s class she was so enthralled in it!

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Laid out on the floor is Victoria’s Large Melon Double Wedding Ring Quilt, isn’t it stunning? The colors and fabrics are marvelous together giving this scrappy quilt so much character.

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Did you know you could have so much fun with a Sizzix Machine? Check out these fun little guys below… All you have to do is let your imagination run wild and adorable creations will come!

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Linda, the Sizzix Quilting Manager, presented a quilt challenge to the MSQC employees to create a quilt/ quilted item 50×50 or smaller for a chance to win a Big Shot Pro and several dies! Here is our first place winning team!

Sizzix Challenge Winners

It’s a sore subject with the rest of the staff, (we are a very competitive group) but these lucky winners sure were happy and are enjoying their prize and their win was well deserving! They created an Interactive Children’s Playmat! All of the pieces were cut from Sizzix Dies and can be removed and rearranged on the mat for a super fun time! How fun and clever is that? :)

Sizzix Winners Quilt

 

We were so glad to have these amazing ladies here with us in Hamilton and hope they get to come again soon! Have you ever been to a quilting retreat? Find out about all of our upcoming retreats and events HERE.

Kaffe Fassett Glorious Color Retreat and Lecture!

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Kaffe Brandon Jenny

Have we ever mentioned how much we love to have visitors come to Hamilton?? This past weekend was our Kaffe Fassett Glorious Colour Retreat and we just had a blast!!

Kaffe Retreat Group

This is an amazing group of quilters and artists! It was such a treat to have all of them here and to have Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably here to share their wisdom and insight on the wonderful world of glorious color!  The retreaters had the opportunity to do two hands-on workshops as well as attend a wonderful lecture from Kaffe!

The first class was called Mediterranean Hexagons, where they learned how to work with Kaffe’s large print florals to create a beautiful balanced quilt.

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This is Debbie Carlson, who, without realizing, created a quilt design that matched her outfit! Isn’t it gorgeous?? If you look closely, she used all kinds of black and white prints as the points, including one with ampersands on it. So fun!! According to Kaffe, sometimes the print/motif just doesn’t matter :)

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The 2nd class Kaffe taught was Bright Squares, where they created the most beautiful quilts from 2.5″ squares!

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Kaffe worked one on one with the retreaters to help them find a beautiful balance of color and contrast. Wouldn’t you like Kaffe to teach you all about how to use bold, bright colors in a harmonious way??

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At the end of each class, Kaffe would walk around and comment on each person’s work, to give praise, encouragement and valuable feedback. What a wonderful opportunity to have input from Kaffe on your personal work!

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On the last full day of the retreat, Kaffe gave a wonderful lecture on finding inspiration in art, architecture, knits, and how you can find different inspiration all over the world. There were well over 200 people in attendance and it ended with a book signing!

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Tula Pink was even here in attendance to see Kaffe’s lecture!

Kaffe Signing

Thank you to everyone who attended! We would love to hear about your experience in the comments!

If you are interested in an MSQC Retreat or Event, you can find all the information here: Missouri Star Quilt Company Retreats & Events

Kaffe Tula Brandon

Rob Appell’s Man Sewing Surf’s Up Retreat!

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We had so much fun last week because Rob Appell from Man Sewing was here filming tutorials, followed by the first ever Surf’s Up Retreat at Missouri Star Quilt Company! The retreat started with Rob’s Trunk Show, which was so amazing! There is something special about a trunk show. Each one is so unique to that specific quilter and even though we’ve been working with Rob for about a year now, we were reminded of Rob’s good heart and the journey that has led him to where he is today! Thank you, Rob for not only teaching us about quilting, but about overcoming obstacles, gratitude, hard work, and love for family. Your honest, vulnerable storytelling was such a treat and we’re so glad that you’ve decided to be a part of the Missouri Star family.

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Rob rolls up his quilts, so they won’t get fold creases. Isn’t that so smart? Let’s take a look at some of the other quilts Rob shared.

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I always knew I loved his work, but the stories behind them make them even more beautiful! It was so exciting to see them in person… sometimes photos just can’t do a quilt justice. This next one is the Color Strata quilt, featured in Rob’s new Color Strata Book! The tutorial is coming very soon!

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You have to take a step back from this one to fully appreciate it…

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If you’ve never seen Rob’s Endangered Species Quilt series, they are even more incredible in real life! Rob teamed up with Michael Miller Fabrics and their Fairy Frost fabrics to create a series of quilts to raise awareness for endangered species and donates a portion of pattern sales to help support these animals and those who care for them.

 

So amazing! Here’s the whole group! Jenny Doan attended the trunk show and we even put Ron (Mr. Jenny) to work holding up the quilts for Rob! :)

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During the retreat, Rob taught his ever popular 3 Dudes Quilt with a twist and had fun making ‘stained glass’ when it caught the sun! :)

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With Rob’s quilts on the wall, it feels like everyone is working in an art gallery! So beautiful!

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We’re so glad that all of you retreaters could be here and Rob as well! Here’s to the next one! If you’re interested in attending a retreat at Missouri Star Quilt Company, visit Missouri Star Quilt Company Retreats & Events!

Be on the lookout for Rob’s own post about the retreat, coming soon at mansewing.com!

 

New Friday Tutorial: The Andes Quilt Featuring Guest Quilter and Fabric Designer Mary Fons

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Make the Andes Quilt with Jenny Doan and Mary Fons! Free Tutorial!

This quilt features the brand new fabric line created by Mary herself, called Small Wonders for Springs Creative and it is filled with what Mary calls “irresistible small scale prints” perfect for patchwork. If you love a print, you don’t have to worry about cutting your favorite design in half or not seeing the complete print when you cut your fabric to piece together into a quilt! It has a beautifully vintage flare and it’s just so cute!

Jenny and Mary Fons

 

This quilt is a slight variation of the 54-40 or Fight Quilt. Watch in the tutorial how you can flip a few squares and get the original. We can’t wait to see what you make with this pattern! Make sure to share on social media using #andesquilt!

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Here are a few quotes from Mary Fons that we love:

“When life as you know it is torn into a zillion pieces, it just makes sense to tear up fabric into a zillion pieces and then sew it back together again into organized blocks with a nice French-fold binding.” (Source)

“Once the quilt bug bit me, obsession set in.” (Source)

CLICK TO WATCH THE TUTORIAL AND GET ALL THE SUPPLIES YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS BEAUTIFUL QUILT! 

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Slumber Party Quilting Retreat Recap February 2016

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Here in Hamilton, MO, where you can find 12 Missouri Star Quilt Shops, we host at least one themed Quilting Retreat each month! February brought us the “Slumber Party” Retreat.

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Jenny gave one of her famous Trunk Shows that had the audience laughing, crying, Ooo-ing and Aah-ing. Mr. Jenny (Ron) has the strongest arms in the quilting industry, as he serves as Jenny’s quilt holder and assistant in each of her trunk shows! Talk about a loving husband! :)

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This particular retreat is a favorite because those who attend don elastic waists and slippers for the entire weekend (and don’t we all like to be comfy when we’re engrossed in a new quilting project??). Even some of our shop gals and guys dressed in their PJs so that our retreaters could feel comfortable shopping in their favorite PJs. And of course, we quilt.

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We had some organized quilting projects as well as some impromptu little projects, which everyone loved.

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We had a great group from around the states, from New York to California and many states in between! It is so much fun to meet ladies from all over the United States and sometimes the world. Quilting is what stitches us all tighter and no matter where we are from we all speak the same language, “Quilt”.

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If you would like to attend a future retreat, you can find them here: Missouri Star Quilt Company Retreats and Events Page.

Spa Retreat Recap // March 2016

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What’s more relaxing than a day at the spa? Why, getting the spa treatment while quilting of course! We had a wonderful group of women from around the United States as well as a couple from Australia for our Spa Retreat this March. It was one relaxing, fun, quilty time! 🙂
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The ladies worked on two quilts, including the Dresden Sunburst and learned some new techniques.  We demonstrated how to use the Sizzix for some other quilts as well as some small projects.
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Their days were filled with quilting, shopping, massages, spray tans, manicures, pedicures and hand wax dips. It was amazing!
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We even had a fun little contest where the ladies wore a facial into the stores shopping.  They won prizes if they would shop for 30 minutes with their masks on.  People were giving them funny looks in the shops, but most of them stuck it out and got their prize! When in Hamilton…. 😉
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Our two retreaters from Australia, Leonie and Kylie, brought a Missouri Star quilt block with them for Jenny to sign as well as Australian chocolates for everyone. Yummy!
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It was such a wonderful retreat and many lifelong quilty friends were made. If you would like to attend a future retreat, you can find them here: Missouri Star Quilt Company Retreats and Events Page.

Missouri Star Tutorial Reboot Featuring Guest Blogger Amy Smart

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amy smart tutorial reboot

Hello fellow quilt lovers! My name is Amy Smart. I learned to quilt from my mom when I was growing up, but have been doing it in earnest since the birth of my first baby 17 years ago. I love share my quilting obsession including patterns and tutorials at my site, Diary of a Quilter and recently published a book, Fabulously Fast Quilts.
Jenny Doan MSQC shops

I have been a big fan of Missouri Star Quilt Company and was so excited when they invited me to do an MSQC Tutorial Reboot! Serendipitously, my family had a trip planned to Missouri for Spring Break a few weeks ago and I got to visit Hamilton and the whole Missouri Star Quilt Company extravaganza! You can read more about my adventures in Hamilton in this post, including an amazing grand tour of all the shops by Jenny herself!

Missouri Star Quilt Block

As I looked through the myriad of quilting videos and tutorials from MSQC over the past years, the one I was most excited to make myself was the classic Missouri Star block itself. (Seems appropriate.) I’m a sucker for large quilt blocks, especially stars, and I loved the scale of Jenny’s block. I’m also a big fan of short cuts and quick piecing and I loved Jenny’s method for creating this block quickly using pre-cut 10″ x 10″ squares.

Missouri Star Quilt Block

The large scale of the block lends itself so well to a modern, graphic design. I thought I’d pair a darker, woven solid with some bright, modern prints to change the look a little bit.

Fabric Requirements

I used Peppered Cotton from Studio E in True Taupe as my background (I love the subtle, homespun texture that comes from a woven) paired with a 10″ x 10″ set of precuts from Elizabeth Hartman’s Warm Pacific collection.

Fabric Choices

Each block requires 3 10″ x 10″ squares. So before doing any cutting or piecing, I mixed and matched my 10″ precut squares into 6 sets of contrasting or complementing prints and colors. That way I knew I was getting a nice variety of colors, prints, and combinations.

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From there I assembly-lined cutting and piecing my blocks. One thing that really helped were these custom rulers from MSQC – they come in 2 1/2″ x 8″ and 5″ x 15″ sizes. They are PERFECT for working with precuts – especially cutting those pre-cut 5″ and 10″ squares on the diagonal, without having to get out a bigger ruler. You can follow along by watching Jenny’s tutorial!

Amy Smart Missouri Star Quilt tutorial

I was originally going to make just a wall size quilt using 4 quilt blocks, but I liked the fabric and the block so much, I added two more blocks for a lap-size quilt. (My quilt finished at 52″ x 75″.) I think I would have kept making more blocks if I’d had more fabric on hand!

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I definitely want to make this pattern again – the blocks come together SO quickly – and because the scale of the finished blocks is 23″ x 23″ so you don’t need to make a lot of them. It would be a quick way to make a large bed quilt.

In the meantime, I’m claiming this quilt as my snuggle quilt to carry around to soccer games, picnics, and Sunday afternoon naps. The bold colors make a statement, but the warm, taupe background will hopefully hide some of the evidence of everyday use.

Missouri Star Quilt Company

Here’s one more parting shot of the giant Missouri Star in the MSQC trims shop. Appropriate, don’t you think? Thanks so much for having me Missouri Star! It was a blast to visit in person, and I’m so excited to have my Missouri Star Quilt as a reminder.

Blog: www.diaryofaquilter.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/diaryofaquilter/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diaryofaquilter/

Shannon Cuddle Retreat Recap // May 2016

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When my brother was a baby, he was obsessed with a particular fluffy blanket; he reminded me so much of Linus from Peanuts, the way he would carry it around with him. It was just a little bit of worn-out polyester fluff by the time he was grown, which was proof of how much it was loved.

Turns out, he wasn’t the only baby who loved soft, fluffy things – many quilting mothers and grandmothers can attest to this, along with the wealth of baby blanket patterns out there. One of our favorites is the Self Binding Baby Blanket, especially when made with Shannon Cuddle. It’s just so soft and comfy that even adults want one!

self binding cuddle thumbnailWhile it’s wonderful to whip up one of these fast baby blankets on your own, one of the best ways to do it is along with like-minded people! The Sewing Center became a softer place last week when MSQC played host to the Shannon Company for their first ever Cuddle Retreat. Prior to the retreat Shannon held all days classes for the MSQC employees.  We had thirty employees who came to the center to make strip quilts for the little ones in their lives. As you can see, we have some eager students among our ranks! Just look at those attentive faces!

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Someone who definitely loved the Cuddle workshop was Shelby McCoy, one of the wonderful employees who works in our shops.

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She had a blast working with Cuddle and making a sweet blanket for her little boy. Just look at how excited he is about his new blankie!

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The following day the thirty plus women who came to retreat enjoyed learning about the Cuddle product and it’s use in the quilting world.  Mary Gay Leahy was an excellent teacher that Shannon sent to teach and instruct our attendees. These thirty women made a variety of cuddle quilts which they displayed during Show and Tell at the end of their four day retreat.

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Mary Gay taught “pop up” demonstrations in Penny’s Quilt Shop through her time on campus.  A surprising amount of women chose to try the Cuddle products for the first time and their results were inspiring.

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It was such a fun retreat, with so many wonderful quilters from all over the United States. If you would like to attend an upcoming retreat, be sure to visit Missouri Star Quilt Company Retreats & Events!

New Friday Tutorial: English Paper Piecing- Quatro Colour With Sue Daley

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Learn to make this Quatro Colour using the EPP method to hand stitch.

Jenny is joined by Sue Daley to demonstrate how to make the Quatro Color Quilt with English Paper Piecing using the “Sue Daley Quarto Petal Template” by Sue Daley Designs for Patchwork with Busy Fingers/Sue Daley Designs, a glue pen, a milliners needle, and Quatro Petal Paper.

 

Learn to make this Quatro Colour Quilt using English Paper Piecing, with expert Sue Daley!

This dynamic duo makes English Paper Piecing easy for everyone! Click the button below to watch the full tutorial and to get all of your supplies!

Watch the Latest Tutorial from Missouri Star Quilt Co!

Jenny’s ‘Perfect Finishes’ Tutorial with Darlene Zimmerman

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Here are some great techniques for finishing your quilt!

I like a challenge, but there are a few things that are just beyond my reach. Climbing Mount Everest? Not likely. Winning an Olympic gold medal? Nope. Walking out of my local quilt shop empty handed? Not on your life!  But a scalloped binding? That’s an easy one!

Jenny and her dear friend, Darlene Zimmerman, show off some great finishing techniques!

This week Jenny has Darlene Zimmerman in the studio to show us how to finish a quilt with super-simple waves and scallops. Click HERE to watch!

(Psst! If you enjoy watching tutorials with our Quilting Tutorials app, take note! We’ve recently made a few improvements, so be sure to update it on your device!)

 

Watch the Latest Tutorial from Missouri Star Quilt Co!

Working with Wool – The Itty Bitty Club Pattern with Jenny and Leonie Bateman

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Learn how easy it is to work with wool!

Grab your stapler, glue stick, and sandpaper, friends! We have a project to make!

I know, I know, those aren’t traditional quilting supplies, but we’re working on something extra special today. Leonie Bateman is the queen of wool applique, and she’s here to demonstrate a quick and easy way to transform Riley Blake’s wool precuts into beautiful masterpieces. Her “glue and staple” technique is so simple and fun, you’ll be stitching wool for days! Click HERE to watch the tutorial!

Leonie Bateman and Jenny Doan make is fun and easy to play with wool!

Click the button below to watch the full tutorial and shop Leonie Bateman’s collection!

Watch the Latest Tutorial from Missouri Star Quilt Co!


Birthday Bash 2017 Recap

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There’s no party like a quilting party and our Ninth Birthday Bash was no exception! What better way to celebrate 9 years in business than with fun, games and fabric and a game show theme to keep the show rolling throughout the celebration?

The best way to start a Birthday Bash is with a Dinner with the Doans! The Doans, plus 200 of our quilting family, joined us for dinner, dessert, and of course, a little friendly family competition. This year the Girl Doans squared off against the Boys for an entertaining version of Family Feud. The Boys earned the victory on this night, but we know the Girls will be ready for a rematch! 

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Before birthday festivities officially kicked off, we snapped our traditional all-employee family photo in front of our newest mural in Hamilton. We think the gang looked absolutely electric in the lime green t-shirts!

The gang's all here for our traditional employee photo before the start of Birthday Bash 2017!

The gang’s all here for our traditional employee photo before the start of Birthday Bash 2017!

All three days were bursting at the seams with games and activities for the entire family! Our “Win, Lose or Dance” on the patio was a happening spot, where participants could show off their finest moves for a chance to win some fabric!

Guests from around the globe boogied around the patio for a chance to win fabric prizes!

Guests from around the globe boogied around the patio for a chance to win fabric prizes!

We busted out some Couch to Quilt “suitcases” for our Sew Case Showdown game on Friday morning! It was a huge hit!

Friday night featured our first ever BINGO night hosted by Man Sewing’s Rob Appell! Rob donned his referee uniform and called numbers, up and down, across and “on the bias”

Birthday Bash 2017: Man Sewing Bingo

We know a good quilty party wouldn’t be complete without some trunk shows! Jenny and Man Sewing’s Rob Appell shared their quilting journeys in memorable presentations throughout Birthday Bash.

Jenny Doan displays a quilt during one of her trunk shows at Birthday Bash

Rob Appell shows off one of his quilts during his trunk show at Birthday Bash

Giving back to our community and those in need is very important to us, and this year we hosted a Charity Quilt “Bake Off” with help from the Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild to create 32 full-size quilts! These quilts were designed, pieced, quilted and bound by some amazing volunteers over a two-day period, and will be donated to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri.

Charity Quilt Bake Off at Birthday Bash

Through some of our “ticketed” events, we were able to collect hundreds of paper products and dozens of peanut butter and jelly packages for our local Caldwell County Food Pantry! Money raised during our daily quilt raffles went to support this organization as well.

One of our favorite parts of Birthday Bash is the Sew-lebrity Sew-off, where Jenny and Rob go head-to-head for a 45-minute sewing competition! This year Jenny created a shiny lamé championship belt and cape, while Rob whipped up a batik seascape! With almost an hour of sewing, stories, and entertainment, it’s clear that the true winners of this friendly competition are the audience who watched Jenny and Rob’s sewing skills in action!

Jenny and Rob went head-to-head in the Sew-lebrity Sew-Off!

With our Ninth Birthday Bash in the books, we want to take a moment and express our sincerest thanks to all of those who came together to make this celebration possible. Our amazing guests, those who visited us in Hamilton and online, fantastic employees, and wonderful vendors and sponsors all deserve a round of applause for helping us make our birthday the best one yet!

Birthday Bash 2017

Sewing with Rayon: Tips and Tricks

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Amy Barickman, founder of Indygo Junction has joined us for a Facebook Live Video. Watch the replay below as Amy and Misty chat about tips and tricks for sewing with rayons!

Who is Amy Barickman?

Amy is an entrepreneur in the sewing and crafting world with more than 25 years experience, but her passion for this industry began much earlier than that. Amy grew up immersed in the sewing and crafting business, as her mother owned a creative arts shop in West Des Moines, Iowa. After graduating from the University of Kansas with a degree in art and design, Amy knew she wanted to make craft and art her life’s work and that’s when she decided to start Indygo Junction, a fabric arts publishing company, that showcases the talent of leading sewing and craft designers. Over the years Amy has teamed up with innovative artists to publish over 1,500 pattern titles and write over 80 books. Amy has also released several beautiful fabric collections over the years and shares her passion for vintage fabrics and sewing at AmyBarickman.com. Amy lives just an hour away from Missouri Star and has joined us for several videos over the last few years as a guest on Man Sewing with Rob Appell as well as a tutorial with Jenny featuring denim.

With Amy’s experience in writing and creating apparel patterns, she has many helpful tips to share with us all. That’s why we asked her to join us on today’s Live Video and share her expertise on working with rayon fabrics with us.

What is Rayon Fabric?

Rayon fabric is made from cellulose making it a semisynthetic fiber. This gives it the properties of both natural and synthetic fibers. It is smooth and slippery like nylon, but feels more natural when worn, making it great for clothing in the summer and in warmer climates.

Download Amy’s Tips and Tricks for working with rayons HERE and take a look at some of the gorgeous clothing you can create with rayons below!

Indygo Junction Shift Dress

Isn’t this Indygo Essentials – Shift Dress made using Les Fleurs – Berch Floral Enamel Rayon Yardage darling?

Warm & Cozy Wrap Pattern

We adore Amy’s Warm & Cozy Wrap Pattern in the Longitude Batiks – Navy Medallion Rayon Yardage.

Button Back Shirt Pattern

If you love a comfy shirt with a fun design element, this Button Back Shirt Pattern made in Batik Rayon – Ferns Blue/Green Yardage is for you!

Turn About Tank

We’re feeling summer ready after seeing this Turn About Tank Pattern in the Longitude Batiks – Magenta Medallion Rayon Yardage.

Katelyn's Dress and Tunic

How cute is this tunic made from the Katelyn’s Dress, Tunic and Top Pattern using Longitude Batiks – Teal Floral Rayon Yardage.

We hope with the tips and tricks for sewing with rayon from Amy you’ll feel comfortable giving some of these patterns a try! Be sure to share your creations with us on social media using #msqcshowandtell.

Shop all rayon fabric at Missouri Star HERE.

Shop all of Amy’s apparel patterns HERE.

New Friday Tutorial: The Andes Quilt Featuring Guest Quilter and Fabric Designer Mary Fons

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Make the Andes Quilt with Jenny Doan and Mary Fons! Free Tutorial!

This quilt features the brand new fabric line created by Mary herself, called Small Wonders for Springs Creative and it is filled with what Mary calls “irresistible small scale prints” perfect for patchwork. If you love a print, you don’t have to worry about cutting your favorite design in half or not seeing the complete print when you cut your fabric to piece together into a quilt! It has a beautifully vintage flare and it’s just so cute!

Jenny and Mary Fons

 

This quilt is a slight variation of the 54-40 or Fight Quilt. Watch in the tutorial how you can flip a few squares and get the original. We can’t wait to see what you make with this pattern! Make sure to share on social media using #andesquilt!

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Here are a few quotes from Mary Fons that we love:

“When life as you know it is torn into a zillion pieces, it just makes sense to tear up fabric into a zillion pieces and then sew it back together again into organized blocks with a nice French-fold binding.” (Source)

“Once the quilt bug bit me, obsession set in.” (Source)

CLICK TO WATCH THE TUTORIAL AND GET ALL THE SUPPLIES YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS BEAUTIFUL QUILT! 

shop for supplies tutorial button

Slumber Party Quilting Retreat Recap February 2016

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Here in Hamilton, MO, where you can find 12 Missouri Star Quilt Shops, we host at least one themed Quilting Retreat each month! February brought us the “Slumber Party” Retreat.

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Jenny gave one of her famous Trunk Shows that had the audience laughing, crying, Ooo-ing and Aah-ing. Mr. Jenny (Ron) has the strongest arms in the quilting industry, as he serves as Jenny’s quilt holder and assistant in each of her trunk shows! Talk about a loving husband! 🙂

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This particular retreat is a favorite because those who attend don elastic waists and slippers for the entire weekend (and don’t we all like to be comfy when we’re engrossed in a new quilting project??). Even some of our shop gals and guys dressed in their PJs so that our retreaters could feel comfortable shopping in their favorite PJs. And of course, we quilt.

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We had some organized quilting projects as well as some impromptu little projects, which everyone loved.

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We had a great group from around the states, from New York to California and many states in between! It is so much fun to meet ladies from all over the United States and sometimes the world. Quilting is what stitches us all tighter and no matter where we are from we all speak the same language, “Quilt”.

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If you would like to attend a future retreat, you can find them here: Missouri Star Quilt Company Retreats and Events Page.

Spa Retreat Recap // March 2016

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What’s more relaxing than a day at the spa? Why, getting the spa treatment while quilting of course! We had a wonderful group of women from around the United States as well as a couple from Australia for our Spa Retreat this March. It was one relaxing, fun, quilty time! 🙂
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The ladies worked on two quilts, including the Dresden Sunburst and learned some new techniques.  We demonstrated how to use the Sizzix for some other quilts as well as some small projects.
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Their days were filled with quilting, shopping, massages, spray tans, manicures, pedicures and hand wax dips. It was amazing!
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We even had a fun little contest where the ladies wore a facial into the stores shopping.  They won prizes if they would shop for 30 minutes with their masks on.  People were giving them funny looks in the shops, but most of them stuck it out and got their prize! When in Hamilton…. 😉
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Our two retreaters from Australia, Leonie and Kylie, brought a Missouri Star quilt block with them for Jenny to sign as well as Australian chocolates for everyone. Yummy!
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It was such a wonderful retreat and many lifelong quilty friends were made. If you would like to attend a future retreat, you can find them here: Missouri Star Quilt Company Retreats and Events Page.
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