Inspire. Empower. Create.
Did you hear we’re hosting a mystery quilt project for a completely fantastic cause?
We’re partnering with Heather Spence from Heather Spence Designs to bring you a Mystery Quilt for a Cause, benefiting CancerCare.org.
Get the full details here! We can’t wait to see your quilts!
Today’s featured precut is Modern Folkloric by Andover Fabrics!
Coordinating solids are (from top to bottom): Bone, Curry, Iron, Coal and Black, all Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton Solids.
In today’s edition “Meet Missouri Star”, we head to the longarm quilting building to meet Amber and Mari. Ready? Let’s go!
Mari
Mari has been with Missouri Star for two months, but certainly isn’t new to quilting. She has always enjoyed crafts and has put together a few quilts in the past and picks primitive fabrics as her favorite.
As for her sewing, Mari explains, “I have done a lot of sewing. I just like to do quilt projects mostly. I haven’t done any for a while, so seeing all of the pretty fabric and all of the quilts that come in gets the quilting fever going! I have a snowman quilt in the works now that I need to finish. Maybe before winter…..”
Tell us about your family: I have a son and daughter. Brandon is married to Katie and they have three sweet boys. Samantha is getting married in June to Jace. I couldn’t ask for better mates for my kids. Being a grandma is, well, just awesome!! I love them all bunches!
Funny MSQC story: One time I almost sewed my long sleeve in the quilt I was doing. That would have been interesting!
The best about working at MSQC is that we are all connected with each other. Most of us started in the fabric store and then got moved to another department where they needed us or where we needed to be. I personally was thankful for that. When I started, I was healing a sprained ankle and was not getting around as well at the fabric store. They were concerned and sensitive enough to move me to the quilting shop where I could get off of my ankle and let it heal….which it has!! I am again thankful for that. We all seem to be concerned about each other, so it is a “family”.
———
Amber
Ten months ago, Amber began working at Missouri Star. During a walk down the street in front of the main quilt shop, she felt the need to ask for an application and the rest was history. Shortly after that she began working in the main shop, then moved to shipping. She now works in the longarm quilting department.
Any special experience in the past that helps with your role at MSQC? I have a lot of customer service experience. I have worked in management for three different companies. I attended Northwest Missouri State University where my major was art education. My grandparents owned a shop in Chillicothe where they sold and repaired sewing machines. I am very skilled at off-loom bead weaving and hand sewing.
Do you sew? I’ve made several Halloween costumes. I’ve made purses and wallets. I’m working on a wall hanging and a table runner right now and love batik fabrics.
Tell us about your family: I have two sons, my oldest is 8, youngest 2. My 8 year old has autism. I’m able to better take care of their needs because of my job at MSQC. I just love telling people I’m a Longarm quilter!
Any MSQC stories you can share? I was working in the shipping department during the 2013 holiday season. I am a single mom and I have been working very hard to provide for my two sons. I was working away when I was approached by someone from customer service. She handed me gift cards and told me they were from their department. They wanted me to have a merry Christmas. They had all pitched in. I was moved to tears. I was able to buy a Christmas tree for the first time since becoming a single mom. It was a wonderful Christmas. I felt very blessed.
Best thing about working for MSQC: The days at MSQC go very fast. We have so much fun it doesn’t feel like work. Everyone is so caring and hard working. We have great customers, too. It’s so thrilling to see how excited they are to get a tour of the company.
——
Aren’t these two great? We’re so blessed to have them in the MSQC family. We’ll profile more of the longarm quilters soon. And join us next Monday as we visit some busy elves in the shipping department!
Visiting Hamilton, Missouri and Missouri Star Quilt Company any time soon? Then you’ll want to watch for our weekly Hamilton Visitor’s Guide posts here on The Cutting Table blog! We’ll show you options for fabric, dining, fabric, gift stores, fabric, places to keep your significant other occupied and, of course, fabric.
Today, we’re stopping in to visit with Poppy Dockray, who operates Poppy’s Bakery, located just two doors from the main MSQC shop. Store hours are Monday- Saturday, 6:30am- 5pm.
The menu at Poppy’s features a fantastic variety!
Lunch options like wraps and this tasty salad…
a selection of milk, juice, sodas, water, tea and coffee…
delicious baked goods like cookies, muffins and (extremely yummy!) cinnamon rolls.
Let’s take a closer look at those chocolate chip cookies. Mmmmm. Quick! Pass me a glass of milk!
Choose from the wraps and soups…
or tempt your sweet tooth with a pie.
Can’t decide? Poppy is always delighted to help you pick or answer ingredient questions. Gluten free bread is available, too!
Once you’ve made your selection, you can choose from comfortable indoor seating or grab a picnic table on the outdoor patio shared with J’s Burger Dive. (We’ll profile J’s soon!)
But be warned… you’re going to want a package of cookies for the road!
Have any of you visited Poppy’s yet? What menu items do you recommend most?
Check back next Thursday when the Visitor’s Guide stops in at Sew Seasonal, our fabric store dedicated to holiday fabrics! If you have a visit to Hamilton planned, be sure to check out the rest of our Visitor’s Guide series!
Ever wonder how the fabric you buy gets loaded onto the shop website? Well, friends, wonder no more!
Meet Katie!
If a bolt of fabric arrives and it’s a print or solid that’s new to the shop, it passes her desk first.
She unwraps and irons each bolt….
Then places it under the lights…
Then snaps a photo!
Katie works hard to be sure the colors are represented accurately on the screen. Gotta help people find just the right red, you know?
I asked Katie how many bolts she can get through in a day. She gave me an answer… care to guess? First person to correctly guess wins bragging rights!