Behind the Scenes | Missouri Star Blog

February 28, 2019February 28, 2019

Meet Missouri Star

Here at Missouri Star, we employ approximately four hundred people and to celebrate National Employee Appreciation Day, we would like to give a shout out to everyone who allows us the opportunity to make use of their talents, skills, and hard work ethic! Each employee is an important piece to our company’s success and we are blessed to have them as a part of our Missouri Star family. Today, we would like to give credit to a few of those who mostly work “behind-the-scenes” and deserve some front-page attention!

MEET JESSICA

Jessica started with us in August of 2018 as a skilled pattern writer, even writing up some of our very own Missouri Star Quilt Co. patterns!
“I love digging in and figuring out the math to make the yardage and cutting calculations… I love bouncing between writing and illustrating the pattern to figure out how to best explain to our customers how a quilt is made.” Jessica happily informs us of her love for pattern writing.
Jessica is a huge quilt making fanatic. At the top of her list of favorite fabrics are modern prints! Her current favorite designers include Alison Glass, Tula Pink, and Anna Maria Horner.

Thank you Jessica for providing us the tools we need to finish our treasured projects!

MEET ALEX

Alex is one of our super talented graphic designers and has been with us for almost a year. When asked what her favorite part about working here is, she replied, “the creative culture.” (Aww, we just love that! Thanks, Alex!)

Currently, Alex doesn’t quilt, but she is looking forward to getting started after being inspired by the bold, bright colors and unique patterns that come from the process of making batik fabrics.

Thank you Alex for bringing your talented designs to Missouri Star!

MEET TJ

When you come stay for a retreat with us, TJ (Trisa) is one of the reasons you’ll want to come back again and again! Not only does she have a great sense of humor, but she keeps the retreat center nice, tidy and clean so all of our visitors have a wonderful, stress-free environment to stay in. On top of caring for our retreaters, she keeps up with all the shops’ cleaning needs as well.

TJ is our head of housekeeping here at Missouri Star and has been with us for almost five years! We enjoy having her crafty skills present for all of us to enjoy. She loves to quilt using 1800’s reproductions and more traditional styles of fabric for her projects, but that’s not all she can do!

TJ is well-known for her baking skills,
including this awesome princess castle cake
she made for her granddaughter!
We could not do what we do without you, TJ!

MEET KARYN

Karyn has been with us for a little over a year as a shop associate. Moving from store to store and gaining insight on the variety of fabrics here has turned Karyn into one knowledgeable and resourceful shop team member!

Moda’s batik collections are Karyn’s favorite fabrics! She describes them as “simple and easy to sew with!” Karyn is now stationed in Primitive & Wool and looks forward to introducing you to your new favorite fabric!

Thank you Karyn for bringing your bright smile to Quilt Town, USA.

MEET TIM & JOE

Joe has been a right hand man around here for two and a half years and Tim joined the team a little over a year ago.

This dynamic duo is a very important piece of our functioning processes here at Missouri Star. These two are our “Warehouse Runners.” Each day, they make several runs from the warehouse to our shops and in-town workplaces to make sure we have product in stock and the supplies we need to provide the best experience possible for our visitors.

Tim and Joe do not quilt, but are both excellent craftsmen. Joe enjoys carpentry and welding while Tim is skilled in drawing cartoons and wood carving. This “Sasquatch” mask is one of Tim’s favorite pieces he has done so far. Isn’t that neat?!

Thank you Joe and Tim for all your hard work, we are thrilled to have you in our workplace of makers!

Our work family has grown tremendously over the last few years and we couldn’t be happier to employ such wonderful people! A BIG thank you to all Missouri Star employees for all your hard work and to our customers for making our jobs so much fun!

May 16, 2017February 18, 2020

Your Guide to MSQC Machine Quilting Services!

Have you ever tried Missouri Star Quilt Company’s Longarm Machine Quilting Services? Here are some of the questions we get the most! If you have any other questions, make sure to add them to the comments!

Machine Quilting Services

How do I prepare my quilt for shipping? We recommend that you place your quilt top into a plastic bag before you ship it to us, so it is protected on the way. We also suggest that you insure the package when you ship it just to further protect your quilt. Also, do not forget to include your order number and phone number!

How much extra backing do I need to send? We need 4 inches on each side to be able to sandwich the layers and secure them onto the longarm quilting machine. So, for example, if your quilt measures 50×50 then your backing needs to be 58X58.

What do I need to enclose with my quilt? Please include your order number and phone number in case we need to contact you. If possible, you can just print out the confirmation email and include that with your shipment. As long as we have your order number and your phone number, that will work just fine!

Can I choose two different threads? For quality assurance, we always use the same color on the top of the quilt as we do in the bobbin. Using two different colors can sometimes cause tension issues and there is no way to guarantee that only one of the colors will show on each side of the quilt.

Do you have invisible thread? We do not offer invisible thread. We use high quality Glide thread. If you don’t want to see the thread, we will try our best to blend the thread color as much as we can to make it appear invisible!

I have a block/border that I do not want to be quilted. Can you cut it out? Cutting out blocks and borders falls into the custom quilting category and we are not able to offer custom quilting. We offer edge to edge quilting services only, so the same pattern will be used from top to bottom, left to right.

Can I send in my own batting? Yes, you can send in your own batting. We do offer batting, which is included in the price for quilting services, so the price will be the same whether you provide the batting or we do. If you do decide to send your own batting, make sure it is larger than than your quilt top to make sure we have plenty for your quilt sandwich.

I have multiple quilts on my order. Do I need to do anything special when I ship them? It is perfectly fine to order more than one quilt at once, but we would love it if you would attach a piece of paper to each quilt top indicating the stitch pattern and size of each quilt top, so we can ensure we use the correct instructions for each quilt. Please also put the top and backing of each separate quilt in its own bag or tie them with a ribbon, so that we don’t accidentally mix up backings and tops.

Is the return shipping included in the price? Yes, the standard shipping rates apply. If your order is under $100, a return shipping cost of $5 will be included in your order. If your order is over $100, the return shipping is free. We always ensure the packages to their final destination and a signature will be required.

What is the turnaround time? Our current turnaround time is an estimated 6-8 weeks. If you have a special deadline, please plan accordingly or give us a call/email to see what the current turn around time is. Please allow an extra week or two for binding. There is also a special deadline for quilts that need to be delivered by Christmas. That cut off date will be specified in early Fall each year.

I have a label. Will you attach it for me if I send it? We currently do not offer the service of attaching labels, but are considering it for the future. We recommend that you attach the label before sending it to us.

I want to add prairie points to my quilt. Do I need to do that before it is quilted? If prairie points are attached prior to quilting, they will be stitched down using our edge to edge quilting method. We cannot quilt around them. That also applies to open/pocketed flying geese, flanged borders, ricrac or anything else that is not completely attached to the quilt top.

I want a different thread color than the choices you have listed. Is that an option? Yes, we have a rainbow of thread choices available. So if you choose blue or green, we pull many colors, lay them out on the quilt tops, see what blends best and narrow the choice from there. Unless it is specified that you want your thread to stand out, we will generally try to blend the thread colors to make them the least noticeable as possible. If you have a more specific request, please include that in the comments section with your order.

I see there is a comment section when ordering my quilt. What type of comments should I include? Your phone number is always a great thing to include in the comment section. From time to time we may need to contact you with questions about your quilt and it is usually quicker and easier to do that by phone. Also, please include anything you would like us to know about your quilt, such as deadlines you are trying to meet or any personal significance that might help our machine quilters provide you with the best experience possible. We cannot promise that all deadlines will be met, but we do our best each time. If your deadline requests cannot be accomplished, we will contact you. There is no such thing as too much information!

If I elect for Missouri Star’s Binding Fairies to bind my quilt, do I need to send the fabric already pieced together in a long continuous strip? It is completely up to you. Our binding fairies use 2.5-inch binding so if you piece and iron your binding at home please use 2.5-inch strips. If you want us to make your binding for you that is fine please just include enough fabric for us to cut 2.5-inch strips.

March 2, 2017April 27, 2017

From Jenny’s Studio: The Word of the Year

Jenny is always working on something! Get a sneak peak here!

I don’t know about you, but I love looking into the minds of creative people. Every creative person has their own unique thought process to bring about a finished work of art! Have you ever wondered how Jenny thinks up so many wonderful tutorials for you? Well, we hope to be able to give you a glimpse into Jenny’s creative process through this new series, “From Jenny’s Studio”. Stay tuned, and follow along with Jenny’s journey. #jennysews

A new year is a new opportunity to reflect. Many people choose one or several New Year’s Resolutions, but this year for the first time, Jenny decided to pick a word of the year to use as a focus in her life. After some thought and personal reflection, she chose the word ‘BALANCE’ with the hope of spending more time outside, doing more of the things she loves to do, and making time in her schedule to focus on her own personal wellness.

So what does a quilter do with her selected word of the year? She makes a quilted wall hanging, of course! It came from a different project that Jenny had started, but she didn’t love how it turned out. Here’s what she said, “This whole thing is so symbolic to me. The fabric I used is part of an old quilt that I started and never could get it the way I wanted. So it has a new start and life in this project. The colors remind me of the earth sky and the water… these are things I love that I haven’t been taking enough time for.”

She asked her daughter Natalie to print off the letters and then she traced them on to Heat And Bond and fused them onto quilt blocks. Then she cut them out and blanket stitched them on to the background, then straight line quilted the whole thing on her sewing machine.

Jenny created this project to hang in her studio to remind herself to strive for balance in all of the things that make her happy and healthy.

Have you chosen a word to live by this year? We would love to hear of all the things you are working on in your life in the comments!

May 26, 2016May 26, 2016

The Story of Us on Turning Point

It’s hard to believe that our story started back in 2008 (nearly 8 years ago). We’ve grown as people, as quilters, as a community and as a company in so many ways since then. It’s been an amazing journey and we are so lucky to have you all by our side through it all.

A few months ago we were lucky enough to have the BYU TV film crew come to the small town of Hamilton, MO to film a Turning Point feature on Missouri Star Quilt Co. and the full story of how we came to be. We hope you enjoy watching the feature below and feel a bit more like family after doing so.

* Click the expand button in the bottom right hand corner of the video to make it bigger.

July 31, 2014

A Day in the Life of a Fabric Order

Ever wondered what happens after you click “submit” on a Missouri Star Quilt Company fabric order? Here’s a behind the scenes look at the process! It’s a day in the life of a fabric order! Because we are an online AND brick and mortar shop, it’s a little different than a warehouse with everything under one roof. Ready to see the process?

——

Meet Stephen. He’s shopping at missouriquiltco.com and places an order for the Daily Deal. On this day, it’s a charm pack of the Frost fabric line. A steal of a price, too! While he’s at it, he adds a yard of Kona Solids fabric in Snow. Gotta build that stash!

His order is fulfilled from two separate places here at Missouri Star. All precuts (and notions, books, etc) are stored in the warehouse and are picked there. The yardage, though, comes from one of our four fabric shops. In this case, his Kona Snow comes from Penney’s Quilt Shop, where our solids are sold.

At the solids shop, bolts to be cut for orders are picked and stacked at a cutting counter. (Say, “Hi, Cindy!”) The cutting counter crew cuts these orders AND takes care of orders for people who are shopping in store. As you can imagine, it’s a busy place!

Then the order is cut…..

….and labeled with a sticker that has a barcode.

It’s then scanned and placed in a numbered bin. When the tag is scanned, the system tracks the numbered bin all the way to the warehouse.

The bins travel to the warehouse in a horse drawn carriage (with the high school marching band playing in the background, of course). Or something like that.

At the warehouse, the shipping department takes over! The pickers pull orders in batches. Each batch fills a cart of 15 orders at a time. Pickers wear iPads that help them know where to go in the warehouse to find each item in the order.

The screen even displays how many of each item to put in the bins. This particular cart has orders that all include the Daily Deal, so what you see here is the number of Frost charm packs to put in each bin (or order). Stephen’s charm pack is in one of these!

The picker finds the charm pack location…

…and tosses them into each bin for the orders on the cart.

Then it’s off to the shipping stations where Stephen’s order is wrapped and labeled for shipping.

The jolly postman comes for pick up and the order is whisked away, off to Stephen’s house!

——

We hope this peek behind the scenes helps you to know what’s happening with your order. As you can see, some orders come from one spot (for example, if you order all precuts, they are all at the warehouse) while other orders come from multiple places (where it gets really fun). Let’s make a pretend fabric order for that: Say you ordered a precut (from the warehouse), a yard of Christmas fabric (which is cut at Sew Seasonal), some Civil War yardage (which is cut at the Mercantile), a yard of the latest Bonnie and Camille fabric (which is cut in the main shop) and a few yards of coordinating solids (which are cut Penney’s Quilt Shop). The five pieces of your order will come from five different spots, all meeting up at the warehouse with matching barcodes. It’s pretty cool, actually!

We’re settling in at the new warehouse , getting used to our new system of picking orders and are working SO hard to get back to same day shipping. You can bet there will be a giant celebration as soon as that day gets here! We’re deeply grateful for the patience and support of our incredible customers. YOU ROCK!