Category: Behind the Scenes

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”.

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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.

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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!

Welcome to the first installment of “Meet Missouri Star” where we introduce you some pretty awesome people- our staff! In this series, we’ll cover all departments and profile each and every employee. Look for a new post each Monday!

Today we’re off to the new Penney’s Quilt Shop, home to all of the solids and basics fabrics here at Missouri Star. Here, we’ll meet two cheerful ladies who work in the shop, cutting and fulfilling orders for a rainbow of fabrics!

Marissa

Marissa is a cashier in Penney’s Quilts and is also responsible for pulling bolts and cutting internet orders that include solids or basics. She covers a lot of ground in a day, locating all of those bolts for cutting!

Do you sew? If so, what sort of projects do you make?  My grandmother-in-law recently gave me a sewing machine so I can start learning. My first project is going to be a table runner.

Favorite type of fabric: Modern, baby and also the Stonehenge line of fabric from Northcott. (pictured below)

Best thing about working for MSQC: The best thing about working for Missouri Star is I don’t dread getting up in the morning. Instead, I look forward to learning something new and meeting new people everyday. The work I do is definitely hard, but I really don’t mind because I’m surrounded by laughter and a love for art from people all over the country and the people I work with are amazing. It’s a fun, positive environment to work in. I’m glad to be a part of such a wonderful company.

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Sarah Sue

Sarah Sue picks and cuts fabrics for internet and shop orders and she is a machine quilt operator, too! Her time with MSQC started a year and a  half ago and she credits her family for the job training! She says, “Having a big family helped me become a sociable person and taught me how to work hard, both of these factors are key in working in MSQC.” Her favorite type of fabric is anything BRIGHT, but she’s especially drawn to Moda Bella Solids in any shade of blue. 

For more detail, let’s hear from Sarah herself:

Do you sew? “I do sew and really got into it after I started working with fabric and seeing all the different things I could make. I began with a baby blanket from a charm pack and then moved on to making queen and king sized quilts for family members. My second favorite creation was a personalized two person quilt for my parents’ bed. On one side of the quilt is old cars and route 66 signs for my dad, and the other side is tulips for my mom (tulips are her favorite flower). But my ultimate favorite was a quilt my sisters and I made for my dad’s birthday. It is a replica of the American Flag. It’s queen size wide but longer to be as close to the actual flag as possible. We even took the time to appliqué 50 stars for each state. And then I quilted it with bald eagles, which for my family is an American symbol of freedom, and rising through adversity.”

Favorite work story? “After I quilted and bound my dad’s flag quilt it got to hang in the shop for a while, right behind me on the wall while I worked the quilting machine. Because I saw it basically all day, I would hum or whistle patriotic songs to myself while working. I had a veteran compliment me and tell me how grateful they were that I respected what our country stands for and that I wasn’t afraid of showing that in public 🙂 It still makes me smile that I was able to bring such joy to someone who in turn made me happy!”

Best thing about working for MSQC: “The people! My employers are AMAZING! I love them to death and I look forward to work every day! My co-workers are also AMAZING and–even after a 9 month long break for school–we crack jokes and have so much fun together like nothing has changed! Best of all, though, are the people I get to serve everyday. People whose online orders I fill, people who come into the store, people I never would have met or heard their stories if I didn’t work at MSQC and participate in the wonderful, wide, and versatile world of quilting!”

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Next Monday, we’ll head over to the long arm quilting building to profile a few of the wonderful quilters there!