If you’re interested in quilts and their history, you won’t want to miss this event! Tammy Reid, Head Coach of the Head Coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, is a passionate quilt collector and in her talk “Every Quilt Has a Story”, she is sharing stories of the quilts she has collected over the years.
An Irish Chain Quilt in Tammy’s collection.
In this fun, interactive talk, the three panelists, Tammy Reid, Dakota Redford (the Director of the Missouri Quilt Museum, housed here in Hamilton), and Christine Pembrook (a quilt historian who has studied for 30 years on how to determine the age of quilts) come together to talk about symbolism in quilts, share history of Tammy’s collection, and more! Refreshments will be served as well – it’ll be a great time!
If you’re local or planning a visit to see Tammy’s quilts at the museum or see her talk, visit HERE for public and private tour schedules and ticket information.
Another quilt in Tammy’s collection. Fantasy Quilt – Noah’s Arc.
Tammy’s “Every Quilt has a Story” talk will take place on Wednesday, October 27th, at 12:30pm to 2:30pm at Kelly’s Westport Inn in Kansas City, Missouri.
Tickets to this event are available now and will NOT be available at the door. Kelly’s will be closed to the public during the event so be sure to purchase your tickets HERE today or before 5pm on Monday, October 25th.
Tammy is doing this event in partnership with the Westport Historical Society and the Harris-Kearney House to raise money for education to keep the history of Westport alive. Money for the house is raised through donations and tours. To learn more about the Westport Historical Society, visit and set up a tour, make a donation, or become a volunteer, click HERE.
Come Together and celebrate our 13th Annual Birthday Bash online and in Hamilton, Missouri on September 23rd – 25th, 2021! We’ve got SEW much fun planned to celebrate Missouri Star Quilt Co and we hope you have a chance to join us for the festivities. No matter where you are, we’ve got something special planned for you! Enjoy exclusive content from the comfort of your home with extra tutorials and classes or attend in person for educational demonstrations from our fabulous sponsors and in-person events from the Doan Girls – Check out our full calendar of events below!
Want to know more about Birthday Bash or sign up for an in-person event? Follow the link here. To find out what we’re doing to keep you safe, read our message here.
Wednesday September 22nd, 2021
4:00 PM – 8:00 PM: Pick up your Birthday Bash Swag (Theater)
5:30 PM – 8:00 PM: Dinner with the Doans (Tickets Required)
Thursday September 23rd, 2021
All Day Event: Project Linus: Come Together and Serve (Sign up for a time)
All Day Event: Charity Event (Retreat Center)
All Day Event: Demos Available throughout the Shops
8:30 AM: Introduction and Welcome (Patio)
9:00 AM: Shops Open & Swag Pickup Available
9:00 AM – 11:00 AM: Live Demo with Creative Grid (Education Classroom #1)
9:00 AM – 11:00 AM: Live Demo with Teresa Coates from Shannon Fabrics – Infinity Scarf | Luxe & Embrace (The Hangout)
9:00 AM – 11:00 AM: Live Demo with Amanda Niederhauser from Riley Blake Designs – How to use Riley Blake Basics (Tent #1 in the Park)
9:00 AM – 11:00 AM: Live Demo with Toni Steere from Timeless Treasure – One Block Wonder using Panels (Tent #2 in the Park)
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Ann Hazelwood’s Door County Quilt Series Book Signing (Penneys)
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Live Demo withLorie Valle from June Tailor (Education Classroom #2)
10:00 AM: Cake Walk #1
11:00 AM – 1:00 PM: Live Demo with Gypsy Gripper (Education Classroom #1)
12:00 PM – 2:00 PM: Pre-paid Lunch Pickup (The Hangout)
12:00 PM – 3:00 PM: Live Demo from Karen Miller from Aurifil – Thread, Needles & Gloves (Education Classroom #2)
12:00 PM – 4:00 PM: Live Demo with Teresa Coates from Shannon Fabrics – Throw | Print or Luxe Cuddle (The Hangout)
12:30 PM: Cake Walk #2
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM: Live Demo with Gypsy Gripper (Education Classroom #1)
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM: Live Demo with Amanda Niederhauser from Riley Blake Designs – How to use Riley Blake Basics (Tent #1 in the Park)
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM: Live Demo with Toni Steere from Timeless Treasure – One Block Wonder using Panels (Tent #2 in the Park)
1:00 PM – 4:00 PM: Ann Hazelwood’s Door County Quilt Series Book Signing (Penneys)
2:00 PM: Triva: How Well Do You Know the 60s? (Patio)
4:00 PM: Come Together Event (Patio)
5:30 PM – 7:00 PM: Town of Hamilton Ice Cream Social
7:00 PM: Quilt Auction for Charity (Theater)
Friday September 24th, 2021
All Day Event: Project Linus: Come Together and Serve (Sign up for a time)
All Day Event: Demos Available throughout the Shops
9:00 AM: Shops Open
9:00 AM – 11:00 AM: Live Demo with Checker/ Creative Grid (Education Classroom #1)
9:00 AM – 11:00 AM: Live Demo with Toni Steere from Timeless Treasure – One Block Wonder using Panels (The Hangout)
9:00 AM – 11:00 AM: Live Demo with Teresa Coates from Shannon Fabrics – Infinity Scarf | Luxe & Embrace (Tent #1 in the Park)
9:00 AM – 11:00 AM: Live Demo with Lorie Valle from June Tailor (Education Classroom #2)
10:00 AM: Cake Walk #1
11:00 AM: Trunk Show with Crystal Manning (Tent #1 in the Park)
11:00 AM – 1:00 PM: Live Demo with Checker/ Creative Grid (Education Classroom #1)
11:00 AM – 1:00 PM: Live Demo from Karen Miller from Aurifil – Thread, Needles & Gloves (Education Classroom #2)
12:00 PM: Cake Walk #2
12:00 PM – 2:00 PM: Pre-paid Lunch Pickup (The Hangout)
1:30 PM: Sew-lebrity Sew-Off (Theater)
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM: Live Demo with Checker/ Creative Grid (Education Classroom #1)
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM: Live Demo with Toni Steere from Timeless Treasure – One Block Wonder using Panels (The Hangout)
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM: Live Demo from Karen Miller from Aurifil – Thread, Needles & Gloves (Education Classroom #2)
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM: Live Demo with Teresa Coates from Shannon Fabrics – Throw | Print or Luxe Cuddle (Tent #1 in the Park)
4:30 PM: Cake Walk #3
Saturday September 25th, 2021
All Day Event: Project Linus: Come Together and Serve (Sign up for a time)
All Day Event: JC Penney Carnival Games for JC Penney Day
Chuck the Duck, Jenny, and the Missouri Star Team officially reopen the town!
After 411 long days of the shops being closed, on May 3rd we welcomed you back to Quilt Town, USA! We couldn’t be happier, we’ve missed seeing all of your bright faces in person.
It’s been so fun to see the town bustling again!
Since the shops have been closed, we have been busy beautifying the town and making things fresh and exciting for our reopening!
Penney’s Quilt Shop receiving a fresh, new look!
We’ve added a few new stores in town, such as Nancy’s Notions and One Big Happy Yarn Co., to add even more fun and variety to your shopping experience! In Nancy’s, you can find apparel fabric, notions and patterns, and more. And One Big Happy is your one stop shop for all your knitting and crochet needs. So many ways to add color to your life!
A beautiful May day in Hamilton, Missouri.
Have you visited us in Hamilton? Do you have any plans for a trip to Quilt Town USA?
Missouri Star Quilt Company Main Shop.
If you aren’t yet able to make a trip to Missouri to see us, you can still take home a piece of Quilt Town, USA Missouri Star with MSQC branded memorabilia HERE!
My hope is by the time I’ve written this letter to you and BLOCK arrives at your home, that life will have returned to normal. My hope is the sun will be shining outside your window… you’ll be free to gather with friends and family… you’ll feel comfortable greeting neighbors and walking the dog again, and a trip to the beach might be just around the corner. It’s hard to imagine after weeks of being separated from loved ones and anxiously watching the television, but I have great hope that we’ll make it through…many of us have been spending extended periods of time at home. I am trying my best to view this as an opportunity instead of an inconvenience.
I recently read a quote by one of my favorite people, Fred Rogers, that made me pause. He said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” It has shifted my mindset and caused me to be proactive. Each day I ask myself, What small thing can I do to help?…
Quilters never cease to amaze me. You make a difference with every stitch and it’s never been more apparent to me than at this very moment. You’re sewing masks by the thousands, you’re making surgical caps for hospital workers, you’re helping friends and neighbors, and you’re a positive influence in your community. Thank you sincerely for everything you do. I feel privileged to be a part of this remarkable global community of quilters. We really can change the world one stitch at a time.
Love, Jenny
Like Jenny (and Mr. Rogers), I believe many of us makers feel grateful to be part of a community that creates – not only quilts, but comfort, inspiration, and kindness. (After all, we are the piece-makers ✌️)
Fun fact: Back in 1889, the women of Caldwell County (now home of Missouri Star) came together to create a “census” quilt. For an entire year, wives, mothers, and children throughout the county helped one another to hand-stitch the names of over 1,000 residents to create a gorgeous hand-sewn quilt that celebrated their entire community.
130 years later, the antique quilt remains a representation of the connections made among a community of quilter’s helping one another to create a beautiful, inclusive piece of art. It hangs inside our Caldwell Country Historical Society, seven miles from Missouri Star Quilt Co.
Much like those whose names were stitched onto that quilt from long ago, when you subscribe to BLOCK Magazine, you subscribe to become a part of a community of makers whose stories become stitched into our hearts! BLOCK Magazine’s upcoming summer issue contains our own stories and the stories of our readers, together building a community of creatives inspired by one another.
This five part sew-along walks you through every step until together – we’ve created a ravishing masterpiece! (Subscribe now so you won’t miss out!)
BONUS Table Runner Patterns
Enjoy three BONUS table runner projects, great for a quick refresh to your dining table!
Travel Pocket Project
This handy, little organizer is great for traveling with kids and other simple storage solutions.
Jenny’s Journal
Get an exclusive look into Jenny’s studio as she shares with you her latest projects. There’s always something unique and inspiring!
… and seriously, SEW MUCH MORE:
• Stories from Jenny, Missouri Star, and our readers! (Subscribers are invited to submit their own story and some are even published in BLOCK! Jenny loves to hear from our readers!)
• 10+ quilt patterns (including two hexi patterns by Daisy & Grace!)
• When you subscribe, you’ll get instant access to April’s digital issue so you can start enjoying BLOCK right away! (That means you’ll get seven issues for the price of six!)
• NO ads and your subscription ships free!
Take a look behind the scenes!
Photographer and photo stylist, Lauren Dorton, smiles for the camera as she prepares this gorgeous River Path Quilt for it’s debut in the next issue.
Lead photographer, Mike Brunner, snaps a few shots of Jenny as she poses during a photo shoot for BLOCK Magazine.
“The most satisfying part of my job is finding a location and props for a scene – one that brings life to the stories we tell in BLOCK. For this shot, we had decided on a crawfish boil, indicative of a southern and celebratory meal. I wasn’t aware what a task this would be until I contacted local grocery stores and made several other calls to no avail.
I had succeeded to photographing a boiling pot of water at best until, luckily, I saw exactly what I needed on social media! A local family posted a photo of their crawfish boil! I immediately contacted them and they gladly accommodated my request, but I had NO IDEA I would be purchasing LIVE crawfish, fresh from the Louisiana bayou! I went to pick them up (thinking they were already cooked) and the ride home had me poking the crawfish back into the pot! I had never prepared them before and was apprehensive but they were absolutely delicious and made for a fabulous photo!
I’m always open to new adventures and experiences which is why I love working on the BLOCK Magazine team. This was definitely one to remember.”
– Jennifer Dowling, photo stylist
“We hope our magazine will inspire you to create beautiful quilts.” – Jenny
As a woman in the modern world, my femininity sometimes craves the more elegant, lady-like ways of the past. I would love to enjoy a Friday night dinner in a nice evening gown or stroll into my local grocery store in a long Victorian dress without being given strange looks.
However, there are things I wouldn’t want to endure from those times like wearing cages to keep my dress looking fluffed and tight corsets that crush my ribs. No, thank you.
So I don’t want to live in the past ALL the time, but when I do, I go to the Missouri Star Mercantile.
Missouri Star’s Mercantile shop is filled with 1800’s reproduction and 1930’s textiles. Reproduction fabrics represent the colors and prints popular during the Civil War and end of the fur trade eras. Our 1930’s fabric recreates the sacks in which flour and potatoes were sold during the Great Depression. These food sacks became decorative with playful images of flowers, sunshine, and polka dots once companies realized that women had started recycling the gunny sacks to use as dresses, undergarments, and towels.
Place these antique designs into the quilts of today and keep history alive.
As you wander the walls of Mercantile, you can expect to find fabric by the yard, precuts, tea towels, and vintage-inspired patterns and panels!
Not only will the fabrics of this shop take you on a time traveling adventure, but the designs and decor will have you considering a home remodel inspired by a vintage farmhouse from the past!
Go to VisitMSQC to start planning your trip to Missouri Star and make your way into our Mercantile shop!
To learn more about local antique quilts check out this blog post on Edie McGinnis, The Keeper of Kansas City Star Quilts.
Do you have a favorite designer of 1800’s or 30’s reproductions fabrics? Let us know in the comments!
