Inspire. Empower. Create.
| There are 100 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy, and I’m starting to think there are just as many ways to stitch up a star quilt! 4-patch stars, wonky stars, wedge stars, rhombus stars—the list goes on and on! |
This week Jenny is working on the easiest star block of all: Night Sky! This pattern is made up of simple half-square triangles, but it’s just as stunning as a whole host of heavenly sparklers! Click HERE to watch the tutorial!
We are known as Quilt Town, USA, but we are so much more than that. When you plan your next visit to Missouri Star, be sure to add some of our other local businesses to your itinerary so your trip to Hamilton will be extra special! Our most recent Local Business Spotlight segment will have you craving a nice cold beverage and adding another stop to your bucket list!
Formally a college professor, Scott Falke now owns a beautiful industrial style micro-brewery located inside of an old brick building. We sat down to talk with Scott on an early Friday afternoon and people were already pouring in to start their weekend with a good brew and good conversation.
As Scott kindly offered up the story of how Levi Garrison & Sons came to be, we learned that he has a deep passion for service and giving back. Before the brewery, Scott was an associate professor of biology at William Jewell and a major in the U.S. Army Reserve. In 2010, Scott was called to active duty in Afghanistan and received a Bronze Star for his service. Serving his country, family, and community is very important to this brew-master. He is definitely the type of person you want to see as you stop in for a drink at your local brewery after a 40-hour work week or if you are just passing through town.
After Afghanistan, Scott realized he needed a change and so he took the plunge into opening a brewery. It was a risk that really paid off! Scott now runs the business with his cousins and nephew. The family owned company has become tremendously successful in it’s almost five year life span. The name, you are probably wondering, was inspired by the family’s history. Scott’s great-grandfather owned a sorghum business in Osceola, Missouri some decades ago named, Levi Garrison & Sons Country Sorghum. After a trademark issue with the brewery’s original name, this little family history made its way into today’s local brewery in Hamilton.
Levi Garrison & Sons is home to several fundraiser events throughout the year including Harry’s Brews & BBQ in which funds are given to the Hamilton Volunteer Fire Department, a Kegs & Eggs Oktoberfest in which proceeds go towards the Caldwell County Foundation Cancer Assistance, and the Cornhole Tournament which helps provide the Hamilton Park Board with the means to support sporting events and field updates.
When you first walk into the building, you will see friendly faces, comfy furniture, messages of thankfulness on colorful glass windows that lead right into the brew rooms welcoming you to a good beer and cozy atmosphere. If you are hungry, you can even order food from two of our local restaurants, J’s Burger Dive and Hank and Tanks BBQ, which will be delivered to you right in the tap room!
“Oatmeal cream stout hands down is my favorite beer ever! Second amendment is pretty good as well.”
Mikayla Novak,
resident of Hamilton and Mug Club Member
“My favorite brew is Zach’s Wheat… I enjoy the laid back atmosphere… and the other brews that perfectly [represent] Hamilton.”
Kristopher Bruce,
Mayor of Hamilton and Mug Club Member
So next time you are in town, make your way over the brewery for some of the best beer in the Midwest! Be sure to like their Facebook page to keep up with opening hours, events, new brews, or mug club happenings!
1. Efficient Space
When piecing together any project, you’re going to want a wide open space to ease the process of designing, piecing, and cutting. Allow yourself an area designated for a large enough cutting board for the type of projects you normally do. Buy a fabric wall or create your own for even more savvy space in your area.
2. Adequate Lighting
Create an area full of efficient lighting to see your project clearly from beginning to end. For extra help, pick up some lighting that has a magnifier attached to keep your color coordination sharp and reduce any other hard-to-see errors.
3. Nifty Notions
Fill your sewing area with handy tools that are only an arm’s reach away and ready to roll! Here are just a few things you won’t want to find yourself without once you start sewing!
Rulers & Templates of all sorts are great to have, but these three are exceptionally useful!
1) Medium Seam Marker
2) Binding Tool
3) Missouri Star 5″ X 15″ Ruler
4. Storage Solutions
You’re going to need a practical place to store all of the notions you have gathered. Explore our selection of storage essentials to help get you organized! Find a place to store anything from fabric and rulers to pins and needles!
5. A Creative Environment
To start any good project, one needs motivation. Create a space in which you find yourself surrounded in inspiration. Design it to your tastes. Make an area that you feel comfortable in, but also allows for your creativity to grow! Scroll through these patterns to discover a wall hanging you can add your own flare to and finish off a sewing room personalized to your own tastes!
During the 1920s, the Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt pattern took the quilting world by storm! No one could resist those charming little hexagons, but they sure were tricky to put together! Some quilters used English paper piecing; some used y-seams. But no matter the technique, this pattern required yards and yards of time and patience!
This week, Jenny is working on a quick and easy version using our half hexi template.
| A sleek-feathered goose is the very picture of grace as it wings its way across the sky, but watch out! Those beaked beauties have a feisty side, too! |
While jogging past a quiet farm, my neighbor was accosted by an angry goose who chased him down the lane, honking and hissing all the way! (Zeke said he’s never run so fast!) A goose on the move is a force to be reckoned with!
| This week Jenny stitched up a gorgeous Geese in Motion quilt using 2.5 inch strips of precut fabric and a Binding Tool template! |