Inspire. Empower. Create.
It’s our birthday month and we’ll quilt if we want to!
Ah, September. The leaves are changing, the kids are back-to-schooling, and the sweaters and hot cocoa are calling! Even though our shops are temporarily closed, like every September we are planning lots of Birthday Bash fun – online! So be sure to save the dates in this month’s quilt planner – September 24 – 25!
Download the September Quilt Planner to prepare for celebratory fun and all the projects that go along with it!
As the year comes to a close, we are filled to the brim with joy here at Missouri Star. Truth be told, we hadn’t done much reflecting on what this year truly meant for us until it was time to sit down and write our annual Year in Review. Once, we got started, it seemed the list of things we did this year would never end!
As we looked back over the past twelve months in amazement, we were so touched by the love from our followers, support of our customers, the selflessness within our quilting community, and the hardworking, kind hearts of each and every one of our team members.
Celebrate the end of 2019 with us as we share some of our favorite things:
A GRAND OPENING!
Back in June, We opened a new Education Center here in Hamilton where we hold classes for quilters of every level! Come to Missouri Star and enjoy a hands-on class with our quilting experts!
VIEW THE IN-TOWN CLASS SCHEDULE >
Can’t make it to town? No worries! We also released several online classes this year!
BIRTHDAY BASH
This year we said a big ALOHA to our 11th year in business with a lovely luau-themed Birthday Bash. It was definitely a party to remember! Over 2,000 quilters came to Hamilton, and it was so much fun. That more than doubles our town’s population! Wow!
For our birthday, we asked for the gift of helping others and you did not disappoint!
THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO CELEBRATED WITH US AND HELPED TO GIVE BACK!
MISSOURI STAR CARES
This year we launched a brand new charity organization called Missouri Star Cares. Quilters are some of the most caring, giving people we know. You’ve inspired us to give back to our hometown, our country, and our planet.
Our first Missouri Stars Cares was a fabric donation drive in which we vowed to donate 1 yard for every 25 yards purchased to Quilts of Valor & Project Linus. Our drive lasted a total of 13 days in November during which time we came close to our goal of 2,500 by reaching 2,149!
And we can’t forget our $10,000 donation to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation wouldn’t have been possible without your support! All through October, we fought breast cancer one stitch at a time by shopping pink!
THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO PARTICIPATED IN HELPING US TO GIVE BACK!
STRIPE TOLD OUR MISSOURI STAR STORY IN A BEAUTIFUL WAY
A CELEBRITY VISIT!
We had the honor of hosting Maureen McCormick, (AKA Marcia Brady)! We laughed, cried, and laughed some more! Let’s just say we had a BUNCH of fun!
WATCH JENNY & MAUREEN TALK QUILTING >
THE APPRENTICESHIP
For the first time ever, a collaboration between Missouri Star Quilt Company and North Central Missouri College resulted in an apprenticeship program. Consisting of 21 of our team members, all completing the registered apprenticeship program through the US Department of Labor, earning certificates and college credit. Read more on the blog >
CONGRATS TO OUR GRADUATES!
CO-FOUNDER & CEO OF MISSOURI STAR WIN ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR
WATCH ALAN DOAN & MIKE MIFSUD’S ACCEPTANCE SPEECH >
TOP THREE TUTORIALS OF 2019
TURNABOUT GRANNY SQUARES | ANTIQUE LACE | RICKRACK
What was your favorite Missouri Star Moment of 2019? Let us know in the comments!
Aloha, quilters! Our 11th Birthday Bash was nothing short of a tropical paradise in our hometown of Hamilton, Missouri. We danced, we ate, and had a hula-va good time celebrating. Read on for a recap of our luau-themed celebration!
Before our party could even begin, we enjoyed a fabulous trunk show by Sue Daley! Her English Paper Piecing designs are a sight to behold, and we’re still oohing and ahhing over the intricate creations.
We kicked off the festivities on Wednesday evening with our annual Dinner with the Doans! Family members and guests were treated to a Hawaiian feast and tropical dancers straight from the “island paradise of Independence, Missouri.”
Our Birthday Bash officially began on Thursday, with our annual employee family photo! This is one of our favorite moments of the entire year, when all of the departments gather downtown to mix, mingle and smile for the camera!
Then, we boogied on over to the patio for the opening ceremony!
There were Cake Walks on the patio…
…and trunk shows from Martingale…
…and our designer friends sharing tips and tricks with everyone in our shops!
This year, our Missouri Star team made Tiki quilts to adorn our shops and downtown! A big thank-you to ColourWerx for their Tiki pattern!
Our Sew-lebrity Sew-Off did not disappoint! This year, Jenny and Sue Daley teamed up to take on the dynamic duo of Barb and Mary from Me & My Sister!
Both teams were stacked with talent from the quilting industry, and created two fantastic quilt tops at the end of the event! Watch the replay from the Live broadcast below!
The first day wrapped with an amazing trunk show my renowned Hawaiian Applique artist, Nancy Lee Chong. Her designs were as breathtaking as an island sunset!
Day 2 featured the Great Missouri Star Fabric Cake Bake Off, where our fabulous friends in the quilting community create cakes out of, you guessed it, fabric, notions, and all things quilting! These creative works were raffled off at the end of the day. Check out our live look-in at the competition HERE.
And of course, more partying on the patio!
Jenny capped off the day with her trunk show, filled with laughs, quilting tips, and inspiration!
Throughout Birthday Bash, the amazing Days for Girls organization and YOU–you wonderful quilters–stitched up more than 1,000 feminine hygiene kits that will be distributed to those in need around the world! Way to go!
With your support of the quilt, fabric cake and Sew-Off raffles, we were able to raise more than $5,000 for the Hamilton Community Food Pantry, which will go a long way in our community. Thank you for your support!
Ready to come party with us in 2020?! Mark your calendars for Sept. 24-26 for our 12th Birthday Bash! You won’t want to miss it!
A big mahalo to all those who made this event so special, including YOU, our amazing Missouri Star family; our fantastic employees, and our amazing Birthday Bash sponsors!
See you in 2020!
Picture this: It’s September 21, 2018. Quilters from across the globe have gathered in Hamilton, Missouri, for the quilting face-off of the century at our 10th Birthday Bash.
All too soon, the final buzzer sounds. Jenny’s quilt is still in pieces. She is out of time!
Fast forward to today. Jenny’s quilt is finally complete, and it’s a real stunner! (Spoiler alert: Snowballed corners come together as teeny bonus pinwheels! You’re gonna love it!)
Happy New Year, dear quilters! This is sure to be a memorable year filled with many exciting moments here at Missouri Star Quilt Co. We are grateful for your loyalty and patience with us as we grow and we think 2018 is going to be the best year yet! But before we jump right into it, let’s take a moment to reflect and look back on some of the highlights from 2017.
Our dear friend, Rob Appell of Man Sewing, designed an innovative cutting tool that took the sewing and quilting world by storm! With a 14mm blade, the Shark Applicutter is the go-to rotary cutter for freestyle piecing and intricate cutting. Learn more about the handy Shark Applicutter HERE.
Missouri Star Academy began as a dream. We imagined quilters gathering together from across the globe in Hamilton, Missouri, to learn directly from professionals in the industry and from each other. In 2017, this dream became a reality for more than 450 students and instructors who traveled to Quilt Town, USA, for a two-day, immersive, creative experience filled with demonstrations, classes, and trunk shows. We are still amazed by the ideas and inspiration shared during Missouri Star Academy. Thanks to everyone who attended! We hope to see you again this year. Be sure to mark your calendars for June 7 and 8 for our second Missouri Star Academy! It’s going to be a lot of fun!
Our very own Jenny Doan hit a milestone birthday in 2017, and we celebrated her “Sweet 60th” together. We are so thankful for her contagious enthusiasm, her kind spirit, and the creativity she shares with us every day!
Missouri Star Quilt Co. celebrated its 9th birthday last year. Can you believe it? Time seems to have passed as quickly as our bobbins go empty! Three days filled with fun, games, food, and inspiration culminated in a party that will be long-remembered here in Hamilton. Reminisce about all of the festivities from the 2017 Bash HERE.
Stay tuned for 2018 Birthday Bash. We’ll be pulling out all the stops for our big 1-0 coming up later this year, and make plans to attend September 20-22nd!
Thanks to quilters like you, our hearts were filled to the brim this year by the overwhelming support you showed when we asked for donations to help those affected by the hurricanes that ravaged our coastal states. You answered the call with more than 9,000 quilts, blankets, and afghans, as well as 4,000 pillowcases! These handmade labors of love were donated to organizations and distributed to those in need.
Jenny and Rob each created 52 amazing quilt tutorials for you last year, for a grand total of 104 new videos! While it would be impossible to pick a favorite, here are some of the best of the best tutorials from 2017:
Stars, Stripes and Diamonds Quilt
You can catch all of Jenny’s tutorials on QuiltingTutorials.com or on our Missouri Star Quilt Co. YouTube channel, and be sure to catch Rob’s tutorials on the Man Sewing YouTube channel. We can’t wait to see the quilts you are creating for 2018! Make sure to share them with us on our Facebook and Instagram using #msqcshowandtell.