Tag: missouri star live

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Artist’s Spotlight: Amy Barickman

Meet Amy Barickman, founder of Indygo Junction and author of Vintage Notions: An Inspirational Guide to Needlework, Cooking, Sewing, Fashion & FUN! Through her YouTube videos, blog, website, and e-newsletter, Amy inspires fabric arts enthusiasts to learn from the past and experiment with new products and techniques for creating in vintage made modern style. Now you have the opportunity to learn more about Amy and her work! Join us on Missouri Star LIVE March 8th, 2022 at 11:00 am cst for a special segment with Amy herself – but in the meantime, get to know her little more with this exclusive interview!

What is your favorite part of the quilting process?

I sew more than I quilt,  I love stitching by hand and paper piecing. My favorite part of the creative process is design development and choosing fabrics for a project. With my new Fold and Go Folio pattern I went “all in” on variations in the styling and created both a sewing case and a jewelry case and included two sizes. As far as fabric options, we have created versions in vintage feed sacks, as well as modern Tula Pink prints. This pattern is perfect for upcycling – think neckties and gingham shirts! And preserving treasured fabrics like vintage embroidered linens and quilt blocks.

Who are your favorite fabric designers?

There are sooo many I love. Recently I sourced fabric for the Fold & Go Folio from the following designers- Freespirit: Tula Pink and Kaffe Fassett  ; Art Gallery Fabrics: Bonnie Christine ; Moda: French General ; Riley Blake: J Wecker Frisch.

If you would like to see some of those fabulous fabrics and learn more about all the possibilities for this pattern check out this video I filmed at QuiltCon. 

What notion or sewing tool are you most dependent on?

Seam Ripper. I love to upcycle fabric I find at the thrift shop – jeans, dress shirts (especially gingham), ties, and wool jackets, so a good seam ripper is a necessity. By the way the Fold & Go Folio has a sleeve for a seam ripper.

How were you introduced to sewing and quilting?

My mother was a home ec teacher and a talented seamstress. She has taught me so much over the years and we are working together, still today developing new patterns and products. The early sewing patterns I developed for my original pattern company, Indygo Junction, were for Teddy Bears, inspired by my mom teaching teddy bear making in her retail store in West Des Moines, Iowa. She owned a gift and craft store for much of my childhood and also a quilt shop for several years. My passion for the creative needle arts business is in my genes- thanks mom! 

Here is a fun replay of a Facebook Live event we hosted on Crazy Quilts!

What do you do to find inspiration/encourage your creativity?

I have an extensive collection of vintage magazines, books and patterns focused on fashion, sewing and quilting. I also collect notions and  handmade needle arts from buttons to embroidery and quilts. I reference my collection daily in my quest for developing vintage made modern patterns, books, and fabrics.  My collection of Mary Brooks Picken and Woman’s Institute content dated 1916-1950’s, has been by far the most inspirational in my development of products.  My book Vintage Notions: An Inspirational Guide to Needlework, Cooking, Sewing, Fashion & FUN was inspired by the correspondence school’s lessons and stories.

I created a 12 episode YouTube series sharing the book chapter by chapter. In the series I share many textile treasures from my collection that were featured in the book as well as patterns and many ideas for upcycling fabrics. Click HERE for the Playlist.

What occupation would you like to try if sewing/making wasn’t an option?

A nature photographer. I love finding unique color, pattern and design in nature and capturing those images. I am looking forward to the colors in Spring flowers and my chance to share those images on Instagram. Crocus should be popping up soon in Kansas City!

Who is your favorite fictional character?

Not sure I have one. But I do have a few favorites that are “nonfictional”.

A hobby of mine is researching characters in the history of sewing and quilting. I found that Amelia Earhardt had a connection to the legacy of needle arts. Here are a couple blog posts sharing my discovery and a visit to her childhood home. I was so excited when I learned she carried a sewing box on her long flights.

https://amybarickman.com/2019/10/05/my-discoveries-at-the-amelia-earhart-museum/

https://amybarickman.com/2019/09/03/amelia-earharts-sewing-box/

What fabric have you been hoarding/saving the longest?

Feedsacks!  To justify my hoarding,  I actually created a course on my VintageModernMakers.com site about the history of Feedsacks that includes sewing projects, videos, and a PDF with historical articles and heirloom art to print. See my current courses HERE.

Describe your perfect day.

A morning walk on a nature trail followed by shopping for vintage fabrics and embroidery  at the Glenwood Antique Mall or First Fridays in Kansas City’s West Bottoms. Followed by a meal at one of my favorite restaurants in midtown, Tailleur on Main or sister restaurant, The Russell.

Don’t forget to join us for Missouri Star LIVE on March 8th, 2022 at 11:00 am cst to learn more about Amy (and maybe to win a special giveaway prize from Amy herself)! In the meantime, be sure to follow Amy on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. You can learn more about her and her projects as well on her website and blog.

Can’t get enough? We can’t blame you!

Amy is now offering online DIY courses based on her collection of vintage fabrics and notions at VintageModernMakers.com. Grow your appreciation and knowledge while you create practical projects. Each “Primer” course includes sewing patterns and technique tutorials. Amy shares fascinating history lessons including field trips to museum exhibits.   Be inspired by Amy’s interviews with textile experts as well as artists and makers! You will access both printable PDFs and videos content the user-friendly platform VintageModernMakers.com. Don’t forget to keep up with Amy’s continued journey curating vintage treasures and never miss a new pattern or book by signing up for her newsletter HERE!

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Sew Fast & Fun: Red Heart Fancy Zipper Bag

Valentine’s day is right around the corner and if you’re looking for a treaty for your sweetie (or treat yourself, we won’t judge!) then the Red Heart Fancy Zipper Bag is an easy and quick project that is simply bursting with love! Nothing says love like a handmade project, so treat someone special in your life to a fantastic new bag to show your love!

Supplies Needed:

Two 1/3 Yard Cuts of Contrasting Fabric

One Missouri Star 14″ Fancy Zips

Bosal In-R-Form Double-Sided Fusible Plus

Even if you’ve never worked with Bosal In-R-Form before, have no fear! This project is as easy as they come and creates an adorable free standing back that makes the perfect gift for Valentine’s Day. Cut both of your fabric choices into 12″x21″ rectangles (you may even have enough to make two bags)! Once that is complete, you’ll also need to cut your Bosal In-R-Form into the same 12″x21″ rectangle. Lay the Bosal In-R-Form down first, followed by the first fabric facing up and the second fabric facing down. Add some straight quarter-inch seams on both short sides of this stack and be sure to use some pins to keep everything together and even.

Open on both sides of the fabric and flip right sides out, at this point both fabrics should be facing out with the Bosal In-R-Form in the center. Hold this in place and press to activate the adhesive. Looks at that! You’re almost done! Fold both sides of your fabric sandwich in and add a Missouri Star Fancy Zips to create an open ended box that will take form once you box everything up and work on those corners. Now that you have the basic ideas of this project (we told you it was SEW easy!) check out Misty’s full tutorial complete with instructions to bring this project together in time for Valentine’s Day!

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Sew Fast & Fun: Christmas Tree Skirt

The Christmas Tree Skirt from Missouri Star Quilt Co.

The holidays are here and it’s time to deck the halls and welcome in the festive season! A Christmas Tree Skirt is the perfect holiday project to stitch up on those cold December nights because not only does it make an excellent gift, but it can be kept and displayed almost immediately! Grab your favorite holiday charm packs (or some from your stash that you’ve been looking for a reason to use) and get stitching!

Supplies Needed

2 Packages of 5″ Print Squares (Charm Packs)

3/4 Yard Border Fabric

1 Yard Binding Fabric

3 Yards Backing Fabric

Freezer Paper (Optional)

This project comes together as simple as any quilt you’ve ever seen (that’s the best part, it’s basically a small quilt in itself) and with some careful cutting, wraps delicately around any Christmas Tree. Not only is this project just gorgeous, but its functional and meant to be used with love every single year! Find your holiday style and start creating today!

Needing a little extra inspiration? Check out the replay of Missouri Star LIVE below where Misty demonstrates how simple this festive tree skirt is to create. If you’re needing a little more guidance, be sure to pick up the Christmas Tree Skirt quilt pattern to follow along with easy instructions at home to make you holiday seasons a little extra quilty for years to come!

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Artist Spotlight: The Quilting Marine

Join us LIVE on Tuesday June 1st at 11:00 am cst as The Quilting Marine joins Missouri Star Live as a special guest!
The Quilting Marine

People often find quilting in times of need to help them through difficult situations – that’s how The Quilting Marine first discovered his love for quilting. After serving 20 years in the United States Marine Corps, The Quilting Marine found quilting as his therapy for PTSD related issues. Now, he has a new goal and his YouTube channel says it best, “I taught myself to quilt and would like to help you make quilts that you can admire for years to come.”

What is your favorite part of the quilting process?

My favorite part is piecing the blocks together and giving the quilt away for someone else to enjoy. It’s the building of the quilt for me and is my therapy. I don’t get wrapped around the wheel on everything else. I live behind the mantra of “it’s only fabric” and “it’s only thread”.

Who are your favorite fabric designers?

Robert Kaufman; Michael Miller; Riley Blake; Brother and Sister Design 2009

What notion or sewing tool are you most dependent on?

I depend mainly on my omnigrid rulers, rotary cutters and my machine, the Brother PQ1500sl. And if I had to throw something else in, it would be the Oliso iron.

How were you introduced to sewing and quilting?

I taught myself around the time my grandson was to be born. I wanted to create something for him that was one of a kind.

Join us LIVE on Tuesday June 1st at 11:00 am cst as The Quilting Marine joins Missouri Star Live as a special guest!
The Quilting Marine at work on another project.

What was the most frustrating sewing project you ever worked on?

The one for my grandson was my first quilt and was the most frustrating because I entered a world that I had no idea about. Once I realized that there wasn’t much to create a quilt, that is one of the reasons it attracted me. The repetitiveness of building a quilt keeps me sane. Even though the process is repeated, the result that comes from it is different every time.

What do you do to find inspiration/encourage your creativity?

I find my inspiration from watching other quilters and add or take away from what they have created to make it my own. I love using a lot of color when building my quilts. Colors to me bring out the quilt.

What occupation would you like to try if sewing/making wasn’t an option?

I would love to be a hard hat diver/saturation diver. They get paid handsomely to do what they do and the risk is tremendous.

Who is your favorite fictional character?

The Punisher. He is a normal guy who has no superpowers and takes on the responsibility of fighting crime. I like normal guys who do extraordinary things.

Join us LIVE on Tuesday June 1st at 11:00 am cst as The Quilting Marine joins Missouri Star Live as a special guest!
A beautiful example of The Quilting Marine’s artistic ability and craftsmanship.

What fabric have you been hoarding/saving the longest?

Batiks are my all time favorite and whenever subscribers send me fabric, I will hoard Batiks until I find something that the fabric is perfect for. I don’t normally like flowers, I’m not the flower guy but the 2009 Brother Sister Design Studio Fabric has me hoarding it too. This one is super hard to find now so I hoard it as much as I can.

Describe your perfect day.

A day on the beach in the Caribbean with my wife, a fishing rod with a line in the water and no hook and a cool drink. Sleep, wake, piece a block and repeat. Maybe some eating in there somewhere as well.

Want to know more about The Quilting Marine and his incredible journey into quilting? Join us on Missouri Star LIVE, June 1st, 2021 at 11:00 am CST, as he joins us as a special guest! Until then, be sure to follow him on Instagram and Facebook and don’t forget to subscribe to his YouTube channel to keep up with his journey while learning more about the art of quilting.

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Get to Know Blair Stocker before Missouri Star Live!

Meet Blair Stocker: owner of Wise Craft Handmade, quilter, designer, author, crafter, teacher, and more! Here are a few things about Blair, who will make a special appearance on Missouri Star LIVE Tuesday, February 16. We found out her favorite quilting tool and what her perfect day is – keep reading to learn more about Blair!

What is your favorite part of the quilting process?

I really love every part of the quilting process- the way the hairs on the back of my neck stand up when I get a new design idea, picking fabrics, repetitive piecing (which I like to call my Netflix time), quilting, hand sewing on the binding. Each part has its own positives for me. I guess if I’m forced to pick a favorite part, maybe designing and picking the color palette for a quilt. I worked in apparel design for many years and coming up with seasonal color stories was always my jam, so this part can feel similar.

Who are your favorite fabric designers? 

I love Ruby Star Society, Denyse Schmidt, Alison Glass, so many others too. Any sort of colorful fabric line with little things like flowers on them just gets me every time.

What notion or sewing tool are you most dependent on? 

My Ruby Ruler™, most definitely. I don’t design any quilt or lay out any blocks without it. It helps me find what I like to call “quilt sparkle”.

How were you introduced to sewing and quilting?

My maternal grandmother taught me lots of things like knitting, simple sewing when I was a preschooler. (Just a side note, I don’t know if I’d have the patience to teach a preschooler to knit!)

What was the most frustrating sewing project you ever worked on?

The Weekender Bag by Amy Butler. I tried to make one probably 15 years ago and broke the sewing machine I was using at the time. I thought my sewing days were over, but I REALLY wanted to make that bag! (I still have it!)

What do you do to find inspiration/encourage your creativity?

My husband and I officially became empty nesters this year and decided to make a big life change and move from Seattle, Washington to Santa Fe, New Mexico. I pinch myself every day that we live in such a beautiful place. Even though it’s a bit challenging to visit local museums and shops during the pandemic, I have managed to visit a few. So inspiring. Although, even just walking around downtown Santa Fe is so inspiring to me too. All of this, and daily doses of unlimited sunshine have done a lot for my creativity.

What occupation would you like to try if sewing/making wasn’t an option?

I have always said that if I didn’t do this, I would love to do something with linguistics, maybe voice analysis. Regional accents have always been very interesting to me, and I’m pretty good at picking up on where people are from. For example, I am from North Carolina, I met a woman here in Sante Fe who immediately felt like “kin”, I knew she had to be from NC. When I asked where she was from, imagine my amazement when we both realized we grew up 30 minutes apart in North Carolina and went to the same college!

Who is your favorite fictional character?

No question- Arietty from The Borrowers. I loved how the world was so big (literally!) and full of wonder to her. As a kid, I wanted nothing more than for Arietty and her family to live under our floorboards.

What fabric have you been hoarding the longest?

That’s easy- Liberty of London “Ciara”. I don’t hoard it, but I do buy it by the yard(s) and would have a bolt of it if I could.

It’s my favorite of any fabric in the world. I have used it in many quilts, like My Liberty Spikes quilt (see picture below). I played with altering the color of it by bleaching some of it a little. All the printed areas are the Ciara print in the same colorway, just some are bleached a little, some a lot, and some none at all.

Describe your perfect day. 

Well, I awake to a clean house, magically done while I was sleeping! After that, spending the entire day in my studio (which is being built as an addition onto our house this year) just sewing and designing quilts. Listening to music, true crime podcasts, or some sort of inspiring self-help audio book. Then, closing up shop for the day (by closing the antique door/entrance to my studio) and having dinner with my husband, ending the day with junky reality tv. Mixing a day like this with days spent at museums or talking shop with fellow creatives is really about all I need out of life.

You can keep up with Blair on social by following her on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. Don’t forget to swing by her website, https://wisecrafthandmade.com, too. If you want even more, join Blair in her private Facebook group, where she hosts community stitch alongs.

Tune in to Missouri Star LIVE with Misty on Tuesday, February 16, when Blair shows off her the Ruby Ruler, and teaches you to find your “quilt sparkle”!