All the quilts of my childhood had solid backs. Some pink, some red, some navy blue – all plain as plain. For years, it felt like the back of the quilt didn’t really matter at all. But when I started to notice pretty florals, sassy stripes, and exciting colors, I started seeing quilt backing as one more opportunity to let my creativity shine!
This week’s new project, the Sidekick Quilt, is a quick and easy pattern based on the friendship star. It’s cute and colorful, but just wait ‘til you see the backing fabric! It’s bold, fabulous, and anything but boring! Click HERE to watch the tutorial.
When I’m laying out a quilt, I try my best to follow the pattern. But when I’m asked, for example, to turn every third block one clockwise quarter turn, I always end up with a couple flying geese headed the wrong direction! What can I say? Some of us are directionally challenged!
If you struggle too, the One Direction Quilt is calling your name! Every single one of these adorable arrows points right to the center of the quilt. No left or right to remember. You just can’t fail! Click HERE to watch the tutorial!
(Psst! This quilt is featured in the newest issue of BLOCK Magazine. If you’re a subscriber, your issue is on its way!)
Today we are wishing Jenny and Ron Doan a very happy 38th Wedding Anniversary! To celebrate this milestone, we sat down with Jenny and Ron to learn a little bit about their relationship. Check out the Q&A below.
If you’ve ever been to one of Jenny’s trunk shows, you know that she and Ron make the perfect pair! While Jenny explains the story behind each quilt, Ron holds it up for all to see!
How did you meet?
Jenny:Ron and I met at a church dance.
What was your first impression of your spouse?
Jenny: I thought he was shy and a pretty snazzy dresser!
Ron: I thought she was really cute with a nice smile.
What would be your spouse’s ideal date?
Jenny: Ron would like to go to the motocross races.
Ron: Jenny would want to go out to dinner and a James Taylor concert!
If you could describe your spouse in one word, what word would it be?
Jenny: Ron is sweet.
Ron:Jenny is spontaneous!
Jenny and Ron on their wedding day, April 18, 1980.
If your spouse had a superpower, what would it be?
Jenny: Ron’s superpower would be that he can fix anything!
Ron: Quilting is definitely Jenny’s superpower.
What is the best gift your spouse ever bought for you?
Jenny: Ron once got me a toolbox with my name engraved on it.
Ron: Jenny made me a life scrapbook.
What was the first meal that your spouse ever cooked for you?
Ron:Jenny made me Swedish pancakes, and they were delicious.
Jenny: Ron made me mac and cheese.
When did you and your spouse first dance together and to what song?
Jenny:We are kitchen dancers, so I don’t really remember the first time we danced—when a song came on we would always dance. Our song has changed throughout the years, but “Grow Old Along with Me” by Mary Chapin Carpenter and “Annie’s Song” by John Denver are favorites. Also “A Groovy Kind of Love” by Phil Collins is great. There are so so many more! More recently, “The Luckiest” by Ben Folds and “Make You Feel My Love” by Adele. We are music lovers for sure!
What is your spouse’s favorite color?
Jenny: Ron and I both like blue.
What is your spouse’s favorite flavor of ice cream?
Jenny:Ron likes anything chocolate.
Ron: Jenny likes Cherry Garcia!
What is your spouse’s favorite movie?
Jenny: Ron loves the original Star Wars trilogy or any of the Indiana Jones movies!
What is your spouse’s favorite restaurant?
Jenny: Ron and I both love Texas Roadhouse and we loved Lobster Grotto in Monterey as well. They had the best clam chowder!
What is your spouse’s favorite TV show?
Jenny:We both like NCIS and action shows!
Jenny and Ron on their wedding day, April 18, 1980.
Who controls the TV remote?
Jenny: Ron does, but I don’t mind. I like to knit while we watch TV together.
What is your spouse’s most repeated catchphrase?
Jenny: Ron is always saying, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.”
Ron:Every night Jenny tells me, “Dream sweet dreams.”
When did Ron start sewing?
Jenny:Years and years ago, he made his sister a quilt for Christmas, but most recently he was sewing at a retreat. He also has a quilt featured in the latest issue of ModBlock Magazine and it’s awesome.
Do you like to sew together?
Jenny: Yes, we are a very good team!
How would you describe each others’ quilting style?
Jenny: Ron is relaxed.
Ron: Jenny loves the details.
How did you celebrate your first anniversary?
Jenny: We had a 1-month-old baby, so our options were kind of limited. I fixed him dinner at home, and he rubbed my feet!
How do you like to celebrate your anniversary now?
Ron: We usually go out to dinner and just spend time together.
Do you have any advice for the newlyweds out there?
Jenny: It’s hard work to stay married. Give it your all! People become what you believe they are, so make sure to tell your spouse how wonderful, kind, and handsome he is and he will become it. Words have great power.
Ron: Never be selfish. Always put your spouse first.
What is your definition of, “And they lived happily ever after”?
Jenny: Being happy where you are, no matter what your circumstances are and that’s us.
The first time I bought a car that locked with a keychain remote, I felt pretty special. That is, until that newfangled remote stopped working.
But after an accidental trip through the washer and dryer, my key fob came back to life, locking and unlocking the car doors again and again. Lock. Unlock. Lock. Unlock. Finally, I was forced to remove the batteries.
I learned a lesson that day. Sometimes simple is best. Who needs a fancy remote when an old-fashioned key and keyhole will get the job done right every time?
The Keyhole Quilt is as simple as it gets, and it’s a beautiful way to use your favorite roll of 2.5-inch strips. Click HERE to watch the tutorial!
Travel back in time to the 1800’s in northern Missouri for this year’s Missouri Highway 36 Quilt Trail 2018 Passport program. This year’s theme is “Ol’ Trail Town,” with each of the 16 blocks along the trail capturing a bit of life throughout northern Missouri as it was 150 years (or more) ago. Our block for Missouri Star features a train station, which played an integral part in the early development of the town of Hamilton.
History of the Railroad in Hamilton
The railroad brought commerce, construction, dry goods and much more to our town, with the line completed on Valentine’s Day 1859, and the depot finished later that year. To learn about Hamilton’s railroad, we spoke with Dean Hales, a native Hamiltonian with a penchant for history, who remembers the railroad vividly from the 1940s on until the late 1980s when the line and the train station were removed.
Hales explains that three sets of railroad tracks once intersected Davis Street, just a few steps north of our Main Shop. Although almost all evidence of the railroad is gone, there are still a few reminders. The relocated Penney house sits atop the foundation of what was once the train depot, and the “Hamilton” sign across the elevated tract of land between Penney Park and the bank was put in place so that commuters could look out the window and know which town they were passing through.
Of course, one only has to look at the mural painted on the north side of our Main Shop to see the most visible reminder of the role the railroad played in shaping Hamilton.
Highway 36 Quilt Trail
Now that we know the significance of the railroad in Hamilton, let’s talk more about the Highway 36 Quilt Trail program. This is the program’s fifth year and the trail opens on April 3, with 16 shops in 15 towns along the Missouri section of Highway 36 participating in the program.
Our Highway 36 Quilt Trail Quilt is currently displayed in our Penney’s Quilt Shop, and this year, we are offering a fabric kit so you can create a block exactly like ours! As you travel down the quilt trail you will see that each quilt shop created their own
The trail journeys along Highway 36, with stops in towns throughout the corridor, which includes towns on the highway, and also those that are 36 miles to the north and south of the route. Historical towns like St. Joseph, Marceline, Hannibal, and a dozen others with quilt shops and iconic American stories to share are ready and waiting to welcome you on your journey down the Highway 36 Quilt Trail.
Participants can download a shop passport HERE (or pick one up in the first shop you visit), and visit all of the shops for a free block pattern. One must visit the shop in person to participate in the Quilt Trail. Read all about the program HERE. Once you complete the trail, you will have 16 blocks to create your “Ol’ Trail Town” quilt, and you can turn it into one of the participating shops to see if you win a prize! We can’t wait to see what you make!
If you are planning your trip to Missouri Star Quilt Co., be sure to check out Visit MSQC for travel and lodging information. We hope you enjoy traveling down Highway 36, and visiting all of the shops along the way!
