Sew With Jenny 2016 Retreat Recap

MSQC Retreat Recap on the Blog!

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This past May we hosted our first ever “Sew With Jenny” retreat here at Missouri Star Quilt Company and boy was it a hit! Jenny brought her sewing machine to the retreat center and had a blast sewing along and chatting with everyone there!

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Jenny did her famous Trunk Show for the group (if you’ve never seen it, check our schedule for an upcoming one HERE). It was 2 hours of personal stories about Jenny and MSQC, laughter, tears and tips for quilting with precuts! Jenny also taught a few classes, including the Flying Geese Log Cabin and Pinwheel Party Quilts! Isn’t the Flying Geese Log Cabin Table Runner above gorgeous??

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Jan made her Flying Geese Log Cabin in a darker colorway of batiks and it turned out great! It’s so fun to see how different a quilt can look by using different colors, each as beautiful as the next in its own way.

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Bonnie’s husband surprised her with this retreat and even sent her roses from the local flower shop. How sweet is that?? He deserves an award!

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Denise got a head start on Christmas projects while at the retreat and made a darling Love Notes Star Quilt. Imagine wrapping up in it next to the fireplace with some hot coco. So peaceful!

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How cute are those I Heart Jenny shirts?? This retreat was so much fun and we can’t wait to do it again in the future. If you would like to attend an upcoming retreat, be sure to visit Missouri Star Quilt Company Retreats & Events!

MSQC Blue Hawaii Retreat

If you’re a fan of Elvis, you know that dreams come true in Blue Hawaii. That’s why we decided to bring Blue Hawaii and a little bit of Elvis’s grooviness to Missouri Star for a fun-filled retreat! Upon arrival, all of the retreaters were given a lay for their name tag, the shop workers were dressed in their best Hawaiian outfits and Hamilton was transformed (as much as possible when there’s below freezing temperatures) into a quilter’s paradise!

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We had retreaters join us from near and far. Far, as in, South Africa! Isn’t that amazing? Meet Hannalie Blignaut and Magriat Venter, two quilty friends who decided to start 2016 off right by checking “Visit MSQC” off of their bucket lists! And they traveled all the way from South Africa to do it!

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Another Blue Hawaii retreater celebrated her big 5-0 while here! Can you think of a better way to celebrate your birthday than being surrounded by new quilty friends? I don’t think so! Happy 50th, Elizabeth, we’re so glad we got to celebrate with you! 🙂

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We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, quilters truly do have the kindest hearts! Check out this Valentine’s Heart Quilt that one retreater was working on for the South Central Wisconsin Quilt Shops Association’s 17th Annual Quilters’ Road Trip event. Including a silent auction of quilted items to help raise funds for the American Heart Association. Click HERE to find out more information about this event.

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To top off this tropical retreat, everyone watched the Blue Hawaii Elvis movie one night as they sewed! It was so much fun and so many great memories were made. Thanks to all who participated, and “aloha” until next time! 🙂

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If you’re interested in attending a retreat at Missouri Star Quilt Company, visit Missouri Star Quilt Company Retreats & Events!

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Rob Appell’s Man Sewing Surf’s Up Retreat!

We had so much fun last week because Rob Appell from Man Sewing was here filming tutorials, followed by the first ever Surf’s Up Retreat at Missouri Star Quilt Company! The retreat started with Rob’s Trunk Show, which was so amazing! There is something special about a trunk show. Each one is so unique to that specific quilter and even though we’ve been working with Rob for about a year now, we were reminded of Rob’s good heart and the journey that has led him to where he is today! Thank you, Rob for not only teaching us about quilting, but about overcoming obstacles, gratitude, hard work, and love for family. Your honest, vulnerable storytelling was such a treat and we’re so glad that you’ve decided to be a part of the Missouri Star family.

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Rob rolls up his quilts, so they won’t get fold creases. Isn’t that so smart? Let’s take a look at some of the other quilts Rob shared.

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I always knew I loved his work, but the stories behind them make them even more beautiful! It was so exciting to see them in person… sometimes photos just can’t do a quilt justice. This next one is the Color Strata quilt, featured in Rob’s new Color Strata Book! The tutorial is coming very soon!

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You have to take a step back from this one to fully appreciate it…

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If you’ve never seen Rob’s Endangered Species Quilt series, they are even more incredible in real life! Rob teamed up with Michael Miller Fabrics and their Fairy Frost fabrics to create a series of quilts to raise awareness for endangered species and donates a portion of pattern sales to help support these animals and those who care for them.

 

So amazing! Here’s the whole group! Jenny Doan attended the trunk show and we even put Ron (Mr. Jenny) to work holding up the quilts for Rob! 🙂

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During the retreat, Rob taught his ever popular 3 Dudes Quilt with a twist and had fun making ‘stained glass’ when it caught the sun! 🙂

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With Rob’s quilts on the wall, it feels like everyone is working in an art gallery! So beautiful!

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We’re so glad that all of you retreaters could be here and Rob as well! Here’s to the next one! If you’re interested in attending a retreat at Missouri Star Quilt Company, visit Missouri Star Quilt Company Retreats & Events!

Be on the lookout for Rob’s own post about the retreat, coming soon at mansewing.com!

 

Kaffe Fassett Glorious Color Retreat and Lecture!

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Have we ever mentioned how much we love to have visitors come to Hamilton?? This past weekend was our Kaffe Fassett Glorious Colour Retreat and we just had a blast!!

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This is an amazing group of quilters and artists! It was such a treat to have all of them here and to have Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably here to share their wisdom and insight on the wonderful world of glorious color!  The retreaters had the opportunity to do two hands-on workshops as well as attend a wonderful lecture from Kaffe!

The first class was called Mediterranean Hexagons, where they learned how to work with Kaffe’s large print florals to create a beautiful balanced quilt.

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This is Debbie Carlson, who, without realizing, created a quilt design that matched her outfit! Isn’t it gorgeous?? If you look closely, she used all kinds of black and white prints as the points, including one with ampersands on it. So fun!! According to Kaffe, sometimes the print/motif just doesn’t matter 🙂

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The 2nd class Kaffe taught was Bright Squares, where they created the most beautiful quilts from 2.5″ squares!

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Kaffe worked one on one with the retreaters to help them find a beautiful balance of color and contrast. Wouldn’t you like Kaffe to teach you all about how to use bold, bright colors in a harmonious way??

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At the end of each class, Kaffe would walk around and comment on each person’s work, to give praise, encouragement and valuable feedback. What a wonderful opportunity to have input from Kaffe on your personal work!

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On the last full day of the retreat, Kaffe gave a wonderful lecture on finding inspiration in art, architecture, knits, and how you can find different inspiration all over the world. There were well over 200 people in attendance and it ended with a book signing!

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Tula Pink was even here in attendance to see Kaffe’s lecture!

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Thank you to everyone who attended! We would love to hear about your experience in the comments!

If you are interested in an MSQC Retreat or Event, you can find all the information here: Missouri Star Quilt Company Retreats & Events

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Victoria Findlay Wolfe and Sizzix Retreat Recap – 2015

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We just loved having Victoria Findlay Wolfe here along with Linda Nitzen from Sizzix for our retreat! It was such a blast and such a wonderful learning experience for all. Jenny even sat down with the retreaters and followed along with Victoria’s class she was so enthralled in it!

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Laid out on the floor is Victoria’s Large Melon Double Wedding Ring Quilt, isn’t it stunning? The colors and fabrics are marvelous together giving this scrappy quilt so much character.

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Did you know you could have so much fun with a Sizzix Machine? Check out these fun little guys below… All you have to do is let your imagination run wild and adorable creations will come!

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Linda, the Sizzix Quilting Manager, presented a quilt challenge to the MSQC employees to create a quilt/ quilted item 50×50 or smaller for a chance to win a Big Shot Pro and several dies! Here is our first place winning team!

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It’s a sore subject with the rest of the staff, (we are a very competitive group) but these lucky winners sure were happy and are enjoying their prize and their win was well deserving! They created an Interactive Children’s Playmat! All of the pieces were cut from Sizzix Dies and can be removed and rearranged on the mat for a super fun time! How fun and clever is that? 🙂

Sizzix Winners Quilt

 

We were so glad to have these amazing ladies here with us in Hamilton and hope they get to come again soon! Have you ever been to a quilting retreat? Find out about all of our upcoming retreats and events HERE.