quilt classes | Missouri Star Blog

December 17, 2019December 28, 2019

2019: A Year to Remember

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!

$2,167 was raised for Days for Girls hygiene kits which were put together during Birthday Bash. Together, our guests assembled 1,012 kits that have since been placed at a refugee camp!

We also raised $5,715 from our Celebrity Sew-off and Quilt Raffles that we gave to our local food pantry!

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!

October 7, 2019December 10, 2019

Meet Missouri Star Academy Instructor, Sheri Cifaldi-Morrill

Sheri Cifaldi-Morrill is the founder of Whole Circle Studio, LLC which specializes in the design of custom modern quilts, patterns and other licensed products. She is an active member of the modern quilt community and recognized from her many outstanding awards from several major quilting events. Sheri also teaches and presents her creative skills all over the world, but works mostly from her home studio in New Haven, Connecticut.

With all her adventures in tow, we were thrilled that Sheri said yes to coming all the way to Quilt Town, USA to teach one of our online classes, Piecing Curves with Confidence! Let us introduce you to Missouri Star Academy‘s newest instructor!

Meet Sheri Cifaldi-Morrill, Missouri Star Academy Instructor

When did you first conquer the curve? How long into your quilting journey was it?

I decided to make a modern flowering snowball quilt as an entry to a challenge back in 2014. The inspiration for my quilt, Picnic Petals, was the fabric challenge collection, entitled Petal Pinwheels. Going into the challenge, I looked at a lot of photos of pinwheels, flowers and sketched elements of these objects to study how I could convey organic shapes and movement in a block quilt. As a relatively new quilter at the time, this was the first time I worked with curved elements. This challenge encouraged me to work with fabric patterns and techniques I might not normally work with. Out of 750 entries, I was one of the three winners!

What are the staples/must have tools in your sewing studio?

First and foremost, a space that I’m comfortable in. I love having natural light, so whenever possible I keep lights off… I also love having a design wall that I can put up random swatches, blocks or quilts that I’m working on. It’s amazing how different things can look from hour to hour or day to day. Sometimes if I’m stuck on something, I’ll walk by it days later and figure out the next step.

What gets your creative juices flowing?

I’m usually either listening to a podcast or have a video streaming through my computer, ALWAYS coffee, and sometimes salty veggie chips, cashews or chocolate chips!

Why do you think people find curves so terrifying? Are there any misconceptions about sewing them that you can clear up?

I think people are scared of curves because it looks difficult. The truth is, it’s super easy. I teach this technique all the time and there is always at least one skeptic in the room who thinks they can’t do it. I’ve never had a student NOT be able to sew a beautiful curve by the end of class. All you need is experience sewing a ¼” seam, pins and patience! Seriously!

When did you start quilting? What brought you into the quilting world?

Wanting to make a quilt, I bought a sewing machine for $100 and my first quilt pattern book in 2006. There was only one problem—I didn’t know how to use a sewing machine. Busy with work, that book sat on my shelf for seven years until I needed a distraction from a stressful situation in my life. My first few quilts I made for others—to celebrate the births of babies, weddings and friends moving into exciting new phases of their lives. I became addicted to quilt making and then realized that with my graphic design and technical skills I could design my own quilts. After sharing my work with others online and in quilt guilds, I was asked to share my patterns. In 2015, I started Whole Circle Studio, LLC. Whole Circle Studio specializes in the design of custom modern quilts, patterns and other licensed products.

Where do you find your inspiration for new products?

Inspiration for my work comes from my everyday life… I believe design and content have a symbiotic relationship. Both need to support one another and require a strong concept to fuel them. My quilt designs start with a concept and the content (research, backstory, color, fabric selection and technique) which help shape the design. Never without my camera and sketchbook, I’m always taking photos and sketching from everyday inspirations… My mission is to enhance people’s lives through beautiful, meaningful design as well as to empower and inspire others to enjoy the process of making.

What’s your favorite tip to share with new quilters?

Don’t be afraid to experiment! Rarely is there ever just one way (and often there is never the “perfect” way to do something in quilting. If a specific way of doing something doesn’t come naturally to you or isn’t fun, see if there is a different way to do it. Quilting should be fun!

Learn more about Sheri and her work at wholecirclestudio.com and on Instagram at @wholecirclestudio.

Join her latest class, Piecing Curves with Confidence, and learn a new skill with Sheri! Don’t forget to come back and show off your curves!

If you aren’t quite sure this is the class for you, get a sneak peek of what you can expect HERE!

What curvy project will you make?!

Start Piecing Curves with Confidence

August 26, 2019December 10, 2019

Meet Missouri Star Academy Instructor, Monique Jacobs

Monique Jacobs of Open Gate Quilts, is also the instructor of one of our Missouri Star Academy Online Classes! She teaches how to color coordinate and piece together beautiful quilts from just picking through the loose ends of your already-made stash. Learn more about Monique and then join her in Stash Busting with Style!

Have you always had an eye for color combinations or was it something you had to teach yourself to do/look for?

I’ll be honest. I had to learn. According to my mom, she had doubts about my sense of color when I was young. I used to change clothes at least 3-4 times a day and things didn’t always match. I loved trying different combinations and it was when I started quilting that I learned how to match colors. A lot of it was trial and error. As I was working with fabric, I would play around with it until I liked what I saw. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had some quilts that weren’t great but I learned from those mistakes and the more I did the more I felt confident in my choices.

Tell us a little about your background – when/how did you first get into sewing and quilting?

I’ve always loved fabric. When I took Home Ec in high school, sewing was my favorite class. Both my grandmas sewed and made crafts. My dad’s mom made quilts and although I didn’t appreciate them when I was young, I sure do now! She used old dresses, curtains, whatever was available and hand stitched all the seams using a feather stitch. They are all crazy quilts and having to repair one, I know how much work goes into them!

I got into quilting because my sister-in-law mentioned that she liked quilts. I looked at them and thought, me too! So, I took a class and that was the beginning!

Where do you find inspiration for trying new fabric and pattern designs – especially for using fabrics from your stash?

My inspiration comes in different ways. One, I will see a fabric that I like, whether in my stash or in the store and think, what can I make out of this? Or I see a pattern and adapt the pattern to my fabric. Sometimes, I will look at my stash and pull some out and think…what quilt can I come up with to go with this fabric? Truthfully, that’s how I started designing patterns, I saw all this beautiful fabric and couldn’t find a pattern to use it with. So, I started making my own. Same thing with designing fabric, I would see a pattern and think, what fabric could I use for this. Again, nothing would work for what I wanted to do, so I started designing fabric.

Do you have a favorite color combination to use in your quilt patterns and fabrics?

I love them all! If I’m doing a more traditional quilt, I tend to add red in and if I’m doing batiks or modern, I love purple. But, there isn’t much that I don’t like!

Do you find yourself looking at color, scale and print in other aspects of life? (i.e. home decor, clothing, etc)

Funny that you ask that because I didn’t think about that until you mentioned it. Yes, I do. For sure, color is a huge factor in decorating. I like to have a warm, welcoming home but that doesn’t necessarily mean warm colors. I know what I like, just like my quilts and go a lot by what I’ve learned on how to put quilts together.

Take the class, learn something new, explore new color combinations and most of all, have FUN! Come back and show us what you’ve made out of your stash!

Start Stash Busting with Style