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October 10, 2019December 10, 2019

Missouri Star Shop Feature: Mercantile

As a woman in the modern world, my femininity sometimes craves the more elegant, lady-like ways of the past. I would love to enjoy a Friday night dinner in a nice evening gown or stroll into my local grocery store in a long Victorian dress without being given strange looks.

However, there are things I wouldn’t want to endure from those times like wearing cages to keep my dress looking fluffed and tight corsets that crush my ribs. No, thank you.

So I don’t want to live in the past ALL the time, but when I do, I go to the Missouri Star Mercantile.

Missouri Star’s Mercantile shop is filled with 1800’s reproduction and 1930’s textiles. Reproduction fabrics represent the colors and prints popular during the Civil War and end of the fur trade eras. Our 1930’s fabric recreates the sacks in which flour and potatoes were sold during the Great Depression. These food sacks became decorative with playful images of flowers, sunshine, and polka dots once companies realized that women had started recycling the gunny sacks to use as dresses, undergarments, and towels.

Place these antique designs into the quilts of today and keep history alive.

As you wander the walls of Mercantile, you can expect to find fabric by the yard, precuts, tea towels, and vintage-inspired patterns and panels!

Not only will the fabrics of this shop take you on a time traveling adventure, but the designs and decor will have you considering a home remodel inspired by a vintage farmhouse from the past!

Go to VisitMSQC to start planning your trip to Missouri Star and make your way into our Mercantile shop!

To learn more about local antique quilts check out this blog post on Edie McGinnis, The Keeper of Kansas City Star Quilts.

Do you have a favorite designer of 1800’s or 30’s reproductions fabrics? Let us know in the comments!

February 7, 2019February 7, 2019

Missouri Star Shop Feature: Batik Boutique

Batik Boutique at Missouri Star Quilt Co.

While it may be winter here in Hamilton, once you step into our Batik Boutique you will be transported to a tropical island filled with gorgeous hand-dyed fabrics!

Batik fabric is created using a unique dyeing process in which wax is used to resist the dye. Where the wax is placed results in the design on the fabric, which can then be repeated to create even more intricate designs.

Considering that most batiks are manufactured in Indonesia, our shop was designed and decorated accordingly. From the blue stamped concrete, to the pebbled checkout counter and all of the island themed decor, no detail was left out!

Batiks come in every color of the rainbow and almost any design you could imagine.

Let your creativity run wild with all of our stunning shop samples and the precuts to make them below.

Look at these fun safari themed batiks that would be wonderful for any animal enthusiast!

While in our Batik Boutique you may also run into Beth, one of our amazing employees here at Missouri Star! Beth is an avid quilter who loves to assist and share her knowledge with our guests.

Check out these rich tropical batiks that were used in Jenny’s original Out of Time Quilt.

Our Batiks shop has had quite the history! It was a bicycle shop near the turn of the 20th Century, until it was sold and converted into a barbershop, with a corner devoted to the town watchmaker and watchsmith. The shop then became a doctor’s office and later turned into a 2nd hand store before Missouri Star bought the building.

Enjoy a 360° view of our Batik Boutique: https://bit.ly/batikboutique360

Batik fabrics make beautiful quilts! Below are three of Jenny’s most-recent quilt tutorials using these hand-stamped fabrics. Be sure to click the image to watch the tutorial!

Crown Quilt

Summer School Quilt

North Star Quilt

Shop all of our gorgeous batik fabric: https://bit.ly/merch_batiks0219

April 13, 2018April 13, 2018

Hamilton Baking Company & Cafe

Something is cooking in Hamilton…the sweet smells of chocolate crinkle cookies and the savory aroma of brisket breakfast burritos are wafting through downtown, and we’ve discovered the source! The newest addition to the Hamilton foodie scene is the Hamilton Baking Company & Cafe!

Stop by for breakfast, lunch, a cup of coffee or a delightful snack any time Monday through Saturday, 8am to 5pm, and you won’t be disappointed. Chef and head baker Chad Rigby (who you may know from Blue Sage. Don’t worry, he’s still donning his chef’s hat down the street!), along with his bakery team are whipping up tasty treats (strawberry cake anyone?) and scrumptious sandwiches (you can’t go wrong with the Turkey Bacon Cranberry Panini) that will have your taste buds dancing.

Walk through the doors (just a few steps north of our Main Shop next to J’s Burger Dive) and you’ll instantly feel right at home. With white subway tiles, dark wood counters, deep blue and gold walls (a nod to the team colors of the Hamilton Penney Hornets), a photo wall and a selection of games to play, Hamilton Baking Co. is modern, warm and inviting.

“We want to build a sense of community throughout the cafe, which is also what inspired the name,” Chad explains.

Guests are encouraged to take a break from digital devices and unplug for a moment or two while playing a game, engaging in conversation or enjoying a delicious bite without any digital interference.

If you are wanting to try some of the Hamilton Baking Co.’s signature dishes, we recommend the Turkey Bacon Cranberry Panini and the Seasonal Berry Salad, but you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu. The signature house recipe hot cocoa (seriously, try it!) is a decadent drink that is sure to warm you up even on the chilliest of days. Gluten-free options are also available.

Looking for an invigorating cup of joe to kickstart your morning? Hamilton Baking Co. is brewing local Mokaska coffee, roasted just down Highway 36 in St. Joseph. Click HERE to view the complete menu.

For the frequent flyers of baked goods and caffeinated beverages, be sure and grab a punch card so you can earn free treats and drinks, because if there’s one thing better than a cookie, it’s a free cookie.

“Come and enjoy the bakery. This is a place to get some eats and hang out and relax in a stress-free zone,” Chad explains.

Don’t forget to snap a photo and leave it on the board! If you would like to see what Chad and the bakery team are up to, follow along on their Instagram and Facebook pages.

April 10, 2018April 10, 2018

Highway 36 Quilt Trail

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!

October 3, 2017October 10, 2017

Birthday Bash 2017 Recap

The gang's all here for our traditional employee photo before the start of Birthday Bash 2017!

There’s no party like a quilting party and our Ninth Birthday Bash was no exception! What better way to celebrate 9 years in business than with fun, games and fabric and a game show theme to keep the show rolling throughout the celebration?

The best way to start a Birthday Bash is with a Dinner with the Doans! The Doans, plus 200 of our quilting family, joined us for dinner, dessert, and of course, a little friendly family competition. This year the Girl Doans squared off against the Boys for an entertaining version of Family Feud. The Boys earned the victory on this night, but we know the Girls will be ready for a rematch!

Before birthday festivities officially kicked off, we snapped our traditional all-employee family photo in front of our newest mural in Hamilton. We think the gang looked absolutely electric in the lime green t-shirts!

All three days were bursting at the seams with games and activities for the entire family! Our “Win, Lose or Dance” on the patio was a happening spot, where participants could show off their finest moves for a chance to win some fabric!

Guests from around the globe boogied around the patio for a chance to win fabric prizes!

We busted out some Couch to Quilt “suitcases” for our Sew Case Showdown game on Friday morning! It was a huge hit!

Friday night featured our first ever BINGO night hosted by Man Sewing’s Rob Appell! Rob donned his referee uniform and called numbers, up and down, across and “on the bias”

We know a good quilty party wouldn’t be complete without some trunk shows! Jenny and Man Sewing’s Rob Appell shared their quilting journeys in memorable presentations throughout Birthday Bash.

Giving back to our community and those in need is very important to us, and this year we hosted a Charity Quilt “Bake Off” with help from the Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild to create 32 full-size quilts! These quilts were designed, pieced, quilted and bound by some amazing volunteers over a two-day period, and best of all, 16 quilts will be donated for disaster relief and 16 will be given to local Kansas City charities.

Through some of our “ticketed” events, we were able to collect hundreds of paper products and dozens of peanut butter and jelly packages for our local Caldwell County Food Pantry! Money raised during our daily quilt raffles went to support this organization as well.

One of our favorite parts of Birthday Bash is the Sew-lebrity Sew-off, where Jenny and Rob go head-to-head for a 45-minute sewing competition! This year Jenny created a shiny lamé championship belt and cape, while Rob whipped up a batik seascape! With almost an hour of sewing, stories, and entertainment, it’s clear that the true winners of this friendly competition are the audience who watched Jenny and Rob’s sewing skills in action!

With our Ninth Birthday Bash in the books, we want to take a moment and express our sincerest thanks to all of those who came together to make this celebration possible. Our amazing guests, those who visited us in Hamilton and online, fantastic employees, and wonderful vendors and sponsors all deserve a round of applause for helping us make our birthday the best one yet!