While in the USA in April, I visited Hamilton, Missouri, home of the Missouri Star Quilt Company, probably the biggest patchwork fabric business in that country? The story of the town and the family run business is pretty incredible, with the town being revitalised with the growth of the business and the numerous visitors that now go there daily.
Even the gate lounge at Kansas City airport had quilt blocks on the walls!
Missouri Star started off 30 years ago with a longarm quilting business and is now thirteen (and counting) shops in the main street, as well as a warehouse, retreat centre and many other offshoots.
One shop had so many lovely antique sewing machines.
A mural on the main street in Hamilton.
It was amazing to be in this place. And of course I shopped! They kindly told me that I could bundle all my purchases from the various shops into one box, which they could send to me for US $40. A bargain for shipping at that price, so I made sure I filled the box. I had it sent to me at a friend's place at home, as it would arrive back in Australia weeks before I did. It was like Christmas opening the box and finding items that I had forgotten that I'd purchased.
I bought too much probably but it was all so lovely. Seven layer cakes! Ten fat quarters! And so many metres of fabric. Most fabrics I bought I did say "that would be good in ...." or "that would be useful in ...". So that's how I justified it all. 😉
Just some of the wonderful fabrics I bought in Hamilton.
Some of the layer cakes I bought. Note the front left layer cake which is specific to the Missouri Star Quilt Company, and the mural on the wall in town. See above.
While in Georgia, I did visit one local quilt shop and helped them along too, buying a few metres of fabric. If ever you're in the area, visit The Common Thread, near Dahlonega in northern Georgia. One piece of fabric I bought from the shop was specially made for them.
This is the fabric specially printed for The Common Thread quilt shop. Dahlonega is in northern Georgia and is the site of the first significant gold rush in the US in the 1830s. It is a picturesque town in the mountains. Last month, I also supported the local quilt shop in my daughter's town, so that is included with my overseas purchases. Two bundles of fat quarters. One is Anna Maria Horner fabrics.
May 2024 fabric tally
Finishes this month: none
Purchases this month: too much! 😂 over 50m of fabric
Fabric used: - 0.0 m Fabric acquired: + 51 m
Running tally: + 33.75 m
So I'm going to have to make some quilts this year, to get my running tally into the negative.
