Missouri: Home to the Disneyland of Quilt Shops and Walt Disney
The Journey East – Leg 5
10/05/2022 – 10/08/2022
Traveling north for about an hour we picked up US 36 that would take us right into Hamilton MO. Hamilton has been on my radar for several years and our last two trips cross country did not allow us a stop. The first trip we were transporting my in-laws belongings from Oregon to their new home in North Carolina. We built in a few extra days so we could stop in Hamilton for the quilt shops and Indianapolis for a visit with a friend and some family. That was not to be though, as we had some issues with the bearings on the trailer that used up those extra days. For our second trip, which was our first year FT in the RV, I was planning our route and when I looked at the Missouri Star Quilt Company (MSQC) website, I found that they had not reopened yet after being shut down for the dreaded COVID. Uggg….
Anyway, this year I was bound, set and determined that our route would take us to Hamilton so I could spend a few days enjoying all the shops of MSQC. And… the day has, at long last, arrived!!!!
We pulled into town around 4PM and had to drive right down Main Street… past all the shops (that were closed) to get to our campground, A Country Charm. I was filled to the brim with EXCITEMENT! I HAVE 2 FULL DAYS TO EXPLORE THE SHOPS!
Hamilton MO
A Country Charm RV park is located on the north side of town. It is a cute little park and within walking distance of town. Did you hear that? Walking distance 😉 So I very slyly say to Bill, “Let’s take Kona for a walk.” If we go back thru this neighborhood we can walk back into town and scope it out. It worked! We stretched our legs, got a little exercise in and I got to peek in some windows! LOL
Hamilton is a small town, population 1600, about an hour north of Kansas City. It is the birthplace of James Cash (JC) Penney and home to the Missouri Star Quilt Company. The town was practically a ghost town before Jenny Doan and her family settled here and began a small quilting business.
Missouri Start Quilt Company (MSQC)
Why is MSQC a destination? How did I hear of this place? Why did I want to visit so badly? It all began with a visit to my longarmer (a person who uses a long arm sewing machine to sew together the quilt top, batting and quilt backing together) We always enjoy talking quilts and current projects whenever I bring my quilt tops to her for quilting. I was still very much a beginner at the time and was always curious about what she was working on. This particular time it was a pattern from MSQC. She showed me this magazine, BLOCK, and told me I HAD to subscribe and that I could even get back issues. As soon as I got home that afternoon, I ordered the back issues and set up my new subscription.
A Brief History of MSQC
Then I started reading about the founders of the company, Jenny Doan and some of her kids. I fell in love with their story and her love for sewing and quilting. Long story short, in 2008 after they lost most of their retirement in the stock market crash, they opened a small storefront in Hamilton with a long-arm machine, a few bolts of material and some supplies. All on a shoe-string budget.
After the first year they realized to make a profit and would have to take the business on-line. Her son had experience with startups and began making YouTube tutorials. The rest is history. MSQC is now a $20M business. They own 26 buildings around town, with 12 being storefronts, a retreat center AND the largest quilting channel on You Tube. With vision and a lot of hard work MSQC has revitalized the little town of Hamilton. On average, the business brings in 8,000 quilters a month and this week I am one of them! If you want to read more about Jenny and the company click here and scroll all the way to the bottom or just explore the on-line store.
Time to Shop!
Now for MY experience at MSQC, aka “The Disneyland of Quilting”. I woke up early. The list was made. I waited patiently for 9AM to come, while sipping my coffee and going over my list one more time. Finally! 9AM! The stores are open! But I wait another 15 minutes because I didn’t want to appear too anxious LOL
Off I go into town. I decided to start on one end and go from there. The plan was to just look, get ideas, take pictures of what I liked then go back and buy what appealed to me the most. That didn’t work out to well.
The old JC Penney store was the starting point. First off, let me explain, each of the stores has a different theme. Florals are in one store, batiks another store, holiday prints a different store, get the idea? So JC Penney was home to all the solids and blender fabrics. I walked in and to say I was completely overwhelmed was an understatement. Imagine walls filled with every shade of every color. I wish I had taken a picture but I was too in awe. In fact, I didn’t take inside pictures of any of the stores. What’s wrong with me?!
Overwhelmed!
As I moved from store to store, I knew I was in trouble. You see, I LOVE fabric and I LOVE color. Always have, always will. There isn’t much that brings me the joy I get than when I am able to create beautiful things. And those other things that bring me joy (my family and travelling) provide a lot of inspiration for my projects. So, I text my best friend and tell her I am so overwhelmed and don’t know what to do. She simply said, “Enjoy the experience”.
Next I had a conversation with myself (don’t worry, nobody saw this, it was all inside my head) I said to myself, “Look, you have been waiting to do this for years. You have saved your money for this. Relax. Enjoy yourself. Buy what you want and don’t worry (too much) about how much you will spend. You might not get back this way for a while.” And that is exactly what I did. I spent the entire day perusing each of the stores and bought what I really liked. Let’s just say I have enough projects to keep me busy for a few years. Haha!
I returned home to Bill, exhausted but happy. He loved hearing about my day and seeing my loot!
Happy Birthday
The entire day was not spent shopping, though. I took a break and called my oldest, who turned 30 today. I made the call to him early so I could be the first to wish him a Happy Birthday. It is a special day for me too and I needed a little mom/son time. A little later in the week we had a “virtual” party with all the family from all over the country (isn’t tech great?). Bill and I unveiled a special video we made celebrating his first 30 years. I am extremely grateful we can “connect” with our loved ones when we are so far apart.
Missouri Quilt Museum
Our second day in Hamilton took us to the Missouri Quilt Museum, a fantastic museum located in the old high school. The same high school JC Penney graduated from (we will get to Penney a little later).
The museum is comprised of three floors that contain many wonderful exhibits on all facets of quilting and sewing. One exhibit displayed several quilts hand stitched and appliqued by Jenny (MSQC). Another room displayed some very old quilts. One that particularly caught my attention was made by a group of African-American women in the 1840’s. Coffee grounds were used to dye some of the fabric brown and cotton from the fields was used for the batting. It was amazing the quilt is in as good of condition as it is being it is over 180 years old! Other rooms were filled with “toy” sewing machines, a collection of thimbles and industrial sewing machines from the 1800s. Out of all the exhibits here are my top three: the Mini Quilts, a pixelated Einstein quilt and a collection of modern quilts.
Number 1 – The Mini Quilts
A collection of tiny quilts created by Pat Kuhns was on display. She is known nationally for her award- winning Mini Quilts. Being able to see these masterpieces up close was mind blowing. Her smallest piece is 1/16”! That is INSANE! I wish I had put my thumb or a coin next to one of the displays just to be able to truly see the size of these amazingly beautiful works of art.
Number 2 – Einstein Pixelated Quilt
My mind was blown for a second time when we came to the pixelated quilt of Einstein. The quilt was created by Anne Wadley. She began quilting in 2008 while visiting her sister in Alaska. She lost her mom suddenly later that year and then her dad 8 months later. How tragic. She threw herself in to quilting saying, “Quilting is cheaper than therapy and it has saved me.” This masterpiece was created using 7,680 2” pieces.
Number 3 – Modern Quilts
Finally my 3rd favorite exhibit was a collection of modern quilts. Two rooms displayed quilts created by a man who lost his wife. His journey began by completing the quilts she was working on before she passed. Again, he used quilting as his therapy. Now he creates beautiful modern style quilts. I enjoy the colors, clean lines and “simplicity” of a modern design. These are a couple of my favorites from his collection:
There is something about quilting; the measuring, the cutting, the piecing, the creating… it clears the mind, centers focus and provides a purpose. I thoroughly enjoyed my journey through the Missouri Quilt Museum and highly recommend a visit and BONUS, in front of the museum is the World’s Largest Spool of Thread!
J.C. Penney
As I mentioned earlier, James Cash Penney was born and raised in Hamilton MO and it was an extra treat to be able to visit his hometown. The Hamilton Library houses a small museum that details the life and times of Penney. He was said to be a very fair business man who not only took care of his customers but his employees as well. Not only was I an employee of J.C. Penney, I was a very good customer. LOL
On display was a lot of memorabilia from his stores, his desk from the NY office and a collection of catalogs. I don’t know about you, but I could not wait for my catalog to arrive in the spring and fall. My grandmother and I would get on the phone for at least an hour, maybe more, going through the catalog picking different outfits out and then amazingly I would find some of these items under the Christmas tree or wrapped up for my birthday. Yes, she spoiled me, just a little 😉
Once we finished with the museums we slipped down to KC for some BBQ. You cannot be this close and not get some Kansas City burnt ends. Jacks Stack’s satisfied our craving! Mmmmm Mmmmmm!!
Marceline, Walt Disney’s Hometown
Once again, I need to give thanks to an instagrammer I follow for posting their visit to Marceline. It was surprising for me to find out that Walt Disney grew up in the Midwest. Guess I never really gave much thought as to where he was from. I looked at the map and found it was about 2 hours east of us and on the way to our next stop in Illinois. Funny how things work out sometimes. What a huge disappointment it would have been if we passed the exit off US 36 and later realized what we missed.
Bill and I both grew up with Walt Disney World right in our backyards. We spent many hours at the park during our childhood years. After calling ahead to ensure there was a place we could park our rig, I programmed the GPS to take us to the Walt Disney Hometown Museum.
Marceline, MO
Walt Disney grew up in the small town of Marceline after his parents decided that Chicago was not the place they wanted to raise their family. Walt and his brother Roy spent countless hours under a giant cottonwood they called “The Dreaming Tree”. It was here that he gained inspiration that would lead to his career as an artist.
Walt had a very strong connection to his hometown. He came back many times and made very generous donations to the town and school. One donation he made was the Autotopia ride at Disneyland. When Autotopia was closed at Disneyland, he had all the pieces sent to Marciline and installed in the park. The residents were able to enjoy the ride at no cost. The ride is no longer around, but the track is still in the park.
Walt Disney Hometown Museum
The museum contains items from Walt’s childhood like the desk he sat and carved his name in. There are also items from Disneyland he sent back to his hometown for display like the orange Mickey Mouse flag that flew over the firehouse at Disneyland. Walt raised the flag at the new elementary school that was named in his honor. Also on display are items Disney fans have collected over the years, a collection of all the buildings in each of the “lands” of the park were all handmade by an fan and artist and a large portrait of Walt, created by Graffiti artist, Arcy. Can you find the hidden mouse ears in the painting?
Most impressive to me was a branch from the “dreaming tree”. Sadly, the tree was struck by lightning in 2008 and finally fell in 2015. The museum was able to salvage a piece of a branch. Small pieces of the tree are also for sale in the gift shop if you would like to own your small piece of the dreaming tree.
Main Street
Before we left, we took a short walk around town. Main Street provided inspiration for Main Street at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. A special stamp was issued after his death in 1966 with the ceremonies being held at the Marceline Post Office. Today you can have your mail cancelled with a special Walt Disney Post Office stamp.
Our short visit to Marceline was pleasant and made me appreciate Walt Disney’s brilliant imagination even more. To quote Walt Disney, “I hope the youth of today and the future know a childhood as happy as was mine in Marceline.” I love these kinds of stories.
It is time to get back on the road to Springfield so we can get there before dark.
