Hello everyone, I’m really new to blogging so let me begin by introducing myself and telling you a little bit about how I became a ‘Quilter’.

My name is Ami Richards, my age, who cares, and up until January 2017 I had never sewn anything or ever really used a sewing machine apart from a few lessons at school, back in the day….

Last January, a day before my birthday I went for a shopping spree to treat myself to a few birthday goodies and I came across a ‘quilt’ and I use that term very loosely, in a shop. It caught my eye because I liked the colour and the feel of it. It was very simple, just a one-piece fabric that someone had put a few long stitches through by hand and named it a quilt. I stood there for a while debating whether or not I should buy it, it was £125.00 down from £175.00 in the sale, so I went ahead a bought it. I got home and put it in cupboard and found that I was annoyed with myself for spending so much on such a simple looking mass-produced item. Over the next couple of weeks, I got more annoyed every time I thought about this quilt. I woke up one morning still feeling cross as I glared at the cupboard door behind which sat this quilt and decided there and then that I could make a much better quilt myself. And so began my journey into the world of quilting…..

That day I bought myself a machine, cutting mat, rotary cutter, thread and fabric, all the items that the lady in the shop said that I would need to begin and lugged it all home and unpacked it and just looked at it, now how do I start? I turned the tv on and opened up YouTube and typed in ‘quilting tutorials for beginners’ and I discovered Jenny Doan and Missouri Star Quilt Company (MSQC) and I was hooked. I watched a few tutorials on how to make some different blocks and decided that I liked the look of pinwheels and that was it, I cut my fabric, used the machine manual to learn how to thread the machine and tried to sew a straight line and I was addicted!

As my work improved and the pile of completed quilts built up, quilting became my ‘fix’, I was doing it at every opportunity. Two months after beginning I went to the Duxford Spring show and I invested in a Horn cabinet and chair and lots of other must have items. I found that I seemed to be on a constant high when I was quilting or doing anything related to quilting and if there was anything that I was unsure how to do, I would turn to MSQC and sure enough Jenny was there to show me the easiest way to do it, I decided that I wanted to visit MSQC myself to see if the hype lived up to the dream. And so almost a year since I became a quilter I began planning my trip to Missouri. As I started doing my research I saw that the Houston Quilt Festival was on in November and I thought as I was planning a trip to Missouri I should do Houston at the same time, and yes now that I have done the trip I realise just how bonkers, exhausting and great fun that was!

All the research was completed, flights, accommodation and car hire booked, itinerary drafted and did I mention that I like travelling on my own….?

I landed in Kansas City, collected my hire car and drove to Hamilton (via a scenic and sometimes scary route, due to an argument with the sat nav!)

I checked into Mari’s Place a quirky and lovingly restored B&B just 3 minutes walk from the MSQC shops. Once refreshed I walked to the shops and I was beyond excited to be somewhere that felt so special to me. I went first to the main shop to get myself registered so that I could collect my Quilter’s Cash as I shopped, and it was here that I met the lovely Bridgit, she was so friendly and talked me through what I should do as I was there for a few days, within 10 minutes I felt like I had known her for years! Unfortunately Jenny and some of her team had already left for the Houston show so I couldn’t meet her but Bridgit seeing that I was disappointed took me to see where some of the magic happened, Jenny’s studio! We walked over thinking that we could peer through the windows but as we got there the door was open so in we went….I met Janice who was sewing a quilt for the Block magazine and she explained to me that she sewed all the quilts ready for photographing. I briefly met the photographers who took the pics for the magazine. Denise, also known as ‘The Quilt Librarian’ showed me where some of the 1600+ quilts from previous magazines were kept and how she stores them in year order, I also saw where the Mod Block inserts were filed. I then got to go into the room where Jenny does her sewing and I sat in her chair!!!

Once my feet had touched the ground, I walked through all the MSQC shops looking at (and buying) lots of quilting supplies, until I couldn’t carry anymore, ladendown I walked back to Mari’s Place. As I had walked around I got a sense of how small Hamilton was and just how much MSQC had done for the local community and revived it from being a slowly dying town. That night I ate dinner at the Blue Sage, one of the restaurants in Hamilton and the food was superb.

The next morning after a fabulous breakfast cooked by Ron and Mari (the best ever hosts) I said that I was going to visit lots of nearby quilt shops and asked their advice as to which were worth visiting and I discovered that Mari hadn’t been to many of these shops so I invited her to join me on a girls trip and she agreed, yay I had company. We visited Quilting is my Therapy in Liberty, Quilters Station in Lees Summit, Sisters Fabric Farm in Lathrop and Crossroads Quilting in Cameron, plus Walmart to see their fabric selection (and to buy another case), the day just flew and my shopping bags just grew, I was shattered. Had the best ever ribs for dinner at Hank and Tanks BBQ and headed for bed.

The next day was a grey and rainy Sunday and almost everything was shut in Hamilton, I decided that I would drive to Hannibal to visit Hickory Stick so off I went. After a 2.5 hour drive I arrived and spent a pleasant hour there looking around and adding to my ever growing collection of purchases. All the ladies here were very knowledgeable and friendly and I was told that the other shops that I had planned on visiting on my return journey would all be closed today but there was a craft shop called Ben Franklin that would be open and it was not too far out of my way so I went there too and it was worth the visit, they carried lots of fabric and other craft items.

I got back to Mari’s Place tired but happy in the early evening. My last day in Hamilton, I headed to Jamesport to visit Shearwood Quilts and Fabrics, again it was raining and grey but I wanted to make the most of my time in Missouri. I passed by several Amish men in their horse pulled buggies as I drove along and thought ‘I can’t imagine seeing that in the streets of Hertfordshire’. I arrived back in Hamilton just before lunch, I visited several of the MSQC shops again and bought the items that I wanted. I found Bridgit and said goodbye to her before heading back to Mari’s Place and packing up my cases. Mari and I loaded up my car, said our goodbyes and I headed back to Kansas City ready for my flight the next day and part 2 of my trip…..

Watch this space to read about the second part of my trip and my Houston adventures!

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