Sunday, 29 October 2017

The great quilting tour of the USA

Friday the 20th of October, we board our plane to fly to Kansas City, to commence our quilting tour of the mid west. We depart Sydney and onto LA, Denver and then Kansas City, the whole travel time was 26hrs, as with all travel it takes it out of you and takes a couple of days to recuperate.
Straight to our hotel to settle for the night and after a good nights sleep, up bright and early ready for our tour.
DH is to accompany me on this trip, being a quilting tour and let’s admit also a shopping tour, this will be interesting, luckily he can hold his own with 37 other female quilters.

We board our bus for the first day depart Kansas City and drive to Cameron, where we will stay for the next 3 nights and explore the surrounding towns.

Our first visit was Hamilton, the home and birth place of JC Penny and the famous Missouri Star quilting company.
Missouri Star is owned by Jenny Doan, which was started off by her YouTube videos, teaching quilting techniques.
 Her children helped in setting up the business by buying a building in Hamilton and this is where Missouri Star quilting company was born, today it is a successful $20,000,000 a year business and has revived the small township of Hamilton, offering employment to over 300 staff.
The whole town is full of quilting shoos, except for three others, that are independently owned.
To visit Hamilton and being a quilter, this is a must stop for anyone that loves to quilt.
Some colourful poodles out and about in Hamiltom, Missouri.
I must apologise but I am unable to post photos or blog, due to apple new 11.0.3update as it does not support blogger, so frustrating ! Sorry but my posts are done on arrival to home.

DH and I also visited the JC Penny museum, as Hamilton was the birth place of the famous JC Penny.
Entrance to the JC penny store.
Model of JC Penny in museum
Style is applied even in a the bathrooms, surrounded by printed wood panelling.
All ready for Halloween.

With nearly every shop a fabric or sewing shop, Missouri star had the foresight to place a man cave in one of their shops, very tastefully decorated, but as you can see from the photo, not only men take the opportunity to use these comfy seats. DH was aghast and said that nothing is sacred from us women!!!

 We had lunch at the Blue Sage restaurant, the only one in town and is also part owned by Missouri Star quilting.
I sampled the pumpkin pie, it was delicious.

After departing Hamilton, we made a visit to Walmart, a few suitcases were acquired by some of the group and it is only one day into the trip, I feel that Missouri Star quilting co economy, was boosted this day, tomorrow we are off to St Joesph to visit the Pony Express museum.
More to follow.



>