Da hubs and I decided to check off more national parks and states from our respective bucket lists.
We packed our Northern Lite truck camper with provisions and set off for our first destination, Hamilton, MO., home of the Missouri Star Quilt Company.
On the way there we made a couple of overnight stops at Bellefonte KOA Pennsylvania (best bath house we’ve seen at any campground so far) and Indianapolis KOA (campground with the most personality) to break up the journey.
Long drives are fine by me because I get plenty of stitching time. So far I have finished the Larch Peds toe-up pattern by Laura Nelkin and worked on Sweet Honey Bee embroidery pattern by Shepherd’s Bush.
Note to self, bumpy Interstate 70 in Indiana is not a friend to needleworkers. I’ll be knitting on that leg of the trip on the way home.
Visiting Missouri Star Quilt Company was a ton of fun! Each building had its own personality, down to the music playing. Here are my highlights:
- Favorite music: Show tunes in Licensed To Sew. I walked in to “Suddenly Seymour” from Little Shop of Horrors and out to “Maria” from West Side Story.
- Favorite fabric: Reproduction vintage 1930s, Lori Holt and Kansas Troubles fabric in Missouri Star Mercantile.
- Most dangerous: the Machine Shed is attached to Man’s Land for good reason. It’s where all the sewing machines and acrylic rulers are located. Kick the tires at your own risk. You have been warned.
- Best MSQC merch: Main Shop has all the things – cups, t-shirts clappers, plates and more.
- Most personality: The Fabric Market, located in a former meat market, it plays up the whole theme with a counter full of different “cuts”, references to food, items displayed in canning jars and a soda shop with delicious beverages, including a wide variety of sugar-free options.
This place really checked all the boxes for me. Ya’ll, they have a yarn shop, where they had a locally dyed yarn! I had totally forgotten they bought WEBS. But I also found lots of embroidery and hand sewing scattered among the 18 different shops. I regret not getting the English paper piecing kit and 1930s reproduction fabric I found in the Mercantile but hopefully I earned enough points to shop online later.
So, I checked off Missouri and up next was Kansas. We took a last minute detour to have lunch at Da Hubs alma mater – Kansas State University. On the way back home we’ll visit the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve.
Next stop, Colorado!
Happy stitching,
Dawn, The Stitching Coach
