Missouri Quilt Museum - Hamilton, MO

 I was blessed to visit Hamilton, MO last year and so this trip is number 2 for me and a few others in our group.  However, we did not get the chance to visit the museum at that time and we have finished our scavenger hunt with some time leftover before the retreat officially begins.  The museum is only a few blocks away so we opt to walk.  We've heard great things about this museum and I'm looking forward to our stop.

Out front is the "Worlds Largest Spool of Thread."  I'm not going to dispute it, for sure, and I guess you can add to it if you wish so they truly have no idea how much is on there.

Upon our entry, we discover that the entrance fee is part of our retreat cost.  That's so nice and a pleasant surprise.  Now --- off we go to see al that we can see.  I'm not in a hurry and want to take it all in.  The first room has these gorgeous old ladies on exhibit.

Fiddle base with coffin top --- such a pretty Jones machine.

I'll share some eye candy and give info when I can - this is "Japanese Bridge" by Cat Nix of Pleasant Valley, MO and is for sale.

I seem to be drawn to pillows lately.  LOVE this one - the edge is just so fun.

Everywhere the eye wanders - there is fun.  This is a stairwell.

The Albert Einstein quilt.  This quilt has 7,680 pieces.  Woah.

Einstein info, which is cool, but the quilt in front is pretty awesome too.

Selvedge quilt.  I used to think I'd like to do one of these, but I'd have had to start collecting and saving selvedges a long time ago.

The family history with this next quilt states that it was made in the 1840's by African Americans living in Mississippi.  They took used coffee grounds, leftover from their slave owner, to dye the fabrics a brown color.  The cotton on the inside was also gathered by them.  It still contains the cotton seeds, nestled between the two layers of fabric.  Although this quilt was used often, and shows its wear, it is in great condition for its age.

This is a cute interactive exhibit.  Try to name each block and if you look inside, the answer is there.

Right next to the lockers is a VERY LARGE rotary cutter.

Simply BEAUTIFUL.  Entitled "Flower of Life," it is also by Cat Nix.  She writes, "What happens if 8 circles perfectly overlap one another?  When shapes are separated, one sees the petal formations appear within the circles.  Thus began the Flower of Life.  This quilt is comprised of 76 different batik fabrics and the combinations of color and texture have been carefully selected and arranged to follow the color wheel."

A woven quilt.

This Puzzle Quilt, designed by Paula Nadelstern, is made up of 12 blocks of 6 different constructions.  The puzzle is to figure out which blocks are constructed alike.

This is "Love in the Shadows" by Kerry Propst Fleming Johnson of Manchester, MO.  It is whole cloth, hand quilted with trapunto of acrylic spot yard.  No frame was used to quilt it.  She writes, "I made this quilt during the time Princess Diana died.  To honor her sons there are two broken hearts quilted into it.  It took me a year to make.  The back is pieced and there are many shades of yard used in the feathers.  I did this to see how different colors of yard would come through the front and against various background colors on the back.  When placed against a wall it is very subtle and paste.  When light is behind, it glows like a stained glass window.  I combined flower patterns from several sources to make the wreath.  I now know that the graphite pencil I used to mark the design wasn't a good choice and other better choices weren't readily available to me.  I had it hanging in my entry stairwell for 20 years.  It was one of the few times I used lace on the binding.  I think this is my finest work and much are 11 stitches to the inch."

Closer look.  I think she uses the word yarn for thread.  Not sure though.

This room is CRAZY.  Ha-ha.  Get it?  

This 1891 Crazy Quilt was donated by Allison Sadler family on behalf of the Thomas'.  Mary J. Thomas was living with her daughter, Helen, and son-in-law, Charles Seeley, in Pennsylvania at the time this quilt was made.  The quilt was made for her granddaughter, Mary Seeley, and gifted to her for her 10th Christmas.  Mary Seeley gift this quilt to her son, Frank Graves, as a you boy - when she was sent away for Tuberculosis.  Frank lived in Indian and Missouri.  He served in WWII and was a bachelor all his live, along with a decorated motorcycle racer.  He wrapped his trophies up in this quilt and stored them tucked away under his bed.  At his passing, the quilt was found in wonderful condition - along with his trophies.  New batting from Pennsylvania cotton was hand-carded and new backing was constructed from the suits and linings from Frank's closet to restore the quilt to replicate original condition.  The quilt top was nearly unscathed and only small stitching repairs had to be made in a couple of spots.  Look closely to see where the stitching is inconsistent.  Little Mary was learning to stitch alongside her mother and grandmother.  

Crazy quilts started in the 1880's and used silks, wools, cottons, and artificial fibers.  Pieces were appliqued and usually fitted onto a fabric background.  It's call crazy because it is made of pieces of cloth of various colors and irregular shapes and sizes.  In a book, Crazy Patchwork, published in 1884, it is written:  "No species of fancy-work yet invented, has ever given more scope for the exercise of artistic ability and real originality; hence, the secret of its wonderful popularity.  It is probably that it will exercise its fascinations for years to come." 

There is also a challenge in many crazy quilts.  According to quilting folklore, the makers of crazy quilts would often stitch a hidden spider in the quilt.  I started the hunt and did, indeed, find one in the quilt on the wall.

Oh goodness.  This next room is fascinating.

"Pat Kuhns is an award-winning quilt maker from Lincoln, NE.  She started quilting in 1995 and after making several large quilts, she fell in love with small scale quilts, especially miniatures.  Starting in 2005 through 2016, Pat competed in quilt contests throughout the United States.  She has won top awards in the miniature category in most of the prestigious contests in the country.  Her work has been published in several magazines and books.  Two of her quilts were selected to be included in a new book titled "500 Traditional Quilts."  Pat was notified in 2018 that the acquisitions committee for the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, KY accepted several of her miniature quilts and miniature beds into their permanent collection.  Pat is thrill to have her work exhibited at the Missouri Quilt Museum.  This is a lifetime dream of hers to have a place where her quilts can inspire and be enjoyed."

I can't even explain how amazing this is in person.

My finger, for scale.

I just can't stop looking.  I'm in awe.

Do you see what the chalkboard says?  Her smallest piece is 1/16".  Woah.

Across the hall is a room that holds a different past.  Flour sacks.  Oh the amazing things women made with there.  "Feed sacks rose to popularity very quickly in the 1920's and 1940's.  Every home needed clothing and food.  This item gave them both!  Just like today, fabrics were designed in many different patterns and colorways.  You couldn't go into any home without seeing evidence of feed sacks being repurposed.  From clothing to quilts and curtains, the feed sack was utilized in every way possible."

Look at this thing!!  I've never seen a Plaiter before.  I'll include the poster nearby - crazy.

 "Quilts are a celebration of life, hand-pieced and hand-stitched together, often with scraps of fabric that were once thrown in a basket of leftovers, plucked from that basket only to be used to create visual masterpieces by hands that understand all too well the twists and turns of life.  Quilts convey stories of life; they are visual testimonies of people, oftentimes documenting their journey across time and place.  These lovely masterpieces have graced the beds of royalty, the homes of lowly sharecroppers, and covered holes in the walls of those folks that had nothing but that handmade quilt to keep them warm.  At the core of the Missouri Bicentennial Quilt project was the desire to allow everyone an opportunity to use their inventive spirit, no matter who they are or where they live, whether their family put down roots in Missouri or transitioned through.  The object was to encourage use of creative skills to participate in a celebration of people in place through the art form of quilting; taking a piece of fabric and stitching together a story of community.  The Missouri Bicentennial Quilt is a piece of artwork that will stand the test of time, giving testimony to vibrant communities.  We Missourians live in a state that is continually changing, and as we commemorate its bicentennial, lets remember that our state was built by dynamic people, stitched together one piece at a time."

So - how did it work?  "Since the pioneer days of the American Midwest, quilts have been a cornerstone of Missouri culture, fashion, and tradition.  In honor of our great state's 200th anniversary, the State Historical Society of Missouri and Missouri Star Quilt Company, in partnership with Missouri State Quilter's Guild, teamed up to create the Missouri Bicentennial Quilt.  Using one quilt block to represent each Missouri County and the independent City of St. Louis, the project sought to create a quilt featuring the unique characteristics of Missouri culture and style.  Quilt block submissions were accepted from October 8, 2018, through September 2, 2019.  Multiple submissions for the same county were judged according to whether they met criteria, level of creativity and craft, and description of significance.  The judging committee included representatives from Missouri Star Quilt Company, the State Historical Society of Missouri, and Missouri State Quilters Guild.  Over the winter of 2019-2020, Missouri Star Quilt Company stitched the blocks together and gave the Missouri Bicentennial Quilt its final look.  As the Missouri Bicentennial Quilt travels around the State of Missouri, it provides viewers an opportunity to learn about the tremendous geographic and cultural diversity of Missouri and to identify some share traits that make Missouri unique in the nation.

A second quilt in the same room:

Yep, Jenny Doan has a presence here, but MSQC does not own this museum.  

More beautiful, vintage ladies - 

This yellow Featherweight is so cute, BUT the table has me drooling.  I so want one.

Another important person in Hamilton, MO is James Cash Penney.  There are a few signs about him in the next room.

This next quilt was donated by the Karen Willette family.  It has been in her family for many generations.  Willette says, "the quilt has been passed down through the female descendants of Captain Samuel E. Turner, an early county settler and one of the first pastors of the Kendall Chapel Church.  The quilt contains at least 1,000 names, ostensibly of all the residents of the county in the 1880s."

Another new-to-me, but vintage item.

The chair is built in --- perfect.

EVERY single person that walked into this room stopped and exclaimed or took a deep breath.  Sooooo many toy machines.

Even toy treadles.  Wow.

We are in the old school and it is 3 floors, packed with quilt items.  It just keeps going.

I round a corner and find Sherri and Frieda, taking a break in the gym, where another collection is being exhibited.  I'm so pleased with this stop.

As we near the end, I spot a couple of fun quilts in the hallway.  The first is Ghastly Halloween by Courtenay Hughes - pattern is Trifecta by Mountainpeek Creations and uses The Ghastlies lines of fabrics by Alexander Henry.

Old Main and Witchy Hats is also by Courtenay Hughes.  Pattern is by Joy Studios and fabrics are J. Wecker Frisch.

One last lady before I close this post.  There is SO much that I didn't show so if you are in Hamilton, please make sure you visit this amazing museum.  There were lots of rooms being renovated while we visited - who knows what will be there next.  Check it out.