Quilt Sampler – August 2019

Once a very traditional

shop with primarily 1800s

reproduction prints,

Homestead Hearth has

embraced the modern

quilting movement.

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BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO

AllPeopleQuilt.com/757

AMERICAN

SADDLEBRED

HORSE MUSEUM

Mexico was once

known as the

Saddlebred Capital

of the World. The

museum was

established in

1970; exhibits

include an

extensive range

of equestrian

memorabilia.

573/581-3910;

audrain.org/

american-

saddlebred-horse-

museum

GRACELAND

MUSEUM

The 1857 home

built by John P.

Clark, a native

Virginian, was host

to Col. Ulysses S.

Grant during the

early days of

the Civil War.

573/581-3910;

audrain.org/

graceland-museum

DOS ARCOS

A Mexican

restaurant

treasured by locals.

573/581-3101

DAGWOOD JR.

Casual, delicious

deli fare, “a Mexico

original!”

573/581-2332;

dagwoodjr.com

Sarah favors modern quilting, while

Dolores focuses on reproduction and

primitive fabric designs. In November,

Homestead Hearth will be vending

at International Quilt Festival.

Designs by Sarah J had a booth at

QuiltCon 2019. It was so successful

they intend to return. The modern

focus has helped Homestead Hearth

attract younger quilters and more

mature quilters ready for a change of

pace. “With so many claiming that

brick and mortar is dying, we are

driven to show that small-town quilt

shops can succeed,” Sarah says.

Perhaps Homestead Hearth’s most

well-known offering is its block-of-

the-month (BOM) program, often

running 50 different projects a

month and featuring unusual designs

that have not appeared extensively in

print. Customers also appreciate the

personal attention they receive, not

only from Sarah and Dolores but 

also from two full-time and two

part-time employees.

Sarah and Dolores have grown to

trust their instincts. "We’ve learned

over the years that sometimes the hot

new thing isn’t the best thing for us,”

Sarah says. She and Dolores take a long

view of what fabrics will work best

for their customer base at Homestead

Hearth, considering whether they

can be used in the many block-of-

the-month programs and if they will

continue to sell down the road.

Sarah began designing fabric five

years ago, and Dolores followed the

next year, designing for Marcus

Fabrics. Together the duo has written

four books, including Stashbusters!

(C&T Publishing, 2016). This year

Sarah published her first solo book,

Morse Code Quilts (Landauer

Publishing, 2019), which offers

modern patterns that have Morse

code in the designs, creating secret

messages in the quilts.

The message Sarah and Dolores

want to send to quilters is that

Homestead Hearth is worth a trip

to Mexico!

Visit Homestead Hearth at 105 N. Coal

St., Mexico, MO 65265; 573/581-1966;

homesteadhearth.com. Please call for

current shop hours.

86 | Quilt Sampler FALL/WINTER 2019