Jenny Doan is the face of the Missouri Star Quilt Company, and champion of having fun with your family, even when money is tight.
{{PS, I’ve got a SALE for those who want some quilting fabric! Enter: JOY10, and it is good for $10 off a purchase of $25+ at Missouri Star and is valid until 08-23-2018.}}
When my dad told me that he and my bonus mom Stephanie were headed to Hamilton Missouri to visit the “quilting mecca”, I was intrigued! Stephanie is a huge fan of making quilts, and had dreamed of visiting the Missouri Star Quilt Company for years. My dad knew I would love the story of Jenny Doan, and how she moved their family from California to small town Missouri for a change of scenery and pace in raising their 7 children, and then became a YouTube sensation, and it’s true, my interest became piqued! After reading all about her, I was so delighted when Jenny agreed to do an interview with me for this podcast: Beyond Good Intentions. If you’ve missed other interviews, I encourage you to check that link in the show notes or look through other episodes.
If you are new to the podcast, let me recommend a few of the more popular episodes: The two most downloaded are #24 with Hank Smith and #20 with Amy from Beautifully Broken Journey. They were generous in sharing their episode with their social media following, and that has helped to shoot them to the top of the list! A few personal favorites are my dad in #6, and my grandma talking about growing up during the great depression in #12–she’s 94 and has so much wisdom!
If you are new to this podcast, I truly believe there is something for everyone in each episode. I encourage you to scroll through the other titles, but also read the summaries, as choosing to sum up a life in just a few words for a title has proven to be VERY challenging for me!
I found Jenny and I had similarities in different creative realms, as she spoke about the intimidation of putting fabrics together for a quilt, and then ultimately built a business from that. I shared my intimidation with learning how to shoot on manual settings with my camera, and now I teach the simplicity with my book, Say NO to Auto, a “short and sweet” beginner photography book.
When she told me about making matching clothes for her kids for family pictures, she became my newest soul sister! She had no way of knowing how much I love taking family pictures, but I just loved this about her. I also love how she referred to life’s ups and downs and uncertainties as “adventures.”
Talking Parenting with Jenny Doan
Our conversation was filled with so many fabulous nuggets, here are just a few to look forward to when you listen:
- How she dealt with kids fighting
- Her spin on “filling our buckets”
- How she learned to sew as a pre-teen
- What she FIRST thought about quilting
- What her dad smelled like after work
- Mailing notes to her grandkids (I told her about my free printable jokes to help!)
- Dating your spouse
- Creative “fun mom” ideas
- Why someone chewed her out
- How her company started after an intimidation of hers
- Selflessly expanding their family through adoption
You can also listen to our chat right here on my website:
A few favorite quotes:
“If you can’t get along in your living room, how will you get along in the world?”
“You love the people you serve.”
“I remember the year I realized I couldn’t do everything.”
“You can’t always have your bucket full, but sometimes you just need to fill a little cup.”
“They’re so empty that they are reacting instead of acting.”
“Nothing compares to the heartache of parenting adult children, because you can’t fix it and make it all better.”
“When you make a quilt, that outlives you. It becomes a treasured piece of art.”
In my chat with Jenny, I referenced my first quilt I made with gorgeous modern fabrics. I used it as a prop in my photography, here is a shot of my girls in 2010 with that quilt. {Click the link to see more}
I also love this picture of Stephanie in Hamilton in front of a gorgeous mall mural of quilts!
