August 19, 2016 - Jenny Doan is the founder of Missouri Star Quilting Company and hosts one YouTube’s largest quilting channels, with more than 340,000 subscribers. We met up with Doan in her brick-and-mortar shop in Hamilton, Missouri, to find out why the centuries-old practice of quilting and public media go so well together. This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

We're looking forward to having you live in our studio during KCPT's upcoming funding drive. Why do you think quilting and public media work so well together?

Quilting teaches you a life skill: sewing. And I think that life skills should be made available to all people. Also, creating something promotes wellness, and the desire to create is in us all.

What is your favorite show on KCPT?

I love Masterpiece...But what makes me stop is Peter, Paul and Mary, John Denver, or André Rieu.

Can you point to something specific you did that really turned your hobby into a successful business?

Our YouTube videos were the major thing that gave us a worldwide audience.

Quilting, as a culture and art form, has been in danger of being lost. Do you see it returning in popularity, and how have platforms — like YouTube — contributed or worked against keeping the culture alive?

We have seen a huge resurgence in the love of quilting. YouTube makes it available to everyone! Not everyone is comfortable taking a class.

What is your best advice for a quilting beginner?

Enjoy the journey! Being a good quilter just takes practice, and finished is better than perfect!

Learn more about Missouri Star Quilting Company and watch quilting tutorials at their YouTube channel.