Quilt Shops in New England

[Debbie W.]

We will be taking a fall foliage trip to New England in September and I'm hoping that some of our member on the East coast would be able to give me suggestions on quilt shops to visit. Our itinerary begins by flying into Providence, R.I., renting a card & driving to Concord/Boston, then to the Cape Code area. We'll then go to the White Mountains (staying in Conway, NH), then to the Green Mountains (staying in Montpelier, VT). We'll then head south to Brattleboro, VT and back to Providence to fly back to Texas. There has to be a number of wonderful quilt stores and I'd love first hand information. :?: :lol:

[Debbie W.]

I tried to post a comment on your blog but it never seemed to show up. I would reccommend stopping at Keepsake Quilting in Center Harbor, New Hampshire. We often stay at the Inn at Bayside during the fall folliage time and also visit Keepsake. Beautiful, beautiful area. We go the day after Columbus Day.

[Debbie W.]

Hi- Also if you are in the area of Plymouth on the weekend maybe we can get together for lunch.....Norina
P.S.I used to live in Texas in the 60's. My last daughter was born there in the Army.

[Beth A.]

When you go to Keepsake Quilting, take an hour or so and do a non-quilting activity (horrors!). Take one of the boat tours of that beautiful lake. It is where "On Golden Pond" was filmed and it is truly lovely.

BethMI

[Beth A.]

Oh lucky lucky you, I love that part of America! I've been once in the fall and twice for christmas skiing, and stayed in North Conway for the skiing trips. I like Keepsake, but it's a huge store and I find it a bit overwhelming, though still worth a visit, plus it's in a lovely area. For smaller, more manageable shops, try Vac and Sew on the road from Conway to North Conway. They have a nice range of quilting fabric, and if you fancy a ride over the border into Maine, there's another fab shop there called ... erm ... hang on, it'll come to me in a minute :lol: . I live in the UK, so it's important for me to get to all the quilt shops when I visit an area, my OH is very good at spotting them, bless him . Oh yes, it's come to me now - http://www.kedarquilts.com/ - it's a B&B as well as a fabric shop. It's about an hour's drive from North Conway and you see some more beautiful countryside on the way. While you're in the Conway area, be sure to take a trip on the Conway Scenic Railway, but make sure you buy a first class ticket - the accommodation in the standard class carriages is basic to say the least :lol:

Have a wonderful holiday!

[Beth A.]

Hi, I went around New England in 2007 and called to some lovely quilt shops. Knights quilt shop ,Maine, Heartbeat quilts, Hyannis,MA, Southhampton quilts western MA, Country Treasures, Chester, VT, Adirondack Quilts , Glensfalls NY, Keepsake quilts NH to name a few. Chester is a lovely quaint town. Heartbeat quilts had some fab kits and their patterns/kits are seen in The Quilter mag. All shops were great, hard to pick out one special.
I was to more but would need more time to try think of the names.
So I hope you have you have a great time I know I did.
Happy quilting

[Beth A.]

I'll be in Brattleboro (& Putney) the last weekend of September! my sons' college Parents' weekend. I've only been there once before & wasn't able to explore &/or find any quilt shops. Our route brings us straight up the east coast then north thru Connecticut. Can't wait to take them to college...19 days & counting. Yes, I'll miss them terribly, but I get my sewing room back!! It's full of suitcases, trunks, etc. right now...
Florence

[Julia L.]

The website http://www.norquilt.com is the site of Norton House in Wilmington,VT. They are halfway between Brattleboro and Bennington. There are directions on the homepage. I've never been there but have ordered online from them and was happy with my purchases and the service. Julie

[Jocelyn W.]

Keepsake Quilting is a great shop, amazing amount of fabric. They are very busy and the staff not always extra friendly or helpful, but, persist as there is so much to see. The view of Lake Winnipesaukee from the store is lovely. A tour of that lake on the MS Mt. Washington from Weirs Beach (just south of Meredith, NH) will give a full view of the 'Big' lake. Squam Lake also offers short tours on pontoon boats from landings just north of Meredith. So, yes, one of the inns in Meredith would be a perfect stop (Church Landing, Chase House, Inn at Mills Falls or Inn at Bay Point are all part of the same company) While in Vermont, try to plan the better part of a day at the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, VT
just south of Burlington on Rt. 7. Do look them up on the internet to get an idea of the wealth of that experience. There is a special quilt exhibit every year displaying a portion of their collection. Also, I believe the Jane Stickle quilt is on display in Bennington this summer and early Fall. We summer on Lake Winnipesaukee and lived in Shelburne, VT many years ago. With Keepsake so close, I fear I don't get to other shops. Enjoy!

[Sue R.]

Hope I'm catching you before you are here---we just came back from way up north to see our new grandbaby, and there are very few leaves which have started to turn. I'm sure that will be different in a couple of weeks !

My new favorite quilt shop is Quilted Threads in Henniker

http://www.quiltedthreads.com

The shop is about a 30 minute ride west of Concord NH. There is a very wide range of fabrics from kids to Japanese, batiks, repros and everything you can think of in between. Knowledgeable staff that treats you with just the right balance of interest and helpfulness without hovering. I've only been there once, but felt quite at home there.

I'm in southern NH, so if you need any directions or local details, please feel free to email me. Hope you have a wonderful trip !

Sue

[Sue R.]

Pine Tree Quilt Shop in Salem NH is very nice. It is in a collection of Office Bldgs on route 28 next to the Bank of America. It is in back there in the furthest shop back. Have fun Jan

[Diane O.]

I will be in Hancock MA this coming week, and have been looking for some quilt stores a bit further south than what you all have been talking about.

Would love to go to Keepsake, but that may be a bit further than we want to drive for a day. Are there any quilt shops in MA that are worth a stop? We will have a rental car, and will be going to Boston one day. We plan on driving around the area to see the foliage, so if there are some shops that are a must see, I would love to hear about them.

Thank you,
Diane

[Sue R.]

Diane,

I'm sorry I don't know of any quilt shops in that area.

DMIL is from the next town over. If you have a chance to do other sightseeing, the Shaker Village in Hancock is just wonderful. Round barn on 3 levels--who would think a barn could be so beautiful ?

Also, in Stockbridge is the Norman Rockwell Museum. Seeing his paintings IRL is very different from seeing the prints on paper. He really did use light amazingly well.

If you can go as far north as Williamstown (maybe an hour north) there is the Sterling Clark Museum. It's a little quilt related since the $ the Clark family made---as in Coats & Clark thread---was donated to create the museum. Beautiful, wonderful collection of paintings. Having been only to NYC museums where you stood about 6-10 feet away from the paintings, it was amazing to be able to walk right up to Monets, Renoirs and Van Goghs and see them up close.

[Diane O.]

Sue,

Thank you for the info. We are going to the Shaker village, and having a dinner there one night. We will also be in Stockbridge, and will go to the Norman Rockwell Museum if time allows.

Not sure if we are heading to Williamstown, but I will keep that in mind if we do get up that way.

Diane

[Diane O.]

After my second trip to Brattleboro in a month, I've decided it's a town that is in desperate need of a quilt/fabric store! It is such a cute, artsy, earthy town I can't believe there's not one there already. Anyone thinking of picking up and moving? there's an opportunity...
Florence