Yoder's, Woodin Wheel, Stitch 'n Sew: "Quilt Shopping in Kalona" Kalona Shopping Tip by deecat

Even though Kalona is known as "The Quilt Capital of Iowa", Jill was somewhat disappointed in the merchandise available in places that sold quilts. Her take on it is that she will shy away from shops that sell too many diverse items in addition to quilts and/or quilt materials.

Yoder's Antiques, Gifts, and Quilts is a shop that is jam-packed with items. [ corner of Avenue B and 5th ]Everywhere that you look or walk, there are "things". They have antiques, quilts, primitives, graniteware, children's books, toys, glassware, & holiday items.
I had some difficulty in this store because it was so crowded. I was pleased that the quilts were in a area alone so that you could concentrate on them.

Woodin Wheel Antiques, Quilts & Gifts: [515 B Avenue; 319-656-2240]. This diverse shop did have a great selection of designer cloth purses. Jill fell in love with this one design so I bought her the larger of the two sizes for her August birthday. [see photo] She purchased the smaller one in the same design. Fortunately, it matched perfectly with a coat she bought while in Amana of the Amana Colonies.

Stitch n' Sew [207 4th St, www.stitchnsewcottage.com; (319)656-2923; Monday-Saturday, 9am-5pm] was what I would call a Fabric Shop that carried lots of different fabrics for quilt making. I'm not the quilter, but Jill is, and she was not impressed. It tended to cater to country quilt material, and we were looking for reproduction material and batiks.

Willow Creek Quilting & Gifts 418 B Avenue; 319-656-3939; www.willowcreekquilting.com. This shop has over 3,000 bolts of fabric and specializes in homespuns and flannel [which is not my style]. They have good books and patterns for quilts. Have have models made up with kits for sale.


What to buy: In these three stores, you are able to purchase fabrics, quilts, antiques, accessories, items for the home, and unique gift items.

What to pay: Again, we were pleased that the prices were reasonable.

Directions: Kalona is such a small town that most of these stores, except the STitch n' Sew were located on the main B Avenue [main street]
Theme: Local Craft