Quilt Shop: Quilt Gallery

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Today we needed to drive into Kalispell to get a few things at the hardware store.  We had breakfast along the way.  The deal was that I would wait patiently while Mike snooped the plumbing department of the hardware store, and he would wait patiently (as he always does) so that I could snoop the quilt shops.  As it turns out, one of the quilt shops was no longer in business.  The one I visited was well worth the trip, however.  

Before I tell you about the quilt shop, I want to tell you about an app I'm using on my iPhone to find quilt shops in the areas we are traveling through. It's put out by the Quilter's Club of America, and it's called (appropriately enough) "Quilt Shops".   Incidentally, when I searched for a link to the app, I noted that it is available for the Android operating system as well.

I've been using this app along the way, and it has been very useful and easy to use.  When you bring up the home screen, it looks like this.  If you grant it permission to use your current location, you can simply press "start search".  It's also possible to search using a zip code or a name.

I've been allowing it to use my current location, so that any time I have cell service, I can do a search and see if there are any quilt shops in the area, no matter where we are.

In the Kalispell area, it informs me that there are three shops available.  The shop I visited today was the Quilt Gallery.  So I simply press on the pin I'm interested in, and it brings up information about the shop.

Now I have the option of calling the shop or mapping it.  I can call by simply pressing the telephone number. I don't have to dial the number myself.  I highly recommend this step because the app (like any directory) is not completely accurate.  Quilt shops come and go, and so I always recommend calling before driving.

Once I've determined that the quilt shop is in business and open, I can press the "Map it" button and it will bring up a map showing me the location.

At this point, I think the app would be greatly improved if it also included voice navigation, but that's just me.  I can use my yellow pages app for that too.  It just requires an extra step.

You may notice that this app has been rated with 2 1/2 stars.  It has only been reviewed 14 times (and not by me).  I'll do that once I'm finished with this post.  The complaints had to do with accuracy and improvements that could be made.  Still enough people liked it (including me) to make it worth your while to give it a try.  And, bonus!  It's free.  As for the problems with accuracy, see above about calling ahead before driving to any quilt shop.  That's just common sense, and the app makes it very easy for you.

Okay, on with the quilt shop.  The first shop we went to was no longer in business (I neglected to call ahead or I would have known that).  Still, it wasn't a wasted trip.  We saw this picturesque farm along the way.  I love freshly mown and bundled hay.

Here's a little closer view of the barn.

After stopping to take a couple of pictures of the farm, we were off to the Quilt Gallery.  Click on the link to see their website, which is excellent.  There is a lot more information there about the shop and its owners.

The shop is located on the main highway that runs through Kalispell, and so it is very easy to find.  The parking lot is small, but ample.  (It was not large enough for us to pull in with our RV attached, however, and so we passed it by on our way through town the first time.)

The shop is beautiful when you walk in the front door.  It is a moderately large space, but they have organized their fabrics on tall shelves, like a library would organize books, and so the space is well-utilized and easy to navigate.

While they had a large selection of fabrics, I thought there were some categories missing.  They had some beautiful batiks, novelty prints, large-print florals, landscape prints, regional prints, children's prints, and flannels.  However, I did not notice any reproduction prints or calicoes.  Anyone looking for those kinds of fabrics would be disappointed.  The table right in front of this image is all Christmas fabrics.  There was also a small supply of Halloween fabrics available.

One whole room to the right of the front door was devoted to patterns, books and kits, and there were more patterns distributed throughout the store.  There was also a good supply of thread and notions.

On the far wall were more rows of fabrics.  About half of what you see here was devoted to flannel, and the back half of the wall was children's fabrics.

When I walked to the back of the store, I noticed a cut-out in the wall that allowed me to see a roomy and comfortable classroom in the back of the store.

There were some adorable quilts for sale hanging all around the store.  I liked these two table-runner size quilts.  I would say they were optimistically priced.

I love batiks and they had a wonderful selection.  I purchased two yard of each of these.  I really liked the colors and the butterflies in this one.

This one reminded me of peppermint candies, although it was not shelved with the Christmas prints.  I don't think it was intended as a holiday print, but it will work as one if I want it to.

Finally, this one with the buffalo.  I don't know if there are buffalo in Montana, but I'm calling this a regional print.  There must be a buffalo close by somewhere.  Mainly, I just liked the colors.

So, I really liked this quilt shop.  It is definitely worth your time if you are traveling to Glacier National Park or through Kalispell.  I rated it 4 out of 5 rotary cutters.

It would have received 5 rotary cutters had the fabric selection been more all-encompassing.  If you are a person who likes civil war prints, reproduction prints, or calicoes, you would have been disappointed with the selection of fabrics.  Otherwise, it was a great quilt shop, and I'm very glad I tagged along with Mike on his quest for plumbing supplies.