Quilters Quest

My daughter was looking for a sewing machine for a Christmas gift. I researched online and noticed they were the closest (and one of the only) Bernina dealers in the area. The people in this Quilters Quest store took such amazing care of her. They brought a more appropriate Janome machine out and set it up to show her how it worked. They even let her sew for over an hour. They showed her all of the decorative stitches and even let her pick out fabric to bring home to her brother. Mind you, my daughter is only 6! The owners and staff at this store have infinite patience and are happy to share their knowledge and love for sewing with anyone, even little girls. Thanks to everyone for making it a MERRY CHRISTMAS. And, sometimes they have a HUGE Bernese Mountain Dog that walks around and greets everyone.

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I came to Quilter’s Quest via their beginning quilting class, where it quickly became apparent that I was in way over my head. The store’s owner and her staff have gone waaaay above and beyond the call to walk me through making my first quilt. And what started out as an exercise in frustration has turned in to a truly lovely, immensely gratifying creative process.

Spending a few hours a week in the shop working on my quilt-​to-​be, I’ve noticed that to a person, the staff is unstintingly helpful and friendly to every single customer that walks through the door. They are patient, and immensely knowledgeable about every aspect of quilting, from fabric selection to piecing to finishing.
I’ve been working primarily with Jacqueline Harris, and she is fabulous. She’s inarguably an artist. She”s also an exceptional teacher. It’s rare that those two traits show up in the same person and I consider myself extremely fortunate to have the chance to learn from her.
In addition to knowing their business when it comes to quilting, the staff also has an encyclopedic knowledge of sewing machines, from featherweights to long arms. There’s a huge selection of machines in the shop, and as a beginner I found the selection overwhelming. (And those long arms — I Can’t Even. They’re like space ships.).
Anyway, rather than steer me toward to most expensive Bernina in the place and sending me on my way (which is what happened elsewhere, the last time I tried to buy sewing machine), Quilters Quest has let me actually work on their machines right in the shop (Not the long arms. As the kids would say, you need, like, dope mad skillz to operate those.) So after a few weeks of putting together a quilt top on their machines, I’ve now got a pretty good idea of what I need to buy for myself.
At any rate, short of some unforeseen catastrophe, it would seem that I will actually have a finished quilt (a smallish, imperfect one, but a quilt nonetheless) in time for Christmas gift-​giving. And in the new year, I plan on taking some more classes.
Speaking of which: In my experience, you need basic sewing skills to get the most out of the beginning quilters’ class. You will also need lots of time to work on your project outside of the alloted class time. In the «From the Start» class I took, there was never more than 10 minutes or so of actual in-​class sewing/​cutting/​quilt construction time. The rest of the two-​hour sessions were lectures which, while informative, I found difficult to apply to real-​life quilting once I got home.
PS The fabric selection is AMAZEBALLS. Themed, prints, solids, batiks — everything from classic florals to saucy prints of dancing brassieres. You can browse the selection on their website, which is useful but also potentially a major isssue if you tend to procrastinate.
Please don’t review this business if you received a freebie for writing this review, or if you’re connected in any way to the owner or employees.

I’m a fairly new quilter, long time sewer (is that a word?) and walked into QQ just to see what it was all about. I was immediately greeted by a member of their super friendly staff who gave me a tour of the store. They answered my questions, recommended classes, and even offered to provide some pointers on the things I’m struggling with in my quest to teach myself to quilt. They made me feel like a long time customer and a friend. I’m looking forward to visiting again and again.

My mom and I have been on a quest to get to all of the local quilt stores that are participating in the Row by Row challenge. My mom’s an avid quilter of many years, and I’ve been a long time sewer that just recently got bit by the quilting bug, so off we went to Woodridge.
Quilters Quest’s row was super cute. So cute, in fact, that the kit for it had totally sold out. I was disappointed because this one was literally the only one I wanted to make. I got a pattern, however (those are free at all participating stores) and the woman working here took some time out to advise me on how to find some good fabrics that could work for each portion of the quilt.
I spent some time perusing and found some great fabrics, and as I was checking out, the woman remembered that she had a few pieces of the kit left over in the back room, got them for me, and gave them to me (for free!) to use if I want when I make my quilt. Awesome! Talk about above and beyond!
Generally speaking, Quilters Quest has an outstanding range of fabrics available, and lots of them were on sale while I was there. They have a ton of samples which are gorgeous and make you want to buy pretty much every pattern and kit that they have on sale.
At the end of my trip here, I paid $ 8 for two ¼ yards and a fat quarter. So I’m not sure why this place is showing up as $$$$ super high end expensive. It’s really not. Prices were very comparable to other area quilt shops, and I really do know, because I’ve been to all of them.

Deb and Bob have my quilting business until I die.
Friendly staff,… that’s an understatement. Bob is the first or second one to say hello to me,… Just as I enter the front door.
Fabric,… The variety is great, Batiks , Orientals, Modern, as well as all the standards.
They are a Bernina dealer to boot. How great is that!

This store is fantastic and always has the perfect fabric I am looking for and so much more! There is every style of fabric here to suit all types of quilters. I love modern quilting and they carry a wide selection of modern fabric designers and there is a huge selection of solid fabrics. You will find all sorts of goodies, and the best part is they have fantastic customer service! I’ve always been intimidated about longarm quilting, but they invited us to get a closer look while a king size quilt was being quilted.

Today my husband and I decided to have adventures all the way up north for a dinner with his siblings. What better way to start off an adventure than going to a new quilt store, don’t you agree?
I have had this place bookmarked for quite a while ever since Lois reviewed it and they hosted a workshop with my Quilt designer crush, Blue Underground. When we first drove up I was a bit hesitant. I am used to quilt stores being a big cozy and this seemed a bit sterile from the outside.
Once I stepped through the doors, I realized that the big bright space was a definite plus as the coziness was created by the vibe of friendliness and the buzz of activity that was going on. Then I realized that the store’s colors were blue and orange? Only my favorite alma mater colors!
What else was fabulous about this cheery fabric mecca? Being greeted not one but twice. Having multiple people tell me they loved my top. (Fine this has nothing to do with the shop but doesn’t everyone like a compliment?) There was a man’s corner with a TV, my husband was napping in the car but next time, he’ll come it. Deborah the owner had on the cutest orange pants and shoes and was a like force of joy and fun. Her husband was running the longarm in the back, how marvelous is that? There was an Open House with samples and teachers for all their fall classes and the classroom was a sunny cute spot behind French doors.
And then there was the fabric. Luscious, delicious, decadently fabulous fabric. I bought way too much but seriously how could I not? I got a fat quarter bundle for a Blue Underground quilt in a book I already own, some notions, a veritable bouquet of lovelies call Collage and 3 different pieces from the Quilt Girl Collection. How could I not buy Quilt Girl? Exactly, I had to buy it.
What a great way to start our Saturday work your way north adventure. Will I be back? You have to ask? They’re lucky I am not out there with a sleeping bag waiting for the story to open again.
Quilters, your quest for the best store in the Chicago area is over, it’s here! I found it. You’re welcome!

Now, if I were only a quilter…
This place is sooooooooooooo new, it does not even have a sign yet and the new paint smell is faintly noticeable.
I was warmly greeted upon entering and the person could have been speaking a foreign language, but it would probably make perfect sense to someone who quilts.
The space is open and airy, has a classroom, and some big ass machine they were very proud to «have on sight». However, it was the selection of fabrics that made me smile. They were arranged by color, holiday, theme, sport, baby, but the Australian themed ones were the best. They will be offering classes soon.
Now, if they only sold patience, I might give it a try :) LOL