Lancaster County Is America’s Quilt Capital
A patchwork of colorful fabrics, intricately stitched together in a labor of love. Quilts made by Amish and Mennonite women in Lancaster County are renowned for their superior craftsmanship and quality. Once a practical household item made simply to provide warmth, quilts have evolved into an art form and are highly desired not only as bedding but as works of art, often becoming family heirlooms.
In the Amish culture, quilting serves as a social gathering for the women and girls, an opportunity to spend time together and talk. In addition, quilt-making has turned into a business enterprise for Amish families, with many opening up small quilt shops in their homes or consigning their quilts with larger stores to subsidize their family’s income.
Whether you shop at an at-home business or one of the larger quilt and fabric stores, there are numerous places to get your hands on an authentic handmade Amish quilt. To start your search for the perfect quilt, you don't have to go far from After Eight Bed and Breakfast, as there are a handful of quilt shops within a short drive of our historic inn.
Start your quilt journey on the Lincoln Highway at Lancaster Home and Fabric. Opened in 1983 as Dutchland Quilt Patch, this family-run business has grown to include three locations that feature handmade quality quilts, wall hangings, candles, primitive lighting, frames, and other primitive and farmhouse decor, as well as thousands of fabrics and quilting supplies. From there, go to the Quilt Shop at Miller's, where you'll find hundreds of hand-stitched quilts made by Lancaster County Amish and Mennonite artisans. In business for more than 25 years, the staff at Miller's has a personal relationship with all of their consigners and can tell you about the intricate craftsmanship of each piece.
Next, head to Bird-in-Hand, where you'll find the Log Cabin Quilt Shop and Fisher's Handmade Quilts. At each of these family-run stores, the beauty of the heirloom quilts reflects the many hours that have gone into creating the one-of-a-kind designs. In addition to quilts, you'll find handmade crafts and gifts for the home. If you prefer making your own masterpiece, the Log Cabin Quilt Shop has fabrics, patterns, notions and plenty of ideas. Or let Fisher's create a customized quilt for you that accommodates your color preferences and individual style.
Continue east toward Intercourse on the Old Philadelphia Pike to Village Handmade at the Kitchen Kettle Village. Here you'll find heirloom-quality, locally made quilts. These masterpieces are artistic expressions of the quiltmakers who skillfully sew each stitch. At the Old Country Store, they've been cultivating the area's finest quilting talent for the last 30 years to offer the finest in Amish quilts. Come to see the quilts and learn about the store's history as Intercourse's first store.
Need more options? Within a 15-minute drive of After Eight Bed and Breakfast, you can be at even more of our favorite quilt shops, including Family Farm Quilts, Lantz Homestead Quilt Barn, Riehl's Quilts and Crafts and Smucker's Quilts.
For a different quilt shopping experience, check out one of the quilt auctions by Hometowne Auction. This family-owned auction service holds quilt auctions six times a year, roughly every other month, at the Garden Spot Fire Hall in New Holland. Hundreds of new handmade quilts, quilt tops, wall hangings, quillows and pillows are up for bid at every auction, often at wholesale prices, which is a great way to score a work of art at a reasonable price — as long as you can handle the fast-paced spirit of the auction.
No matter how you shop for your Lancaster County quilt, whether in a family-run store or an exciting wholesale auction, you're sure to find an original masterpiece to take home with you as a remembrance of your visit to Lancaster County and your stay with us at After Eight Bed and Breakfast.
