We Quilt this City
Come Quilt This City in Shipshewana for an experience like no other! In the heart of Amish Country, you’ll find a quilting cultural renaissance, woven together with a legacy and tradition passed down through generations. Sew your creativity while exploring quilt stores, dining at locally owned restaurants, resting at quilt-group-friendly hotels, and joining hands-on experiences at the Heart of Amish Country.
When your bus rolls into town, your group will be delighted to see Amish buggies and horses bounding down the street. They’ll smell homemade cuisine, including fried chicken, freshly baked pies, and warm cookies as they explore the charming downtown streets and Amish backroads. They’ll be able to feel the soft fabrics of Amish-made quilts at locally-owned businesses throughout the region.
The We Quilt this City itinerary is stitched together to fit the needs of your group. Discover one-of-a-kind opportunities while exploring the third-largest Amish community in the USA.
We Quilt this City Itinerary Highlights:
- Visit more than 20 Amish and local quilt and fabric shops
- Quilting Mecca – Tens of thousands of yards of fabric
- Award-winning Quilt Gardens
- Discover 80 handcrafted Barn Quilts
- Experience hands-on activities
Quilt & Fabric Shops
Your group will visit dozens of local fabric and quilt shops on their visit. They’ll be able to touch handmade designs and patterns, see thousands of bolts of fabric, and create their own unique quilt with the help of Amish housewives and local quilters who create each one by hand, the old-fashioned way.
Hands-on Activities
Group members will be able to make and take their own quilts, barn quilts, and wooden quilt block puzzles. By working together with expert craftsmen and women, each person on the group will discover unique experiences to stitch their own patterns in the Heart of Amish Country.
Meet Teaberry Wood Products owner and wood crafter LaVern Miller as he leads each member through the process of making their own wooden quilt block puzzle. Learn the history of the family business, his background, and see him at his craft.
Learn the intricate design of crafting a barn quilt by hand with artist Karen Weiland’s barn quilt class. Taught out of her country home in LaGrange County.
Quilt Tours
Take a trip through town and get off the beaten path to discover barn quilts throughout the region. On your journey, you’ll pass by more than 80 handcrafted barn quilts on the sides of Amish barns, homesteads, and farm buildings. The journey will take your group through the country where they’ll be able to take stunning photos of Oreo cows, horses, and scenic farmlands to remember their journey.
During May through September, groups will enjoy Shipshewana’s Quilt Gardens. Handplanted by the Shipshewana Garden Club, made up of a dozen Amish women, the gardens are shaped to reflect the many quilts they’ll see on their journey.
Quilt Programs/Events
Groups will spend their days surrounded by the calmness and tranquility of Amish Country at quilt events. With events throughout the year, group members will enjoy working on their own quilt designs alongside fellow crafters.
Quilt Retreats
Plan your group quilting retreat at one of the premier hotels, conference centers, and Airbnb’s in the region. Shipshewana and LaGrange County offer cozy, comfortable, and spacious rooms for groups to set up quilting gear and patch together projects.
- Blue Gate Garden Inn: Providing large, well-lit meeting/working spaces equipped with tables, chairs, ironing boards, irons, extension cords and more. A variety of room sizes – largest room accommodating 56 quilters with a separate area perfect for pop-up shops, vendor displays, and ironing/cutting stations.
- Das Dutchman Essenhaus Inn: Spacious facilities for accommodating large groups, retreats, workshops and quilt and fiber experiences. Plus, there is a quilt shop on site.
- Farmstead Inn: Convenient Setup with 8’ sewing tables, complimentary irons, ironing boards, and cutting stations. Large, well-lit meeting spaces.
- The Van Buren Hotel: Tables, chairs, ironing boards, and irons are provided. Well-lit areas for detailed work. Group-friendly spaces for spreading out projects
- Local Airbnb’s: Private locations for intimate group settings
