Two Great shops for the trip of one!
With two locations in Reno and Sparks, Nevada, each with their own unique style, inventory and general ambiance, Windy Moon Quilt Shops are a must add to your Northern Nevada itinerary.
Owner Sandy Sullivan first purchased the quilt shop from a friend in 1984. At that time, it was located in Roundhouse Mall up in Tahoe City. If you’re not familiar with the Northern Nevada area, Tahoe City is located on the California side of Lake Tahoe. Even though it’s in the neighboring state, it’s still just a short 1-hour drive from Reno.
The store remained in Tahoe City for about 5 years before Sandy decided to move down to Reno. Another 5 years after that they settled in their current location on Spokane Street, not too far from downtown.
It’s a funny story actually. You see, the building used to be a bank. As Sandy says, sadly they didn’t leave any money behind, but they did leave a few drop boxes and the drive through window is still intact! Unfortunately, they couldn’t utilize the drive through window during COVID because all that fabric just wouldn’t fit through that small window. 😀
One of the biggest surprises I discovered was the majority of Windy Moon customers are actually tourists that come from out of town. Even though Northern Nevada has a very healthy quilting community, Reno / Sparks is definitely a tourist town.
With all of the conventions and festivals going on throughout the year, not to mention Lake Tahoe so close, thousands (if not millions) of tourists come through Reno / Sparks, Nevada every year. Oh, and let’s not forget the Quilt Shows. So, it stands to reason that many of them would be quilters!
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Traveling Quilter Books$14.95 – $39.90 -
Quilted Keychain Pattern (PDF)$5.00
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Water Crystals Quilt Pattern$12.00
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Life Happens, Quilting Helps Quilting T-Shirt Unisex$25.00
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Quilter’s Bucket List Challenge – Spring Workbook$9.95
Reno Location
As I mentioned, it’s definitely worth while to visit both of the Windy Moon Quilt Shop locations. Each shop is very different. At the Reno location they have a HUGE collection of civil war reproduction fabrics (I MAY have picked up a few of those), flannels and more.
Oh, and did I mention their AccuQuilt collection?! Bascially anything AccuQuilt related, they have it. They even offer a few classes on precision and basic use of the different dyes.
Sparks Location:
You should stop by the Windy Moon Quilt Shop Sparks location for more than just quilting. The building it’s housed in is on the National Historical Registry and is over 100 years old! It actually used to be a schoolhouse. When they had their 100 year celebration a few of the previous students stopped by for the occasion.
Inside this beautiful building you’ll find a fabulous collection of modern fabrics such as Kaffe Fassett, loads of baby fabrics and much more! If you’re in the market for rulers, gadgets and notions, this is your quilt shop. Also, be sure to check out their Bernina collection!
The Sparks location also houses a decent sized classroom where they offer various level classes and have a handwork / embroidery group that meets there. They’re a great group of quilters always willing to help newbie hand quilters (like me!).
Contact Windy Moon
Reno location:
440 Spokane Street Reno, NV 89512 775-323-4777
Sparks location:
406 Pyramid Way Sparks, NV 89431 775-870-4031
Website: https://www.windymoonquilts.com/
Other Things in Town
No matter what brings you to the Reno / Sparks, Nevada area, and after you’ve stopped by the Windy Moon Quilt Shops, head down to the state capitol of Carson City (only about 30-minute drive) and check out the Nevada State Museum.
Located in downtown the Nevada State Museum actually houses the Marjorie Russell Clothing and Textile Research Center. They specialize in studying historical clothing, quilts, costumes and more. The collection includes approximately 10,000 artifacts!!
No matter what brings you to the Reno / Sparks, Nevada area, you won’t be disappointed with a stop in to see the ladies at both Windy Moon Quilt Shop locations. A warm welcome, amazing fabric and great conversation awaits! Oh, and be sure to tell them I said hello!
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CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT ALL THE PATTERNS, BOOKS, SHIRTS, MUGS AND MORE!
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Traveling Quilter Books$14.95 – $39.90
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Traveling Quilter T-shirt – Unisex$25.00
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English Paper Piecing Travel Kit$44.95
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Traveling Quilter 18 oz. Travel Mug$25.00
Great selection of beautiful fabrics at these quilt shops. Staff are friendly and helpful. I love their collections of small print neutrals that I use for backgrounds. I never leave without buying what I came for, plus several other fabrics inspiring future projects.
Rona
Thank you for your words and pictures that help to convey the love of quilting we share. Looking forward to a schedule of tours so my ladies can partake. Thank you again and Happy Quilting.
Sandi Sullivan
Windy Moon Quilts
I am trying to a picture of Windy Moon in Sparks & Reno 2021 Quilter’s Trek pattern. Does anyone know what they look like?