Bear Paw Quilting & Bernina

Shop owners Kathryn Boss and Sandy Goedde believed their resort town of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, could be the perfect home for a quilt shop. They were right-Bear Paw Quilting & Bernina fits in perfectly with its location.

"This is a beautiful scenic area with mountains, trees, and lakes, so we even put decks off the office and staff room," Sandy says. "There are paw prints in our sidewalk and exposed trusses over the entrance."

Boasting something for everyone, the shop offers the biggest fabric selection in the area. The shop and classroom spaces are constantly bustling with two dozen teachers and 60-75 classes per month.

Front row, from left:

Sandy Goedde (co-owner), Kathryn Boss (co-owner); middle row: Joann Kliewer, Cathy Conley, Tami Freer, Michele Sorensen, and Cindy Little; back row: Sandra Swick, Rosie Newkirk, Carol Mahoney, Sherry Sterling, Eleanor Johnson, and Claudia Vess.

At Bear Paw Quilting & Bernina, customers are encouraged to linger and soak in inspiration. A cheerful pink and yellow Hunter's Star Quilt is draped on an oak table in the reading corner.

This wool flower pillow, Tulip Burst by Green Tomatoes, is among the many wool-and-cotton samples housed in the shop. Bear Paw Quilting & Bernina also carries supplies for appliqué and Japanese sashiko, silk ribbons, bright-color zippers, singing bears, and greeting cards.

Shop owners Kathryn Boss and Sandy Goedde designed Lake Cabins for Quilt Sampler magazine.

A feathered vine was machine-quilted in the center of each A block. The cream batik areas feature an allover scroll with continuous loose feathers on the outer edges.

For a fun display of Fourth of July patriotism, quilt tester Laura Boehnke quilted four A blocks using the Sweet Liberty collection by Pat Sloan for P&B Textiles.

Contact Bear Paw Quilting & Bernina to purchase a copy of the Spring/Summer 2010 issue of Quilt Sampler. Issues are also available at your local quilt shop, on newsstands, and online.