Erin Petry, Larry Hodges, and Kelly Hodges pose for a photo among the fabric displays.
A remodeled horse barn does not seem a likely place for a quilt shop, but when Kelly Hodges was faced with an empty barn, inspiration struck. The barn had been used to house her daughter’s horses on the family’s property, which is located on Foster Road in Hurricane. When her daughter graduated from high school and moved away, Kelly was left with a large, relatively new structure which had outlived its usefulness.
Having worked in construction for twenty years, Kelly traveled a lot and seldom enjoyed just being at home. When the time came to retire, she said to her husband, Larry, “Wouldn’t it be great to work from home?”
An avid quilter, Kelly decided to covert the horse barn into a quilt shop which could also be used for various craft classes. She and Larry began remodeling the barn in March of 2024, first pouring a concrete floor and then working on the project in phases. They expanded the barn, incorporating the two lean-tos on either side into the main structure.
The grand opening of Kelly’s Quilts will be held on Saturday, April 26, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event will feature a quilt turning – a tradition in which several quilts are laid on top of each other and displayed upon a bed. As each quilt is turned back, its history and technique will be discussed. Sounds of Bluegrass, a local musical group, will be performing from 1 to 3 p.m. The grand opening will also feature door prizes and giveaways, as well as barbeque and hot dogs.
Kelly says that one of her goals is to create another community for quilters – not just a place to buy fabric, but a place for friends to meet and share their knowledge of quilting with each other.
Kelly emphasizes that quilting is not just “an old lady craft.” She would like to see quilters of all ages, and she expresses an interest in educating youth. The shop will be partnering with the Under Our Wings program by Quilts of Valor, which teaches youth and adult community service organizations how to make quilts for veterans. Kelly’s Quilts will also be a Quilts of Valor designated drop-off location.
Kelly’s Quilts offers a variety of classes, including Barn Quilt Painting with Meribeth Shreve of Sew Blessed Barn Quilts, Beginner Quilting Class with instructor Erin Petry, Make It Merry Sew Gathering, and Paper Piecing. There will also be Sew Days, in which quilters who need a place to sew can stop by and have access to all the facility offers.
The shop has an online presence as well as a physical one, and customers can purchase fabric, batting, kits, and other supplies from the website, which is located at https://www.kellysquilts.net
Kelly says that her love of quilting comes from her mother, who made potholders with other women in the community. Potholders and quilts require like crafting skills and process. Kelly got into quilting in 2020, when she took a year off work to care for her father. She completed her first quilt all by herself, but since then she has taken quilting classes from Quilts by Phyllis in Hurricane and West Virginia Quilts in Barboursville. She is also a member of a sewing group at Poca Baptist Church.
“I thank everyone for sharing in our journey, and look forward to sharing a love of quilting with the community,” Kelly says.
Kelly’s Quilts is located at 450 Foster Road, Hurricane, which is off Hurricane Creek Road.
