My DH and my nephew are hauling 2 BMW motorcycles to Deals Gap next weekend. Does anybody know of a quilt shop nearby where he could buy me a little treat? How about a hotel recommendation?

Don't know of any as I'm not there, but have fun on the ride and stay safe. If you've not ridden it before it is a lot of fun, but a lot of bikers ride it way to fast.
Take your camera! It's fun and It's a beautiful!

I've only ridden it in a car, wish I was on a bike!

Oh boy, have fun at the Tail!! I rode it 3 years ago and loved it. It was much nicer to do on a weekday, it gets mobbed on the weekends and heavy police presence, which is a good thing, keeps the speeding to a minimum. Tell the boys that if the curve sign says 25 do 25!! Most bikers think they can take it faster and you can after you have ridden it a couple of times but many of the curves bank the opposite of what you would expect them to. There are accidents almost every week because people don't pay attention or take risks. When we were down there in just a few days time there were several accidents. The tree of shame is testimony to do that!
It is a beautiful area. When we went we stayed at the Tapoca lodge but I understand it is now closed. It is on the NC side just beyond the gift shop and tree of shame. It used to be a retreat for Alcoa. Be sure to do the Cherahola skyway too. here is a good link:
http://www.tailofthedragon.com/
Sorry didn't notice any quilt shops nearby but I am sure there must be some.

Thanks for the tips. I think they will have a good time.

It seems like there is a shop close to where 129 comes into 411, just south of Maryville.

have fun and be safe

The shop at 129 and 411 closed. There is another smaller shop between Vonore and Madisonville.

One thing you should check on is whether or not the Dragon's Tail has reopened. There was a major rock slide on the road on the Tennessee side that completely closed the road. To the best of my knowledge it is still closed. The Dragon's Tail can still be driven, but only from the North Carolina side.

As to quilt stores if you do get into Knoxville, there is Mawmaw's on Papermill Road and Gina's on Kingston Pike in far West Knoxville. There are a couple in North Knoxville, but I don't know anything about them.

I really don't know about where to stay, especially if the road is still closed. (I would think there would be places in Robbinsville.) I'll see if I can find out for sure tomorrow and send you a pm if I'm wrong about it being closed.

If you do decide to do the drive, you should also do the Cherohala Scenic Byway between Robinsville, NC and Telico Plains, TN. It is not as windy as 129, but there are some views off this road, especially the NC end, that are better than anything in the Smokies National Park.

Tell them to please be safe. Motorcyclists are killed on that road every year. I actually saw one go down just last year. A full helmet with face shield and chin guard is the ONLY thing that kept that person from some serious facial surgery. And as someone else said, weekends are especially bad.