Making a move to Wichita, KS area, please help!!!!
 

Hello from upstate NY. I'm not new here but I'm moving to the Wichita, KS area and
am wondering if we have any quilters on here from that area that could give me some
good info about fabric stores, craft fairs, or anything else I may need to know! We currently
live in the adirondack mountains and are making the move because our son, whose in the
air force, has decided to stay living out there. He's our only child so I want to be where
he's going to be!!! Thanks so much in advance!!!!

I am sorry I can't offer the information your looking for but I just wanted to say how incredible it is that you would do this to be near your son. It touched my heart so I just wanted to let you know and may God bless you and your family.

I'm not from there, but I just want to wish you the best of luck in your move. Family is everything, so good for you! (And good for your son!)

I'm from Topeka, but I love to go to the shops in the Wichita area. They have a couple of really nice ones. There are also some in the surrounding areas (Newton, Hutchinson, etc.) Every other year their guild has an amazing quilt show. If I were moving to the area I would contact the local guild - they have some amazing quilters.

http://pqgks.com/

How exciting on your move!! Good luck!!

thank you so much for your well wishes. we've done alot of thinking, but it wasn't a hard decision! The hard part is
getting our place together to sell and the actual moving. Within a year we will be living in kansas, watch out Dorothy here we come!!!

One concern I do have about that area is there doesn't seem to be much to do! Can you give me an idea of fun things to do in kansas or places to see??

Several shops in the Wichita and surrounding area (Newton has GREAT SHOP!)...one in Hutchinson, and also McPhearson...My son and family live in Newton...so DIL and I hit most of the shops when I'm in town...the shop in Newton has oddles of fabrics, and very helpful staff!

Forgot to mention that it's not that far to Kansas City, and then on to Hamilton to Missouri Star Quilts...well worth the drive!!

God bless you for giving up the ADK for Kansas! I worry the flat and boring will be a chalenge.

Well, that's not nice to call a place boring. Life is what we make of it. Son will be closer and just think of all that "boring" time that can be devoted to making quilts and new friends!!! Upside to everything. Thank you to your entire family for the devotion to the military and the safety of the USA.

Can't offer help on what's in Kansas, but I think it's lovely that you are moving closer to your son. All three of our kids live in Memphis, TN currently and we are three hours away in Mississippi. They have wanted us to move closer but I hate the idea of giving up our big country place. It's a struggle and we go back and forth in our thinking.

Hope you are very happy in Kansas.

Congrats on your move to be near your son! I can relate to a different terrain as Red Warrior mentioned. When I moved to FLa from the mountains of NC, I missed them so much! I never did like the heat and humidity in Fla. nor the hurricanes. I am glad to be back in E. Tenn. Hope your adjustment goes well. Good luck also in just getting your current home ready to sell.

I had a niece who was living in TX so my SIL decided to sell her house and move to TX to be near her DD and DGD. Before her house sold, they were transferred. I wonder why your son would stay in Wichita as it's rather barren out there. I have been in that area many times and I sure hope you are happy there.

I am about 5 hours away in SW Iowa and I made the move to IA 5 or so years ago to be near my only daughter who wasn't going to be moving back to OK because she married an Iowa man. I was a widow and had no family left there. I drove through Wichita several times on our way up to visit my daughter. I had lived in Duncan, OK for 53 years and it was not an easy decision or move. We (my husband and I) stopped at the information center south of Wichita and they always had lots of literature out about places in Kansas. There is quite a lot to see in Wichita and nearby, too, as well as many other places in Kansas. I'm sure you will like it there. My move to IA from OK has been the best move I've ever made.

I don't know where Hays, KS is in relationship to Wichita; but the Quilt Cottage is a place where I could spend an entire day in absolute quilter's heaven. It is at 2520 Vine St. in the Centennial Mall. I live in Colorado, but a friend and I are planning a day trip, about three hours drive, to this wonderful shop. Wishing you a safe move.

I don't live in Wichita, but I don't think you will be bored there, unless you want to be. Many of my relatives live in Kansas, and they always are busy doing things. I spent a week in Wichita when my mother was in the hospital there and I liked it. It has been several years, but there were several places to buy fabric and lots of places to eat. I didn't have much time to shop, but there were stores all over the place.

I think you will enjoy it, especially since your son is there. :)

Dina

I am not from Kansas but been in Montana and Wyoming all my life but we loved traveling through Kansas We loved the old west history around Dodge City, we traveled the pony express trail also there is a great place Kansas Troubles
quilting in Bennington just a short distance from Salina and I went there for a quilt retreat if you ever get a chance GO it is wonderful always wanted to go back but never had the chance. Also some of the best food is in Kansas City I am sure you will find lots to do join a guild meet to friends and enjoy your move good luck

I am originally from Upstate Central NY. I moved from West Central Missouri in 2015. I know there are several really good quilt stores in Wichita, and a great quilt show in the spring time. Besides being close to KC, you are also close to Tulsa OK and there is also some great shops there. The bad part is you will not see many mountains there but they do get snow, like like ADKs. Good luck and hope you have a great move.

I am not from the Wichita area, but from northwest Kansas, and we have some really great quilt shops all over Kansas. I have been in a lot around the state, so yes, a lot from Kansas.

Welcome to Kansas from a native Kansan! Don't know when you are moving--but if you are in Overland Park (suburb on the KS side of KC) Jun 15-17, the KC Regional Quilt Fest is happening at the Overland Park Convention Center. AS already mentioned, KC is only about 1hr south of Mo. Star Quilt Co in Hamilton, MO. KC and Wichita are both metropolitan areas with all that has to offer. Also, regardless of what you maybe learned in history, the Civil War started in eastern KS with "Bleeding Kansas" in 1850's so there's many historical sites, and several towns have festivals throughout the year. Ever been to a rodeo? You'll be able to go to one in KS during the summer/fall months. MacPherson has a Scots Highland Festival every year, plus Wichita has their Riverwalk with different events throughout the summer. Also, keep in mind that KS is the center of the USA! And while some my see our geography as "barren"--there is nothing more awe inspiring than driving thru the Flint Hills--you can easily image traveling via covered wagon as you travel through them. And you will want to see the burning off of the prairie grasses in the spring. But the best part? we are a very friendly people!

I I wish I was in your shoes!!! If I didn't love my daughters so much I would return in a heart beat. My dad was raised in Wellington, KS and worked for Boeing in Wichita - we lived in Mulvane. Boeing transferred us to Seattle. My dad said it was a good move since there were no tornados in WA - we were in Seattle area maybe a month when they had a tornado..... My grandparents and aunt and uncle and other family members lived in various parts of KS. There isn't one day since the day we left that I haven't wanted to move home. (My mother was born in Burlington, KS and raised in Emporia - they met at KU.)

My mother always said I had a "romantic" view of Kansas, but when I go back I always feel like I am home. My aunt, my mom's sister, has be PhD in biology from UCLA - she inherited the family home and lives there 6 months out of the year, the other half she is LA because that is where her children are. She understands how I feel. I go back as often as I can - at least once a year to put flowers on the family graves.

The Flint Hills is the oldest mountain range in the US. They are beautiful and the wild flowers are always beautiful. My grandfather once said whenever he was traveling (they always took a long vacation in the summer since he was a teacher) he knew when he was back in KS by the way be was treated at the filling stations. People always talked to him. And you could tell where the people were from if they are driving their own car, because the county is identified on the license plate. So if you are friendly, they will be friendly too. Probably why you son wants to stay there.

My sister worked at the newspaper in Burlington after she graduated from college - she was left go when she became engaged back in 1975, but she was planning to move back to Ellensburg WA to be closer to our parents, but not too close.

Okay, I will stop, I am still very envious and hope your move goes well and you are happy.

Wichita has several great quilts shops. Lots to do in Kansas . Just google things to see and do in Wichita. Also google quilt shops. Have a friend that belong to a guild there, but don't know the guilds name. Also big quilt show there. Just check it out and welcomed to Kansas.

You don't say when you are moving. There is a regional quilt show in Overland Park KS in June. Google first r info. While you may not be there for it, you might make contact for info about quilting activities where you are going.

We live in the prairie of Illinois. My SIL thinks its boring too, but I say every place has it's beauty if you look for it. Yes, the mountains are spectacular, but I love the crops all in rows coming up out of the rich black earth and the gorgeous sunsets and black star lit skies. Find your own beauty in KS and you will be happy. Best of luck in your move and relocation, and the best thing about KS will be seeing your son more frequently.

I live in KS, only an hour way from Wichita. There are several quilt stores in Wichita, one in Hutchinson, MacPherson and a little one in White Sides. I'm sure there are more tiny local ones that I still don't know about. You generally here about them from the locals folks!
I'm originally from New Zealand, so I understand about being worried about the flat prairie! I thought KS had nothing to offer when I first moved here. But I have grown to love it. I live where an Amish Community is settled and every year, on the last Saturday of August, they throw a very family friendly festival day called Yoder Day. We go every year. Every March, for the entire month, small local businesses show off and sell Amish made quilts. I love seeing them all! It is called the "Parade of Quilts".
Then the State Fair comes to Hutchinson every year. That's always fun. The quilts are stunning.
Hutchinson has a space museum that DH and I love. There are the salt mines you can visit in Hutchinson too.
I'm sure you will find you will enjoy KS:)

Oh and if you want a good place to eat out, Carriage Crossing in Yoder is voted as one of the best restraurants in KS!:)

YAY, Newton is actually one of the places we're looking into moving to!

me too, lol!!

He is a crew chief on the KC-135 (big gas station in the sky) for the air force. A crew chief is basically a mechanic so he has his civilian licence to do the same thing and wichita, ks is the air capital of the united states. Boeing, spirit, and lots of other plane manufacturers are there along with many airlines so it's the best place for him to continue doing his job!

ooohhhh thanks, i'll check that out!!

Wow, my husband will be very excited about the historical part! We actually drove through the Flint Hills when we drove down one time, it was beautiful! very different landscaping than we're used to in upstate ny!!

Thank you so much, I'm looking forward to the day I can look at Kansas and feel the way you do about it!!

I think the Quilt shows held every two years are the best I've ever seen---and the shopping is out of this world. There is a large quilt guild that must be heaven to belong to. You will be happy with the Quilting part of Wichita---and I hope also the other parts of your life there......

People live in different places for different reasons. I have several friends in Kansas who love it there. I think the OP can be very happy there near her son. For me, it would be more about the people than the place itself. The most beautiful place on earth can be awful to live in if you don't like the people. BTDT

I do not live in Wichita, Kansas now, but during my junior (middle) school and high school years (oh, so many years ago) , my family lived in Wichita. Wichita was at that time and I'm sure is now, a much larger town that we were used to, but we learned our way around. There are a lot of cultural events, fairs and things that took place there, back in the late 1950's, early 1960's to February of 1963. I attended Wichita High School North, and it has such an aura of history -- it's a beautiful, historic building, and I trust it's still there. I married in 1963, and I have not lived in Wichita since then -- we moved to East Texas where my husband attended college, and eventually moved to Florida in 1967. Despite some disadvantages (and there are disadvantages anywhere you live) we've come to love Florida, and as much as I hate to move, I don't think it's likely that I would return to Arkansas where I was born and raised -- I can't take the cold weather, and despite the fact that, yes, we do have deep summer days which are hot, we don't usually have snow in the winter, and the hurricanes I heard mentioned -- well they're a lot less frequent than the tornadoes, etc. which occur in other places, yes, even in the mountains of my home state, Arkansas. I know that Wichita did, back in the early 1960's, have local bus service to the downtown area, and I'm sure to other areas of the city. I worked part-time after school, and caught the bus not far from my school (at that time, the bus fare was minimal). Of course, I'm sure there have been lots of changes in Wichita as there have been across the country. The only thing I can say, is where you make your home is up to you. Home is where the heart is, and if your family is in Wichita, that's where I think I'd want to be! JMHO

Thank you so much for sharing your story! We actually had someone come and look at our house in NY yesterday so things are moving forward. We'll be kansas bound before we know it!!

Any updates on your anticipated move? I've enjoyed reading about your plans and about that part of Kansas, too. I've never been there.

I'm from Utica but have lived in Columbus for many years.
I wish you all the best with your move!! :)