Interview with Linda Kay

1.When did you start quilting and how did it come to happen?

I had been interested in Quilting for several years and finally, in 1990 when we moved to the Dallas/Ft.Worth area, I was able to have the time to take a class…and the rest is history!

2. Do you still have your first quilt? Do you have on your bed right now a quilt YOU made?

I have my first quilt on a bed in my house. In fact every bed in my house has a quilt I have made on them.

3. When did you arrive in St Tammany, and what brought you here?

We lived in Slidell from 1985 – 1990, then traveled with my DH’s job until we both retired. We are both golfers and when we found Money Hill golf course we decided to move to Money Hill and play lots of golf!

4. How long have you worked for Bright Hopes Quilting and what do you do there?

I worked in the store for several years, but now mainly teach classes and do the Newsletter Class Schedule, which are my most fun things to do.

String Quilt Sample

5. You teach many of the “beginner” quilts & classes and initiated the “Build A Block” monthly. From where do you get your ideas and inspirations?

I wake-up in the middle of the night with many Bright Ideas!! It is soooo much fun to be able to share some of them with other Quilters or Wannabe Quilters! I love it when we have a “Beginning Class”. It is so exciting to me when we can start someone on the road to Quilting and some of our ‘Beginners’ become some of our best Quilters!

6. You have a tremendous quilt room; very organized and work-friendly. Is there a trick or tip or guideline you would like to share on how one gets there and stays that way?

My room is intentionally upstairs, if I am working on 1 or 10 projects I don’t have to pick-up if I am having company, although I find that anytime I do have company they want to go upstairs and see what I am doing, and that’s OK!

As far as being organized, for many years I worked for big Company’s where your desk had to be clean every day before you left the office, so I suppose I have carried that over into my Quilting. I am also a list maker…a TO DO list is one of my favorites! It helps to keep me focused!

7. You make a point of traveling to quilt shows yearly. What is your favorite out-of-state city to go for quilting? What do you do while there?

I love to go to the Dallas Quilt Show in March. We see some of our Old Friends and the Shopping is fantastic. We also try and get to the Houston Show every couple of years!

8. If your fairy quiltmother could grant you one wish, what would it be?

More time to do everything I enjoy doing …quilting, golf, bridge, reading,…you get the picture!

Chris again.....I have the pleasure of joining Linda Kay to team-teach some of the beginner classes. (I end up learning something new each time! ) She is affectionately referred to as our "bag lady" because she makes and teaches most of the tote bags/classes. Linda Kay scopes out new gadgets and patterns constantly and pops out samples faster than humanly possible and is a big fan of "pre-cuts" like layer cakes and charms.

Here is one of her "Twister" quilts.