What About That!

I just posted a message about the Louisiana Shop Hop 2012 taking place next month and ran through a list of the participating quilt shops.

Each store has it's very own and unique personality, one which reflects it's owner and staff. We are Bright Hopes Quilting; I've worked there since the doors opened and have watched the shelves fill and empty,  furniture move around the floor, the samples come and go and I have to say the name truly reflects the store on multiple levels.

The first thing a shopper will notice about us is the light that floods in through all the windows which allows one to see the fabric clearly. All along the perimeter, you will find more examples of quilt patterns, from stand-alone designs to those which come from recently published books. Lots of customers tell us that this feature of our shop helps them get a better idea of what to expect when they are shopping for a new quilt to make and they like it that someone took the time to construct one. We have so many samples hanging all around and even more in the back and since Pearl likes to keep things fresh, we often remake the samples in new fabrics and sell the previous sample in the back of the shop. Check out the back room when you are looking to give a quilt as a gift but don't have time to make one yourself!

 Oh and the fabric! We have some of the brightest and happiest bolts out there. And lots of them. Pearl has what I think of as our "wall of colors"; these are blenders  and tone-on-tones that run the gamut of every color and shade under the sun. In the center of the room is the cutting table and surrounding it in various directions you will find our asian and batiks, all the regional motifs like music, food and local sports teams (LSU and Saints), a terrific selection of baby fabrics, Black & Whites, and back to Brights and finally Christmas. We carry bolts with Dr. Seuss and Peanuts and halloween designs and have shelves of Kaffe Fassetts. When new groups come in, we showcase them as a set and always try to think of good patterns to use with them. Do you need a length of wide fabric for backing? We got you covered.

Now that you have all this fabric and are itching to get stitching, check out our great classes we offer every month. Some are old favorites and some are hot off the presses and we never go more than a few days without a class being held. Why do you need a class? Many of you don't but the teacher has made the class quilt and very possibly discovered something that makes the cutting or sewing easier the first time out. It's also a fun way to meet new people and try new things... you know, move a little out of your comfort zone and see where it takes you!

We have been receiving a steady stream of solids lately with more on the way, and are grouping them altogether for the Modernists, those new designers who are branching out in new directions in quilt-making.

This is a very exciting time in the world of quilt-making and encourage our friends to seek out new ideas and avenues in making their quilts and we enjoy helping to work out the plans to change a design to reflect the quilter and make the final piece a unique creation instead of a copy of the original. We think that is a very bright idea indeed.