Class Schedule for January and February, 2015

We are SO looking forward to the new year and hope to continue inspiring new creations and supplying you with all your quilting needs to achieve them.

2014 has been a whirlwind for us and we are closing the old year with a happy sigh and grateful heart.
Thank you to our fantastic customers..... you are more than friends; you're our extended family.


Check out our newest calendar of classes and give us a call to save a seat. 985-845-9554

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Houston Quilt Festival 2014

  

We are so fortunate to be within driving distance to Houston and the International Quilt Festival!  Mary, Celeste, Mary, Jayne, and I recently attended the show, and we saw so many wonderful quilts!  We were inspired and humbled.  

On the way we stopped at the Visitor Center in Grosse Tete.  What a nice surprise behind the building-a large wooden crawfish!

There are so many fabulous quilts to see!  This year there were 3000 quilts in the show.  It is hard to decide which are favorites!  I hope you enjoy the ones I took pictures of.

This quilt is titled Hurricane, made by a Dutch quilter.  Notice her jacket!

This display is an Yvonne Porcella exhibit.

The squares in this quilt look to be about 3/8".  The color effect is striking.

There were so many exhibits to see, and this one was tucked in the back.  These were miniature quilt stores in a space approximately 12" all around.

A very special exhibit was the red and white quilts Ruby Jubilee celebrating 40 years of Quilt Festival.

The quilt on the left was made using the background of the Hoffman challenge.

The one on the right is the Hoffman challenge cut into motifs and then pieced.

This quilt represents a radar report of a tornado.

I love all the little houses!

Wow!

Each house is from the students of a teacher, who made a quilt using all the houses.

Amazing dimension.

This quilt is very endearing.

I love the elephants!

This quilt is the result of all the license plates designed from all 50 states promoting American Made solids.

The logs in this fabulous Log Cabin look to be about 1/4"!  Stunning!

Fabulous lion!

And the tiger is equally breathtaking!

A vision of the earth.

How To Take A Successful Class

We offer classes every week at Bright Hopes Quilting and hope our customers think the selection and teachers give them a variety of choices each month, from beginners to rather advanced techniques. There is something there for everyone and we love seeing the finished product, however long it takes. With quilt-making, there is no time constraint imposed. We think of it as a long-distant stroll as opposed to a sprint to the finish line.

So, okay, you have the list of classes and are fairly new to quilting. A natural question that comes to mind is "What can I expect from this class?" 

Our goal for each student is get them familiar enough for the pattern and how to construct the various elements so that when she goes back home with her supplies and blocks, she is prepared to continue until the quilt top is complete. We offer plenty of classes that can be 'done-in-a-day' and even some that require a 2-day attendance. Some of our classes, however, are made up of multiple blocks and lots of them so there is no way you can expect to drive home with a finished product.

When we map out a class, we take into account the complexity of the pattern as well as the skill-set of the student and try to allot enough time to get the student ready to leave the shop armed with knowledge and experience to comfortably continue at home, knowing that if they run into trouble we are more than happy to help at a time when there is no class going on or during our Friday Sit & Sew morning.

That being said, it is most helpful for both the teacher and the other attendees for you to have purchased all the supplies you need for the class and the pattern ahead of time so YOU can come ready to learn. If a student arrives to class with an assortment of fabrics but needs more to make the pattern, that means she is not ready to begin on time! If the first time you lay eyes on the actual pattern is five minutes after you walk in with your machine, you will not be prepared for class.

Bring every tool listed in the supply list. If you don't have that specific tool, but a close proximate, bring that and ask if it will work. Chances are, it will. If it can't, you can buy the tool or work around the problem. But, if you leave your tools at home, you will have an awfully hard time sewing!

Speaking of which, if you DO need to buy thread, tools or  an additional piece of fabric for a particular class, please get here when the doors open and shop. We usually begin classes at 10:00 (unless the schedule says 9:30), for this very reason!  We understand that there comes a time when you do need just this one or other thing for the class and you realize the night before you don't have it. However, that doesn't mean you have time to shop for all the fabric as well! It take time to choose fabric and we want you to really like the selection, not just settle because of time-restraints.

Get to class early enough to be set up and ready to go BEFORE the class begins. It takes 5 minutes to haul your stuff in, pick a spot and unload.

 

If you arrive as class is beginning, it is very distracting for the the teacher and other classmates.

Always, if humanly possible, buy your pattern so you can read through it the night before class. You will have a better idea of what you are going to learn if you know what is ahead. You don't have to understand it, even though, you probably will.

"Why should I take a class if I already read the pattern? I thought you were going to TEACH ME?" 

Good question! 1. Every class we teach has had a sample made so the teacher is familiar with construction and aware of issues or complications and knows short-cuts or better construction methods. With reading comprehension, anyone can take a pattern and work their way through it but why not take advantage of someone else's 'learning curve"?  2. What better way to meet new people and form friendships than doing something with others?  

And just like when we were in school, our teachers would say (repeatedly) "Read the chapter the night before!"  and we would wonder why. Well, the teacher, if she/he was a good one, would have much more to teach than just the words out of that book. The same is true in crafting classes. There is much more to learn in each class than just that pattern in front of us.

Deus ex machina........ 

We at the shop have A working knowledge of sewing machines, true, but there are some very specialized machines out there, expensive and delicate, so it is always best if the student is completely familiar with that machine before they take a class with it in order for the class itself to run smoothly. It's always a good idea to bring your manual, just in case.  Know how to adjust for a quarter inch seam allowance or have a quarter-inch foot.  Most, MOST, of our classes require a 1/4" seam.   And fresh needles and filled bobbins. If you know what thread you are going to use, take a few minutes the night before and fill your bobbins, ladies! It takes time out of the precious hours to sit there and spin that bobbin!

Stay together, now.  "If I understand what I am doing, why can't I just continue on ahead of the teacher?" We understand it can be frustrating waiting for others to finish a step while we are sitting there, cooling our heels. But resist, if you can, moving on ahead of the teacher without letting her know. It happens often that a student moves a head of the pack and then make a mistake which now takes the teacher time to instruct  to undo and now, look who's wasting the time of the class. If you think you are ready to move on, ask the teacher. Chances are good that you can move on but at least give the teacher a head's up! 

Ask questions! If something doesn't seem right, or doesn't seem to make sense, speak up! Keep in mind, you might not be the only one who doesn't understand but the only who says something! 

Bring appropriate snacks and drink. If you need a mid morning break, do not be afraid to speak up. Low blood-sugar is not your friend. 

We hope you had eaten a good breakfast and have plenty of energy when the class begins. Also, if the class is more than 3 hours long, bring a lunch. If you have to leave and pick something up, do your very best to be back within 30 minutes.

Lastly, shopping.

Who doesn't like to take a moment and look around a shop to see new things. There is usually time left over at the end of the day for shopping. But if your schedule does not allow for this and you really need to grab a few things before you head out the door, let us know and we can have a 'held receipt' on the register for you so as you start packing up, we can check you out quickly. 

So to recap:

1. Have the pattern and supplies before the class.
2. BE ON TIME and READY.  If you need to grab something extra, get there early.
3. READ the pattern and familiarize yourself with the contents.
4. Have a working sewing machine you know and bring the manual, just in case!
5. Pre-wind your bobbins, ladies! (you too, guys!)
6. Stay with the class as it moves through the lesson.
7. Ask questions! 
8. Bring snacks and drinks or a lunch as well. Stay energized all the way through.
9. Let us be your personal shopper and have your check-out waiting at the register if you have to dash out.

We want everyone to have an enjoyable day sewing and learning. Our time is limited and precious so let's make the very most of what we have!

Schedule of Classes Nov - Dec. 2014

Okay, Linda Kay just finished our new Newsletter/Schedule of classes... 

here it is, hot off the presses!

 As before, we are using two formats; PDF for those on standard computers and screenshots for you on iPads or iPhones.....

We have some great new classes being offered for the first time as well as some old favorites in case you missed it before. Please come in to sign up and get the class supply list. Some classes require patterns and prep-work before class so it's always a good idea to be familiar with what you can expect during the class in order to get the most out of your hours here.

Remember, Bright Hopes Quilting has the incredible $60.00 Class Coupon which happens to be the Best Deal In Town. For $60.00 flat you can take as many classes as you wish in a continual 6 month period. You can't beat this!

The ONLY THING we ask of you is for you to notify us in a timely fashion if you are unable to attend any class for any reason so someone on the waiting list can take your reserved seat.  What do we mean by 'Timely Fashion"?  Please don't call us the morning of the class and say you have a flat a tire or are not feeling well.  If there is a chance you can't make it, let us know at least by the afternoon before so we can call another customer. We don't run this like the airlines and overbook. It's only fair to let someone use their coupon if you can't make a class.

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September and October Classes

Okay, it's been just a week since the 2014 Shop Hop and we hope you've had a chance to rest because here is the new calendar of classes for September and October.

Don't forget! September is also our Anniversary Month and Pearl has some fun brewing for our customers..... keep reading the weekly newsletter for upcoming information.

For you who can view the PDF Format...

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And for those who are unable to view the PDF.......

Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler!!!!

It's that time again, all you quilt enthusiasts out there! Time to gear up and get ready for the 2014 Southeast Louisiana Shop Hop.

This year, we have 10 shops participating in the 2 weekend blow-out.

That means 10 chances to win the Shop Baskets valued at $250.00 each & 10 beautiful original quilts to view and choose from & make.

There will also be a GRAND PRIZE beautiful Baby Lock Sophia 2 sewing machine and 1st, 2nd & 3rd place prizes given away so that makes 14 prizes to shoot for in total.  But you have to have a passport to be entered to win.

While you are not required to have a passport to attend, by buying a PASSPORT at any one of the 10 shops for $5.00, you will also have a $5.00 off coupon at EACH shop for purchases of regularly priced items totaling over $25.00.  The coupons are only good during the Shop Hop.

At each store, fill out a chance to win that shop's basket and get your passport stamped. Do this at ALL participating shops and you will be entered to win this great sewing machine or one of the 3 big baskets. Whoo-Hoo!!!!

Each store will be selling a kit to make their particular block and each store will have their own unique finished quilt on display and kits for purchase to make that quilt. You can see photographs of the other quilts as well at the shops.

Now, OUR quilt has 12 squares so our finishing kit will include 2 bonus blocks and patterns along with the sashing and binding and instructions. We love our quilt..... it just sparkles!

We also have these beautiful enameled pins for sale. $5.00

So, mark your calendars; the dates for the Shop  Hop are:

Friday and Saturday, August 8 & 9

Thursday, Friday & Saturday, August 14, 15 & 16

We will all be open extended hours, 9:00 - 6:00 to help everyone make it from one end of our Great State to the other. .

To help facilitate this further, Pearl is organizing a bus once again to drive Hoppers to 3 shops and back to Bright Hopes, including a box lunch and snack for the return trip. 

Riders will be picked up here in Mandeville and transported first to The Borne Quilter in Lafayette, then over to The Quilt Cupboard in Morgan City and up to Cottage Creations in St. Gabriel. You should arrive back at Bright Hopes no later than 6:00 pm and probably a little earlier.

The bus is limited to 25 riders and the cost this year is $80.00.

Quilters who have traveled this way in the past few years have enjoyed the ease and fun of sitting back, arriving rested at each store and visiting with friends and showing off what they found

. Give us a call at 985-845-9554 to reserve your seat.