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.

Surprise Yourself Mystery

In anticipation of our 11th Anniversary this September, we are offering a free mystery to our customers. Here is a list of requirements for those who are interested.

Surprise Yourself Mystery

Before you begin: This is a mystery quilt which will measure 40” square as a wall-hanging or table topper IF it is assembled as we have done at the ‘reveal’.

 

 However, this also makes a terrific size to become the center of a medallion quilt. So, keeping this in mind, below you will find the fabric requirements to make this mystery with enough spare in case you make a cutting mistake. If you cut perfectly, you will have plenty of fabric left-over. If you want to make a larger quilt, you may want to buy extra fabrics.

 

Fabrics

Background  (BG) 1 1/8 yard total

Focus Fabric  (FF)  5/8’ If your fabric is meant for fussy-cutting, go with a full yard.

 

A -       1/4’ WOF                                                       F -       1/3’  WOF

B -       1/4’ WOF                                                       G -       1/8’  WOF

C -       1/8’ WOF                                                       H -      1/4’  WOF

D -       1/8’ WOF                                                       I   -       1/4  WOF      

E -       1/4’  WOF

Once again, the yardage I have written is a minimum cut. If you think you might consider making a larger quilt, you should buy more fabric to keep your options open.

Some suggestions for fabric selection:

Focus Fabric:  Choose this based on a pleasant mix of colors.  Anything monochromatic will not give you much contrast from which to pick the rest,  It should NOT be a large print because the pieces will be too broken-up in the blocks.   Now, using the FF as a guide, pull 6* distinct colors from this choice. These can be blenders or solids but should not be large print or blotchy.  From those 6 colors, choose one ‘color and find 4 hues of it: 1 light, 1 med, 1 med dark and 1 very dark of that color. These are now to be labeled, from light to dark, A, B, C, and D.

Now of the remaining 5 colors, choose 1 fabric of each. Label each of these E, F, G, H and I

Finally, choose a background that offers strong contrast to everything you have.

Although it is NOT required, you might like to buy the book that inspired this Mystery, Surprise Yourself.  It is written by two very creative and different quilting personalities, Charlotte Angotti and Debbie Caffrey and is filled with ideas and piecing instructions that offer a variety of methods to create each of the blocks you will be making in this multipart mystery.

* 6 colors!!!!! How busy does the focus fabric have to be!!?? Well, think Kaffe Fassett, or a floral, or oriental. Anything that has a rainbow of colors will be suitable but the design itself should not be a large print.

If you would like to participate, come to Bright Hopes on July 11 to pick up your first page of instructions.


Every two weeks thereafter, you may pick up the next page until you have received a total of 6.


At our Annivesary in September, we will do the Big Reveal! At that time you will receive our instructions to put your quilt together.