Just What A Blog Is For!

If you are on our emailing list, you might be wondering what is going on with that! Long story short, AT & T has changed their processing of mailings so we are changing ours as well. As I learn more how to do this, I still make mistakes.

So where is it, you ask? Ah technology! I'll leave it at that as I sort out the final , ah.... issue. Linda Kay has fine-tuned our latest newsletter and class list (some great ones coming up!) so I am eager to get that sent out. I hope to have the email to you by Tuesday .....

.....but in the meantime, I'll fill you in on last week at Bright Hopes.

Candy Bergeron came by Thursday afternoon, as promised, to collect a stack of donation quilts and receiving blankets for the up-coming show in St. Gabriel.

I wrote a post about it last week and planned to attend myself. (Candy invited me to be a docent for an hour or so...... she trusts that I won't ankle off with any quilts! hahahaha) ("What does a docent do?" " Answers questions...." " I don't know if I know any answers." "......." She still wants me. ) So, May 7, St. Gabriel Community Center......... I'll be the one in white gloves looking like I know what I'm doing but don't.

Candy will be making a final pass through Mandeville on Thursday, May the 5th and Bright Hopes Quilting is a drop-off point so if you would like to donate any quilt to this cause, please have yours at the shop no later than Thursday morning and be sure to fill out the donation form to have the quilt given to the charity (on the list of 16) of your choice. This is a tax-deductible donation so if that is important to you and the IRS, don't forget to document that as well.

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We have received more Just One Star blocks and will be mailing the big package off Tuesday, April 26. It was SO COOL to open an envelope Thursday and find more stars arriving!!!! At this rate, we all will have made more than enough stars to complete 4 quilts! Ya'll are the BEST!

Thank you for participating in this project.

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Isn't This CUTE?

You know Pearl has a lovely little granddaughter.... look what she's getting! This little-girl sun cap is reversible and adorable and made by Pearl. I think the pattern is Blossoms and Bloomers..... and has a jumper as well.

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I was prowling around the shop and came across this bolt that has somehow escaped my detection until now. Beautiful dragonflies in an oriental feel. It glows off the black background.

Classes and Calendar ::::

Tuesday is Tote Club,

Thursday is Applique Society

Friday is 6 Halves Makes a Whole Starburst (continued)

Okay, be on the look-out for that elusive email and pray for me as I continue down the technology wormhole!

Back in the Saddle, (again?)

Happy New Year Everybody!!

It's been quite a while since I dropped the ball in November but we saw lots of you over the holiday season (thank you!) and I hope you all had a very merry Christmas, a safe New Years Eve and are rarin' to kick off this year in high gear.

I hope, as well, that you have been keeping abreast of our new inventory and quilt samples and up-coming classes from the weekly emails that Pearl sends out. I haven't been the diligent one to get the new calendar in the the blog but that is being remedied as I write. (I've been sick....sniff...)

Please do check out the new classes. You will find some interesting new designs to get you going and for those of you with the class coupon, you know how fast the classes fill up.

We still have spaces left in our 4 Blocks of the Month quilts. To remind you, we have the Amish Sampler,

the Stars Over Bali Skies (batik),
the applique Rose of Sharon,


and the Monthly Mini Calendar Quilts.

I should be back in the saddle and at the shop Thursday to see what all came in while I have been out and look forward to picking the ball up and running with it.

Til then, I leave you in the good hands of Gene Autry: take it away, Gene!

Happenings, Happenings - Up-Dated!!!

A few posts back, I wrote about our new "Lagniappe " classes. Once a month, we (let me be more specific: Linda Kay!) will host a class that teaches the student something that can be made quickly. The idea is to be a helpful method of preparing yourself for Christmas or any gift-giving, really. When you want to give something of yourself (at the last minute, even) now you can have a veritable arsenal of ideas at your fingertips.

Here are the results from the first class last weekend: The Bucket Class

Adorable!

Now that you have seen this, here is what's coming up:

Feb 20, 10 am - 1pm Learn to sew a quilted cover for a folding "camp stool"! You can buy one of these at Wal-Mart and you will need it when you come. You'll get the class supply list when you sign up. Too cute. And so easy to stow away when it's not needed. How great would that be to cover with school colors and send off to college in the fall?

Up-Date: Linda Kay has made it official: March 20 Lagniappe Class will be the Bucket Basket.

Call to reserve your spot!

And speaking of coming up, next week, Feb. 5 is UFO Friday.

Pearl sent out an email concerning two volunteer Outreach projects you might be interested in joining. One is to sew "ditty bags" (Pouches of Comfort) for the women soldiers to stow their personal items while they are in fatigues and the other is to make pillowcases for Ronnie's Life Ministry, through St. Timothy's Church in Mandeville, LA.

You don't sew much but would like to help anyway?, great! We'll get you cutting up the fabric. You say you don't cut too good? No problem! You can doing the turning and keep us in stitches.

If you would like to help out with either of these two projects or would like to bring your UFO in and join us for the camarderie, bring your machine, UFO's, donated fabrics, cutting/piecing tools and good cheer next Friday. And a snack! Snacks are good! (I'll hit the Chinese take-out, meself)

We're going to sew up a storm ALL DAY at Bright Hopes Quilting. Feb 5 That's next Friday.

Been A While

since last I posted. As you can see, we have just sent out a newsletter and calendar of up-coming events and classes.

What a gorgeous spring we've been having. It makes it difficult for me to choose between being out in the garden or in with the quilting. Luckily with the rain, I get to be "stuck" inside sewing up a storm of my own and the plants get a good soaking to set up their roots. (talk about win-win, huh?)

With that in mind, come check out all the fresh fabric we've been receiving. Definitely spring-inspired and fabulous colors.

I think you'll like the line-up of classes we are offering these next 3 months.
If you go to the calendar below and click on a day, you'll see details including time, instructor and requirements. I'd like to say hello to a new instructor: Courtney. (hello!!!!) She is offering several new classes so check it out, y'all.

As always, we are open to requests for classes, or suggestions for blogging needs. Let us know how we can assist you in your quilting dreams.

Second Blog

Well, I don't know about you, but we're seizing this new Year with both hands and hit the ground running with a New Blog!!!!! Quilts for Sale BHQ

As most of you regulars to the shop are aware, we go through an enormous number of shop samples, to show off new fabric lines and patterns or even old favorites, like Just Can't Cut It. But once the fabric is no longer available or we make a new sample, the older ones are rotated to the back room. And I can't tell you how often we are asked about finished quilts for sale.

OK, OK we get the hint! Our latest goal is to make available for purchase our quilts and in this effort we will be writing more information on individual postings at the new blog, Quilts for Sale BHQ.

As the months progress, we will quilt more of our top-quilts and making them available as well so this is going to be a WIP itself.

In addition to the finished quilts, we will also post about past BOMs that we have kitted and bundled into one purchase for the full year. These are few and once they have sold, will not be repeated.

Please wander over and take a look. If you happen to see to quilt DESIGN you like and can't place the name, we can hook you with that as well. There really is nothing like a beautiful use of fabric on a great pattern.

Why the Format?

Welcome to the new readers........ in case you are wondering why the blog looks the way it does, I have a few explanations to relate.

The pictures we add are small so that it doesn't take up time and space on everyone's computers to download. If you want to see a larger image of any picture, simply click on it and it will open in a new window and in a larger format so you can see details of fabrics or quilts.

The columns can look strange on individual browsers. Some may appear normal, some rather narrow. Two reasons I can come up with: 1. The browser I use to create the posts may be different from the one you use to cruise the "innertubes". What I see may not be what you see. and 2. I'm new to this and have been learning quickly to get just this far. Bear with me as I fine-tune the product.
Don't be surprised if the "look" of our blog changes over the course of time. Hopefully it will get only better.

Do notice, if you are new to blogging, that you may comment on what you read and see here at BHQblog. Below each post is a Comment button so feel free to write your observations. We are a polite group of stitchers and want our blog to reflect this.

Most anything you may see on the postings will be available in the store but if you can't get to us physically, please call and place mail orders. Obviously, once a fabric line is sold out, we may not be able to reorder. The same is true books that go out of print. But we do our best to chase down special requests.

Happy blogging!