The Promise of Good Things To Come!

Hello friends!  We had a very enjoyable day Saturday with so many of you stopping in to shop, have a cupcake, and, of course, meet Diana as she gets ready to start her own new quilt shop, Affinity For Quilts.  So much promise of things to come! 

Now just 4 days remaining of the Bear Patch Quilting Co. that you have known for close to 22 years!  Yes, we do still have fabric, and we still have the good stuff, too!  The picture below was taken today, 1/27.  Good stuff!

During these last 4 days, we will take those prices down one more little notch to 60% off!
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 9-5:30, Thursday 9-5 and then done!
We have had so many fun interactions with you, our customers and friends.  It has been a period of adjustment, with time for me and my co-workers to embrace the concept of life without Bear Patch.  We have a great work crew, and we are already setting up plans for sewing days and retreats in the future.  A lot of you have asked, so we'll tell you a little about what the future holds for us:

Nancy T. - continues with her full time job at the League of MN Cities for now but still could work evenings and/or weekends for Diana
Diane H. - thought she was going to be a bank teller, but when she found out that they don't pay in fabric she lost interest quickly!  Diane and her husband have a little Skamp trailer, and they will be out camping whenever possible, especially up north.
Sharon L. - has agreed to stay on to share her hand embroidery expertise, and will take more trips to new destinations!
Kristina T. - might show up working for Diana, and otherwise she's knitting, dying yarn and cleaning her sewing room.  Good luck with that!
Pam H. - planning to travel, along with soon-retired husband, in our new Airstream trailer.  First we are going to Charlotte, NC, for a month with our grandsons.  A Singer Featherweight will be safely stowed for travel.  I'm getting back into knitting, and I might even use my longarm to quilt one of the many quilts of my own that have never been finished!
Carol F. - planning a 6 week road trip to AZ, FL & NC.  Is serving on the Senior Advisory Committee at the White Bear Lake Senior Center.  And always doing something good with the Lions Club.
Tammy B. - you might see Tammy back at the store with rotary cutter in hand.  And dirt under her fingernails once the ground thaws out!
Linda P. - simply looking forward to no schedule!
Debbie E. - would like to just Breathe!  And then she will organize her sewing room, knit, read, take classes, go on retreats, cook and become much more familiar with her grandkids!  Doesn't seem like there's much time left for to Breathe!
Linda E. - will continue with her full-time work for the DNR, involved with the state park campground department.  In the past, she has been a good resource for people looking for some help with making quilts or fixing problems.  If she decides to continue doing that, she will leave her contact info for Diana.
Marlene M. - already down in AZ, smart girl!
Sophie V. - plans to be using her new EMT status, so you might see her smiling face at your next emergency!  That would be very reassuring to me!
Sue S. - Will be camping and traveling. And quilting a lot. Possibly teaching classes for the new boss.
Laurel R. - is starting off her retirement with a trip to Belize with husband, George.  After that, she has "many, many, many quilting projects planned" and might work some teaching into her schedule.

Karen L. - will still be working fulltime as Business Office Manager at Ecumen Seasons at Maplewood and Lakeview Commons in Maplewood.

So, you can see that many good things await us!  I have always embraced the idea that change is good because the next new thing might be even better than the old.  And it keeps the old brain cells working!  I hope to see some of you on my shopping trips to Affinity For Quilts!    Pam

Great Fall Class Line Up

Bear Patch is such a classy place!  That doesn't have anything to do with society, but it means we love to present classes for our customers.  It's such a great way for like-minded people to sit down and hopefully learn a thing or 2!  We have always tried for a variety of projects:  big, small, handwork, machine techniques, beginner, advanced, morning, afternoon, night and weekends, too!  We try to keep our classes small and friendly for everyone.  Even though our days are numbered, we can't resist the chance to offer a few more learning opportunities.  And sometimes it's just plain nice to get some inspiration from each other!

Our fall classes are almost entirely posted up on the website now.  There still will be a few things added, but not much is left to add.  On our main page, hover over the Class tab at the top of the page, then choose Bear Patch Classes from the drop down.  You will also find a choice there to send us an email registration.  We are taking registrations in the order we receive them.  We can also help you over the phone (651-429-1039) and, of course, in person in the store.  Your place in class is not secure until we receive payment from you.  Many times we have people waiting to take any cancelled spots, so please make sure you let us know if you can't come.  If you cancel at least one week or sooner from the class date, you will receive store credit for the class fee, minus the pattern if that was included and you choose to keep it.

We want to highlight some of the classes that are coming up soon.  Next Tuesday (9/18) Joy is having an open sew for hand applique and quilting.  She has taught classes to many of you, and this is your chance to ask questions about finishing your project.  Joy also has a Beginner's Hand Applique class starting 9/19.
Continuing with the handwork, Sharon has scheduled a Hand Embroidery Basics evening class on 10/3.  If you want to learn from a master stitcher, this is last call.
Laurel has modified the Beginning Quilting class to 2 all-day sessions, starting 10/6.  She has also added a new Machine Quilting class, Beautiful Borders, for using your specialty foot and rulers.

Sew much to do, sew little time!  We hope you can work something into your schedule, and we look forward to seeing you at Bear Patch!

Bear Patch Quilting Co.
2199 4th St.
White Bear Lake, MN 55110
651-429-1039
bearpqc@aol.com
bearpatchquilting.comMon-Tues-Wed  9am-9pm
Thu-Fri-Sat  9am-5pm
Sunday 12noon-4pm

Our Winter Classes

We have been working hard to make many new samples to inspire you to take one of our great classes this winter.  It's the perfect time to sit down at your machine or pick up needle and thread.  This doesn't show all of them, but you can see the entire list on the website.
Please allow a little time for the slideshow to load.  Call 651-429-1039 if you have any questions.

Personalize a digital slideshow

Row by Row Shop Hop Exclusive Keepsakes!

 The Row By Row Shop Hop starts across the nation in just a few days.  The official start date is Sunday, 6/21, but since that is Father's Day we will not be open.  We will kick off on Monday AM at 9:00.  Our pattern, designed by Laurel, is called Walleye Chop.  It fits in well with the "Water" theme.  The pattern is our gift to you, but you must be physically present in the store to claim it.  That is part of the Row by Row Book of Law for all shops.  Kits are available for purchase if you want the same fabrics that were used in our sample.  They are packaged in this nice little zipper bag.

And in case you aren't familiar with what Walleye Chop means, I have to tell you that it's not some kind of chopped fish meal!  It's a reference to the somewhat choppy waters on a lake that are favorable for catching walleyes, quite possibly the best fish to come out of a Minnesota lake!

If you are traveling to Minnesota from another state, try to find a place that serves some good walleye.  I had a great walleye meal at Gluek's Brewery in downtown Minneapolis before a Twins' game, it's real close to the stadium, so you could have walleye and a Twins game all at once!  Anyway, back to the Shop Hop!

We have some Row By Row souvenir pins, and a special acrylic ruler that is a very handy size (you might want more than 1, so get yours soon!).  And tshirts and caps will be on hand very soon, so you can be fully outfitted in proper Row by Row attire!

Of course, we have the official Row by Row fabric on hand--

I have to say that for me, personally, these prints are so much more appealing than last year's.  They would go so well with the fabrics in our row!

And finally, our license plate!  Our order for these plates is still being printed, and we will need to take orders for them so they can be mailed out once the shipment arrives.  I think the slogan says it all!  Happy stitchin' to all of you, and enjoy the Row by Row Shop Hop!

The Row by Row Experience

Do you know about the nationwide quilt shop hop?  It's called the Row By Row Experience and runs from June 21 to September 8.  It is an organization of shops from all 50 states and Canada, too, that have signed up to participate.  As a participating shop, we have created our unique row design, only available when you come to Bear Patch.  The pattern is free, one per customer.  We will also have kits available to purchase for our row.  The goal is to collect the patterns and create your own quilt of at least 8 different rows.  There are prizes for winners who bring their completed quilt to a participating shop.  All of those details are explained on the Row By Row website, as well as a directory of shops.

Another fun feature of this experience is the chance to collect fabric vanity license plates from each of the stores.  Can't wait to see what all of the fun quips on the plates will be!  

Our regular summer store hours will apply:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 9am-9pm
Thursday*, Friday, Saturday  9am-5pm
Sunday 12 noon-4pm

*After July 30 we will return to our usual 9-9 Thursday hours.

Call 651-429-1039 to sign up!

Just in Time for Summer Trips

This is the season for road trips for vacations, reunions, campouts, etc.  Perfect timing for the brand new edition of The Quilter's Travel Companion!  The 2014-2016 edition.  This guide has served me well on more than one trip, helping locate new shops to explore.  Very much worth the purchase.  To make it even better, I suggest you take it to Kinko's (or other print shop) and have it spiral bound.  Makes it so much easier to handle when you are bouncing along in the back seat!

In addition to having your guide book spiral bound, I have some additional tips to share, learned from my extensive research on finding quilt shops wherever I go!  My husband swears I can sniff them out!  No sniffing required, just the Quilters' Travel Companion!  

• ALWAYS call the store you are going to visit just to make sure the hours are correct!  No fun going out of your way only to find the "Closed" sign posted due to a change since the book was printed.  It will also help you weed out any shops that have had to close, sadly.
• Make some notes in the book about the shops visited, for future reference.  Or devise your own rating system.  My own rating system is pretty simple: shops that I will go out of my way in order to return vs. shops that I will only see in my rearview mirror!
• Bring your own shopping bags!  Helps to keep your needful things separate and safe.  And eliminates one more piece of garbage from our world.
• Take pictures both inside and out of the store, with your travel companions or shop owner or a total stranger!  Make a file for your "Quilting on the Road" pictures, with the name of the shop either in the picture or as a label.

There are so many quilt shops to visit and so little time!  Last winter in Sedona, AZ, I really hit the jackpot--a quilt shop and yarn shop almost directly across the street from one another!

  I hope that you will enjoy your "research" as much as I do!  

And make sure your travels always bring you 

to the doors of Bear Patch!