I must start this review by saying I am a very novice sewing machine user, let alone quilter. The store has an impressive collection of fabrics, notions, kits, and all things related to quilting and making fabric art. I was very surprised at the sheer variety of fabrics and colors. I was also quite shocked at how expensive these things are. The staff are very knowledgeable and friendly. I signed up online for an appliqué class with a friend, and the instructor was very helpful, knowledgeable, enthusiastic, friendly, and thorough.
My beef with the studio is the lack of communication about the class I took-for which I paid $50. Since I and a friend signed up online, the only notification I received from the studio was that I was enrolled for a class 2 months away. I live 30 miles away from the studio, so dropping by to check out the requirements for the class was not a reasonable option. There were requirements for the class that were not communicated in the email I received, such as a supply list, required tools (such as scissors), and most importantly, the pattern. The class description stated "pattern included," but when we brought this to the attention of the staff member, she stated "pattern included as an item we needed to purchase." We wound up having to purchase over $50 worth of additional materials that my friend could have provided from her own studio. When we discussed the "pattern included" verbiage in the class description, we were told that we misinterpreted the description, and we received a 10% discount the day of the class, so we should have no complaint. A lady who also took the class with us said she had received the same message, and the only reason she knew there were class requirements was that her friend advised her she had called to verify her enrollment and asked whether she needed to bring anything, and the friend communicated that information to her. The staff member was unimpressed with her response, and kept asking us "did you receive an email?" We said no and she said that wasn't her problem. My friend stated they should revise their class descriptions, and was dismissed with a "hmph".
I am ok with the outcome of my project, and am ok with the information I received from the instructor, but I am posting this review to hopefully save others from making the same mistake we did. The owner didn't seem interested in what we had to say, hence this review. I will not take a class here again, nor will I purchase anything here, since there are closer stores to me selling similar items at a much better price. I wish the owners well, but am taking my business elsewhere. read more