Lakeside Mystery Classes, students created Mystery Quilts working until midnight. It was a fan favorite for those who are night owl quilters that love a mystery project. For Road 2019, the name of the classes have been changed to Mountain View Mystery and are being taught by Charlotte Angotti, a professional Mystery Quilts Teacher. The overall premise for these Mystery Quilts classes haven’t changed. Students will be spending all night learning and stitching into the wee-early hours of the morning! Another fun aspect of creating these Mystery Quilts with Charlotte Angotti is that all of the supplies will be provided. Pre-cut, laser-cut kits, designed especially for Road, are included in the price of the classes. How did Charlotte get started teaching Mystery Quilts classes? “While living in Virginia Beach, Virginia, I had a quilt shop, Quilt Works. I realized that most of the customers I had came to my shop for help picking fabric and I was pretty good at that. I also realized that by having the pieces cut out for them they could get much more done in class. I started by offering the classes from 6 pm to 6 am. (I was young and didn’t know better!) They were such a success that I had to rent space to hold the number of students wanting to do the monthly offering. When I began teaching on the national level I changed the name of the class from All Nighter to Let Me Surprise You! and the rest is history. I owned the shop from 1981-1999 and began teaching nationally in 1991.”
The more of these Mystery Quilts classes Charlotte taught, the more she enjoyed them. Since the prep work was done before the classes, it allowed Charlotte more time to meet and talk with students. Charlotte likes to feel relaxed and sew while talking and laughing – just like her students do!!
One of Charlotte’s Mystery Quilts
How does Charlotte explain her teaching style? “When I was a young girl I read a book (one I can’t remember the author or title of) that told the story of a boy and the neighbor who spoke French. Each chapter introduced a new French word to the little boy and the reader. Without realizing how much he was learning he was learning the language. The last chapter was totally in French and although I couldn’t speak the language, I could read it. For a nine-year-old who didn’t like reading this was a revelation. My teaching style is a lot like that book, you are learning about color, pattern and so much more without trying.”
Is there a particular type of quilter that is best suited for this kind of Mystery Quilts class? Charlotte replied, “I think all students who have some basic understanding of quilt making fit into my classes. I won’t be with them in the finishing process, so that is the reasoning behind the intermediate level. There is no cutting, no picking of fabric and in class it is basic piecing. A perfect ¼” seam allowance is really necessary since the laser cuts the kits so accurately and this seems to be a good thing to learn in my classes.”
Once, while teaching her version of a Mystery Quilts class, Charlotte noticed that one of the students started to cry when the final quilt was revealed. After Charlotte got everyone back to sewing and pictures were taken of her and the quilt, she went over to student to find out what was upsetting her. In between sobs, the student told Charlotte that there was no way she could make that quilt. Charlotte kindly explained to her that that was exactly what she had been working on all day. “Not THAT quilt!” the girl cried. Charlotte said it took some doing, but the student finally came to terms that she actually had been working on the exact same quilt.
This story typifies what Charlotte wants her students to get out of her Mystery Quilts classes…that they can do much more than they thought they could!! In addition, Charlotte hopes that she will see her students again and again because each new class is a different project.
Another one of Charlotte’s Mystery Quilts
The Mountain View Mystery Classes are being offered Wednesday (3061G) and Thursday (4061G) evenings from 6:00 PM until 11:59 PM. Students are required to bring their own sewing machine but everything else will be provided.
If you aren’t a night owl, Charlotte will be teaching the same Mystery Quilts class during the day on Monday (1001G) from 8:30 – 3:30 PM.
Road 2019 will be Charlotte’s first-time teaching at Road. Since she has worked in California several times, she hopes to see some of her old friends plus make new friends. She has heard “only good things about the show,” and is looking forward to seeing it for herself!
To learn more about Charlotte Angotti and her Mystery Quilts, please visit her website.
