Originally Posted by BellaBoo
I think there is extremes on both sides. I have been to classes where a sewer hadn't changed needles in her machine in years or will use a rotary blade so dull she would have to use scissors to cut the gaps. And be proud of the fact she didn't waste money buying new all the time. The same sewer won't buy the quilt book for the class or the specialty ruler if any. She will 'borrow' from someone. I am frugal but cheap is not my style or my type of person to be around.
I agree, I am also frugal but not cheap. Usually the instructor insists on ownership of the book/pattern to avoid copyright infringement (and also because book/pattern sales are a big source of revenue for the shop).
I've also been in several classes where one quilter would insist on using her method, rather than the method the instructor was teaching, even though learning that new method was the whole point of the class.
Your quilter with the dull rotary blade will probably cut herself eventually, because you have to press so hard with the dull blade that you don't have as much control over where the cutter goes. I wonder if she realizes how much easier and more accurate cutting with a sharp blade really is.
I have also been in classes where the quilter brought a new machine (and didn't know how to operate it), forgot the bobbin case (or foot pedal or electrical cord or something else), didn't know how to thread the machine, etc. In fact I've shown up for a class with a machine I hadn't used for a while and had to refer to the manual to thread it (but in my defense, I did bring the the manual to class with me, and I showed up early to get set up).
So... I guess the moral of this is that sometimes it's the quilters, rather than the shop owner, who is to blame for bad behavior in a class.