FREE Craftsy classes -One Day Only!

Hi there:

I wanted to let you know that for one day only you can watch all 1,200+ Craftsy classes for free! On Labour Day, September 4, 2017, all of Craftsy's classes are available for you to view absolutely free. This is a perfect opportunity to check out those classes that you've had your eye on and to learn some new skills.

If you don't already have a Craftsy account, sign up now with your email address and then enjoy as many classes as you can watch for one day only. Setting up a Craftsy account is free, so I'd sign up now so you can browse the classes and choose the ones you want to watch on Monday.

Remember, you can view all of Craftsy's class for free for a limited time: 

Starts: Monday, September 4, 2017 at 12:01 a.m. MST

Ends: Monday, September 4, 2017 at 11:59 p.m. MST

Enjoy your long week-end and happy viewing!

Creatively,

P.S. I am a Craftsy affiliate and as such I will receive a small amount of compensation if you purchase items by clicking through the links in this blogpost. Thank you for allowing me to continue providing free content for you.

More Prizes in the One World Quilt Along

Last week I was thrilled to announce that we would be awarding prizes for those members who have registered in the One World Quilt Along. This week I'm pleased to let you know that we have added another prize to these!

Curious.com is providing us with a one year's subscription to be awarded to one lucky Quilter. Curious.com is the website for lifelong learners and I teach several online classes there: Essential Guide to Fusible Web Appliqué, Hand Embroidery Essentials and The Joy of Vintage Sewing Machines. I'm not the only teacher on Curious.com: there are hundreds of teachers and thousands of lessons viewable on their website. There are many quilting and sewing courses, but you don't have to limit yourself to just those! You'll be able to watch lessons on baking, photography, exercise and computer applications. There are even courses on calculus, if you're so inclined (which I definitely am not, but don't let me influence you!). 

Awesome Blossom project in The Essential Guide to Fusible Web Appliqué

How do you enter to be eligible for this one year subscription to Curious.com? This prize is for the early birds! Sign up for the One World Quilt Along as a Quilter before 11:59 pm EST on September 14, 2016 and you'll be eligible for this prize. Keith and I will do a random draw and one Quilter will win a year's subscription to Curious.com. You'll definitely find my courses on fusible web appliqué and hand embroidery helpful in making your version of the One World quilt.

Register now as a Quilter for the One World Quilt Along to be eligible or sit back and keep your fingers crossed if you are have already signed up as a Quilter.

Good luck!

Creatively,

Free Motion Feather Quilting with Patsy Thompson

Are you still frantically quilting away on Christmas or holiday gifts? If not, good for you! For those who are - there is still over a week until Christmas so you're right on track.

This is when I'm usually starting to decide what type of quilt motifs to put on my gifts. I waffle between small designs, such as pebbles, that take me forever to finish. I did this last year on a table runner for my brother. Loved the results, but man, did it take a long time to finish! 

This year I've been working on free motion feathers after watch Patsy Thompson's Craftsy class, Ultimate Free-Motion Quilting. Patsy creates stunning designs and with her practical, step-by-step approach, it's easy to learn how to create wonderful feather designs. 

Photo courtesy of www.craftsy.com

Remember last week when I talked about being afraid to try something new. Well, feather quilting was always on that list for me. Now that I've taken Patsy's class, feathers don't seem nearly as daunting! 

Here are some photos of my first attempts. This is what Patsy calls hyperquilting, where you start in one colour and then go over with a second thread in a contrasting colour. By using two different colours I could really see my work - and where I need to improve. The best part of doing this was that I really enjoyed quilting feathers! Now I've got another quilt motif to add to my repertoire.

An overall view of my feather

Feather detail

Another overview - need to work on the curves a bit more

Back of the feather - or should it be the front? :)

And, feathers can spread over a large area and don't take as much time to quilt as pebbles :)

If you've been afraid to try free motion feathers, but would like to, I highly recommend Ultimate Free-Motion Quilting by Patsy Thompson. 

Creatively,

P.S. I am a Craftsy affiliate and will receive compensation if you purchase through one of the clickable links. This helps to keep me creating videos, tutorials and free patterns for you. Thank you! #ad

Learn Hand Embroidery with Me

Can you believe that we're already at the end of November? Christmas is creeping up quickly and I've been working on some gift ideas for this year (okay, I'm actually just thinking about them, but I've almost decided on what I'm going to make).

I like to create quilted or embroidered items as gifts, either technique works for me as long as it is something I can make quickly - because I'm always down to the wire with my gifts. Hey, it's the way I am and has become a bit of a tradition and who wants to break a tradition?! Okay, my hubby would definitely like me to break this tradition, but that's another story :)

You can create lovely gifts with just a few hand embroidery stitches that you'll learn in Hand Embroidery Essentials on Curious.com.

Thinking about embroidered items made me realize that I haven't told you about my latest on-line course at Curious.com. When you enrol in Hand Embroidery Essentials you'll learn everything you need to know about hand embroidery: tools, fabric, stitches. I've even included my Flourishing Heart pattern in this course and you can work along with me to create your own Flourishing Heart pincushion. It makes the perfect gift either as a pincushion or as an ornament. Create several, add some potpourri to them and they make lovely sachets or basket stuffers.

To learn more about what's included in the course, watch the video below or on my Youtube channel.

Enrol in Hand Embroidery Essentials and create at least one gift in lots of time for Christmas. Unless you'd like to start a new tradition like mine...

Creatively,

7 Reasons to Enrol in an On-line Course

On-line courses are one of my favourite ways to learn and they are certainly a popular way to learn for other creatives as well. It got me thinking about reasons to take an on-line course and I've come up with 7 of them. Here they are:

1. You can learn in your pj's - without make-up. Okay, maybe I'm the only one with full make-up on when I leave the house, but I doubt if anyone shows up for a quilting or stitching class in their pj's! With an on-line class, you don't have to get dressed up - or dressed at all - to learn.

2. You can access your on-line course anytime night or day. Can't sleep at night? Put on your earbuds and learn. You can learn on your schedule, whenever it is convenient for you - day or night.

3. You have one on one access with the teacher. As an on-line instructor I receive emails from my students with their specific questions. I can answer their questions and spend as much time as needed to ensure that their questions have been fully answered. No more waiting in line to talk to the teacher - and you don't need to bring her an apple :)

4. You don't have to pack up your supplies and sewing machine to attend an on-line class. Just gather the required supplies and stitch in the comfort of your own home at your own sewing table.

5. You can save on class supplies. I have enrolled in "live" courses where I've bought all the supplies on the materials list only to find that I really didn't need all of them. With an on-line course, you can watch the course first and then determine the supplies you will need to purchase before starting your project.

6. You have continuous access to the course. You can watch the course as many times as you like. Halfway through the course and then have to stop and attend to other matters? No problem, just pick up the course again and start watching when you have time. Not sure about a technique? "Rewind" to watch that section of the video again. I often start and stop videos as I stitch along with the instructor. 

7. You can enrol in an on-line course no matter where in the world you live. If you're in England or Spain, you can still join me in any of my on-line courses. Of course if you'd like me to come to you to teach the course, I could be persuaded to do that, especially if you live in a warm, tropical climate:)

These are my top 7 reasons to enrol in an on-line course. How do you feel about learning on your computer? Let me know your thoughts on the subject in the comments below.

(Don't forget to enrol in any of my on-line courses at Curious.com - thanks!)

Creatively,