My Craftsy class review

I have been a Craftsy designer for a while.  I really feel they give wonderful support to their designers!  I have been thinking about taking one of their online classes and recently I received an email from Craftsy offering me a class in exchange for a review of the class.

Watching the class lesson

It was very easy to sign up for a class.  The email confirmation came right away.  And me being "Last Minute Lewis" had waited until last week to order the class thinking that I would have tons of time this week to "take" the class.  It doesn't matter when you order the class, the class is good forever! So if you are thinking of ordering a class and you don't have time to watch the class right now, order it anyway.  It will be there and available to you when you are good and ready!

I had a few little glitches.  And it was on my side, not Craftsy's.   Like I said earlier, I waited until the last minute.  I also didn't read the supply list so when I started looking at the list of lesson topics I wasn't aware that I needed silk screening supplies.  Does it matter?  NO!  I realized that I could just skip over that lesson and come back to it when I do have my silk screening stuff. I also had a bit of trouble with a lesson that froze, but it was my computer and once I cleared my cache and closed all the other windows that I had open, it was just fine.  I also noticed that one of my fellow students was having problems with a frozen segment and asked for help in the lesson question area. The tech support was available to help and reached out to her.

My review is due today.  As usual I ran out of time this week and didn't get to do as much with my class as I had wanted.   When I get back to my class next week, what happens if I forgot where I was and what I was doing?  No problem.  The lesson will start where I left off!  And if I need to review one of the previous lessons I can access it again.

I chose to take Judith Trager's Art Quilt Backgrounds.  I have heard good things about her live classes, so I thought it would be a good first class.

I enjoyed the introduction.  The first lesson was on making test blocks with a variety of fabrics.  We were assigned to do 6 blocks.  In each lesson there is a place where you can see what other students have asked about and also the answers.  Which is very helpful because Judith answers questions quickly.

Fabrics pulled for the first assignment.

Pieces cut

The starting blocks

My six blocks

The next lesson is on creating a background using fabrics in a color scheme with similar tones.  So I went to the stash. . .

The Stash

. . . I chose to do some sort of ocean scene.  I have been into water lately and just love the idea of the sea and sky with some fish in the ocean.

Sky

Ocean

The next lesson is on designing and sewing together the background for my quilt.  I really enjoyed Judith's designing information.  She really does a good job of explaining how to work with an idea and various ways to accomplish it.  I watched the lesson, but I haven't sewn the blocks.  When I get to this next week, I will go back and watch the lesson again.

I will continue to review the class in the next couple of weeks.  I really like how the class doesn't start and stop on a specific date.  I like the fact the teacher is very accessible to me if and when I need help.  Try out a class on Craftsy, you will enjoy it!

Guild meeting

Charlotte's Moose.

Charlotte's Fall quilt.

Kathy's Christmas Banner

Charlotte's blocks

Kathie's Block

Kathie's other block

Kathy's block

Last week I had blogged about preparing my demo for my local quilting group.  Last night was the meeting and it seemed to go well.  I missed getting photographs of all the strip sets that the ladies were cutting.  It is always fun to see the other color schemes and fabric choices that others select.

I am still viewing the lessons for the Craftsy class  by Judith Trager that I am taking.  It has been wonderful so far!  I will have a full review for you tomorrow.  

Recess is over, back to class.

Monday Mess

Mess blocking the design wall

Bookcase, nice and tidy.

Cutting table is the sort station.

Our son and his family came for the holiday weekend.  So to add a guest room I had to take down my sewing machine and move the table to the corner.  Since the center of the room was cleared, I thought it was a good time to rearrange the furniture.  I had been thinking about switching places of the cutting table and book case.  So to do that I had to take everything that was stowed behind and under the cutting table and take all the books off the shelves.  With sweetie's help the furniture was moved.  Now to sort and put back the junk, er, ah, sewing supplies.  I was able to get the books sorted and neatly put back.  Now to get the mess of in-progress-projects and scraps sorted and stowed neatly.  This is my design wall Monday post for the week!

Also on the agenda today is to take a Craftsy class.  I was offered a class of my choice to try out one of their online classes and give a review. I have heard good things about taking Craftsy online classes from some friends, so I am looking forward to the experience.  After looking over the selection of quilting classes I decided to try  Art Quilt Backgrounds taught by Judith Trager.  A friend of mine had taken a live class with her and raved about it.  I trust her judgement.  So I am off to view the first lesson.  If anyone would like to join me Craftsy is offering a sale on classes purchased before midnight tonight at a bargain price of $19.99.  

First Snowfall

First Snowfall

I saw mention of the 2012 Christmas Quilt Show that is being hosted by Michelle and it sounds like fun.  This is my entry.  It is 12"x 12" made for an art quilt group challenge.  The theme for this was "Cold".  Crochet was my first craft back when my Aunt Anita taught me how to crochet a shawl when I was 15.  I still have that shawl.  It lead me to a lifetime love of all things crafty.  So I crocheted the snowflakes out of cotton crochet thread.  I tacked them on to the background which was a quilted piece of batik fabric that I thought gave the illusion of distant snow falling.  The piece is finished off with a faced binding.

Check out Michelle's blog and see all the other entries.  Make sure to come back to vote for your favorite!

This is my Off the wall post for this round, check what everyone else is up to at Nina-Marie's blog.

Manic Monday

The lady who owns our local Curves is in my quilting group.  Since we lost access to the meeting room in the local motel, she has let our group meet at her gym for free.  There is a wall perfect for displaying quilts.  I had brought in a top to hang there and had a lot of positive feedback.  One being that they wanted me to demo this block at the quilt group in November.  So I pulled some batiks from my stash and made up some demo samples.  I like the way the blocks look on the wall.  I may or may not add more blocks to this project.  I thought I had used a lot of orange, but it feels more yellow in the photograph.  I do still have 4 more blocks worth of strips that haven't been cut (I will cut them in the demo).

So for today I am going to be manically running around the house trying to clean, clear out stuff from the sewing room so it can be set up for a guest room and hopefully make it to the grocery store.  Tomorrow I get the joy of having a tooth crowned.  Hopefully all will be ready in time for son and family when they arrive.

I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! 

This is my Design Wall Monday post.  

Getting some things Off the Wall

Mini Mystery Fabrics

All cut out and ready to sew.

Box of T-shirts

Just need to tack the binding and embroider the
balloon strings.

Need to tuck the threads.

I forgot that I told my local group that I would do a mini mystery at the meeting on the 26th.  I was going to use the one I taught at a retreat in California in January.  But then I decided it took too much time for the sewing and so I designed a new mystery.  Of course, now I need to get a sample sewn.  So that is what I need to work on today.

I found a box on my porch yesterday.  I didn't hear the doorbell when it arrived.  It is a full of T-shirts.  I am making another T-shirt quilt for another nephew.  His birthday is the end of January and I hope to get it done in plenty of time.  I was hoping to be able to cut out the shirts today if the sewing goes well.  But then late last night I broke a tooth.  I was able to get an appointment with the dentist this afternoon.  So we will see how much time that takes up.

I got the binding on the birthday runner, just need to tack it down and embroider the strings. 

I was able to get the little quilt from Monday quilted.  Still need to tuck all the threads in.  I was thinking about it as I quilted, I am a tucker rather than a tiny stitch then clipper.  I feel like it looks better in my quilts.  And maybe it is just the way I don't have a lot of control over my free motion quilting and I tend to get really big clumps when I try to do tiny stitch and clip method.  What is your favorite way to handle starts and stops?

This is my Off the Wall post for this week, check out what everyone else is doing at Nina-Marie's blog.

Design Wall Monday

I sewed these two together and am quilting this piece.

I really like these.

I definitely need to make more of these.

Last week I posted about pulling out a bag of blocks from a class I took in 2005. It was a great class and I remember that I had a lot of fun.  I never did anything with these sets of blocks.  Well, I am really into them right now.  I sewed together the two large blocks and am in the process of quilting them.  I think that I will make a small quilt just using those 4 "9-patches".  But since they are different sizes they need to be sashed some how.  I am watching them as I quilt along on the first piece (who needs a name).  The bottom set of blocks (not the last of the bag, they will come out to play at another time) are not enough, so I will need to make more.  Hopefully I still have some of those fabrics or some new ones that will work well. 

This is my Design Wall Monday post for this week.

Off the wall

9 patches

I wonder if this could turn into an art quilt piece on its own?

More blocks.

I seem to remember that these were fun to make.

I pulled out a bag full of blocks that I had made in a Sandi Cummings class at Asilomar, probably 2005.  I haven't played with these since class.  Looking through the blocks, I think I have several projects going on here.  We did several different free form cutting lessons during the week.  

I really enjoy free form cutting, so this class was very good for me.  No idea why I never pursued any of these projects.  But since I am trying to get some of my UFO's finished up, I think that this is a good couple of quilts that will be fun to play with , piecing and quilting.

This is my Off the Wall post for the week, check out what everyone else is doing at Nina-Marie's blog.

Other Stories

Chevron Quilt is finished and turned in for the raffle.

Pretty Pansies at Thanksgiving Point.

I attended my last board meeting for the Utah Quilt Guild on Monday. I have been the Area Rep for the East Central Area for the last 2 years.  I need to take a step back for a bit.  When I came on the board, I did have some friends on the board and I also knew quite a few of the ladies.  I feel like I was able to deepen friendships and also make some new good friends.  Shantelle, Bev, Becky, Kathy, Cindy (well, actually 3 Cindys, all wonderful) Sharon, the other Sylvia, Louise, Paula, Ann, Wendy and many others that I can't quite pull the names out of my head at this moment. Thanks to all for welcoming me into the group.  I will continue to promote the art of Quilt-making in Utah, just on a smaller scale.

I was able to get the binding on the little Chevron quilt and turn it in for next year's Mini Quilt Raffle at Quilt Fest.  I felt like I needed to finish something, anything way ahead.  Instead of stitching down the binding the day before the baby arrives! This is my TGIFF post, check out everyone else's finishes!

Becky's Mom and her quilt.

Last week I wrote a post about the T-shirt quilt that I had made for my brother. I want to thank everyone for their kind comments.  I had a wonderful email from Becky.  She told me about the memory quilt she made for her Mother.  I asked her if I could share her story with you and she said yes.

Reading the story made me cry, because I was thinking of my mom.

She passed away 3 years ago in December, she was 79.

About 3 months before her 75^th Birthday she mailed me her Square Dance Skirts and Vests. She wanted me to make a quilt out of them for her Bed. I made fans out of them and called it Grandma Promandes across the floor. It will never win any contest, neither. I got it sewn machine quilted just following the fans and had the binding machine sewed on before we flew to Minnesota for her Birthday. Every Night I went to bed early and worked on getting the Binding finished. She was so surprised when I gave it to her. I have it back.

Becky brought the quilt to the meeting on Monday and I was able to see it in person. Quite the treasure.  Thanks for letting me share your story.

I won! I won! I won!

Last week I had entered a giveaway at Candied Fabrics by commenting on a blog post.  Was I ever surprised to get an email saying that I won! How cool  is that?  The package came in the mail today. It has the new issue of International Quilt Festival Quilt Scene, also fabric to make her pattern that is featured in the magazine!  Another bonus is that my good friend Lisa has 2 patterns in this issue!  Check out her blog, she is also having a giveaway for this magazine.

Thank you Candy!

Finished Photo

Tada!  Finished! 

The Fused back, with a label and sleeve!

A Mariner's Compass!

Quilted.

I am going to put on this black for a binding.

The next project to finish.

As promised, the finished photograph of "Sea Garden".  I am pleased with the way the fused back turned out.  It is now on its way to Arizona to go into the Rim Country Quilters show.  I wish that I could attend the show. Check out this Blog party about finished quilts.

I was drinking the last bottle of Trader and realized that there is a Mariner's Compass on the label!  With a hop flower in the center.  How fun is that?  You never know where you are going to find quilt designs and inspiration.

I  completed the quilting on the mini quilt.  I think that I will just bind it in black since I don't have any of the fabrics.

The next UFO I plan to work on is this birthday table runner.  The pattern is from Pie Plate Patterns.  I had won the kit at one of their retreats. Not sure which year I won it.  I have it pieced, the bow fabric is fused and traced and the batting and backing are cut and ready to go.  Since the Most Beautiful Little Boy in the World has a birthday coming up, I thought I should get it done in time.

This is my off the wall post for this week, check out what everyone else is doing at Nina-Marie's Blog.