annesthreads

I'm think of signing up for my first Craftsy class. I'd be interested to hear what people think of them - are the instructions clear? Quality of the tutors? How many hours? Is there contact with tutors and other people doing the class? Are there any time limits on completing the class? And are there any classes that you've particularly enjoyed? Anything else I should know?

Barb44

I've taken several classes and have learned from each one of them. The quality of the instructors has been very good in my experience. There are free classes that you can sign up for. I would suggest trying one of those first. IMO the best of those was the 2013 BOM. Once you sign up for a class it is always available to you and you can go at your own pace. The instructors are not available for questions for the free classes, but they do answer questions for the paid classes. There are printable instructions you can download for each class and you have the video with the instructor demonstrating the technique. My favorite classes were the Civil War blocks taught by Kaye England (Repiecing the Past: Civil War blocks, Then and Now) and the Traditional Blocks Made Simple, taught by Anita Grossman Solomon. Both instructors have very different styles of piecing, but I learned a lot from them and I have been quilting for many years. Ann Peterson also has a class on quilting big quilts on a small machine. I learned a lot in that class also. Leah Day is an excellent instructor for free motion quilting and has couple classes on that, I think.

One important thing about Craftsy is that they are very quick to refund your class fee if you do not like the class. I received a refund for a class on color that was not what I expected. The classes that I have liked I have watched several times. I am currently making the Arrowhead quilt from Anita Grossman Solomon's class.

annesthreads

Thanks very much Barb, that's really helpful, especially the info about the free classes and being able to get a refund.

Knitette

I loved the Leah Day FMQ class. They're easy to understand and access. Good suggestion by Barb to try a free one first to see if you like the format. No time limit - your class is always available and you can watch as often as you like.

They sell materials for some classes, but don't ship to the UK. Happy quilting

annesthreads

An additional question. I'd be particularly interested if anyone has used Craftsy to explore techniques beyond the traditional quilting skills, eg surface embellishment and similar textile-related crafts.

annesthreads

I love Leah Day. I spent several months following her online Free motion quilting project, and learned so much. I'd lost all my confidence after having endless problems with my machine when quilting, and she restored it for me. She's an excellent teacher and endlessly encouraging.

susie-susie-susie

Another vote for Craftsy classes. They are great, and the refund aspect is there if you are not satisfied. I have only viewed a few of the classed that I have bought, but have been satisfied with all of them. Leah Day is wonderful and so easy to understand. She makes it look so easy to do free motion. I agree also, try a free class and see if you like it. I think you will.
Sue

Sewnoma

My first Craftsy class was the Leah Day FMQ class, and I loved it! They send me emails when classes are on sale; I just purchased 2 more quilting classes the other day for half-off and have watched parts of both. I love that it's self-paced. If I get bored I can just stop it and come back. If I get lost, I can "rewind". And I like that you can watch it at 1.5x or 2x speeds too, so if you just need a very quick refresh on a technique you can zip through and still see and hear what's going on. Some instructors talk too slow for my taste so I'll bump the speed up to 1.5x and they still sound pretty natural. (I'm impatient, and from California. Slow talkers make me crazy...)

Overall I think it's a great resource - I still prefer in-person classes (for the camaraderie if nothing else) but since I have never seen Leah Day teaching classes in my area I think it's a great way to learn specific techniques from specific teachers.

Plus, I often get insomnia, and I doubt the LQS would appreciate me breaking in at 2AM to "take a class", LOL. Craftsy is open 24/7!

annesthreads

Good point Sewnoma! For me it would be early morning rather than late at night, but same thing. I actually prefer online classes to in-person: I'm quite slow to learn practical skills, and can get stressed in a class if I feel I'm not keeping up.

ManiacQuilter2

I just don't understand why quilters don't sign up for classes at your local quilt store. And then I see post of these stores closing. I could NOT log on to Craftsy that last time I tried. Don't know if it was a technical problem with their servers or what. Sorry, I don't mean to be negative.