I’m so happy to be home for the holidays and catching up with family and friends. This past month has been a whirlwind of traveling and teaching. It was so much fun but I have to agree with Dorothy on this one . . . there’s no place like home.
In my last post, I hinted at some exciting news that I was not able to share at the time. Since then, I have traveled to Denver to the studios of Sympoz where I filmed 11 lessons for the 2013 Block of the Month series with Craftsy. If you are not familiar with this popular website, you must take a minute to check out the many workshops and class offerings available. Not only are there quilting classes, but also classes in cake decorating, knitting & crocheting, woodworking, spinning, paper crafts, and jewelry making. There is something for everyone.
I thought I was good to go but each night my hotel room looked like this as I had some last-minute tasks before filming the next morning. I should have taken a photo of the floor. Yikes, it was covered with threads!
We learn to work in whatever space is available.
My Block of the Month series will go live on January 1st and the good news is that it is FREE! You just need to visit the site and set up a username and password and then click on the logo for this class. You will be able to access it at your leisure, as many times as you like and for as long as it is available, which apparently will be for many, many years. There is no expiration date. A new lesson will be available the first day of each month. I really hope you will join me in this exciting new venture.
I had a very short turn-around time from when I was asked to teach to the actual filming dates. There was so much to do–from selecting fabrics, choosing patterns, and writing instructions. I selected a variety of blocks that would teach many of my favorite techniques, including curved piecing, y-seam construction, partial seams, 45-degree and 60-degree triangles and diamonds, appliqué, and drafting. I feel there is an exciting line-up of patterns included in the sampler quilt.
I can’t reveal the actual quilt project yet but here is a sneak peek at the lovely fabrics they sent me to play with. I just love polka dots, so working on this project was so much fun.
I love these dots by Robert Kaufman fabrics.
When I arrived at the studios, I was deeply touched that a workspace was all set up with many of my favorite things. They made me feel so comfortable and right at home.
Such a cute workspace. Wish my own was this neat and tidy!
Many thanks to some of the nicest people ever to work with: Alissa, Nicole and Jarrod and my lovely makeup artist Danica (not shown). I had the best time and can’t wait for the release of this new series.
Alissa (producer), yours truly, Nicole (film editor) and Jarrod (camera).
Craftsy is generously offering a Free class (up to a $49.99 value) to one of our readers. Simply hop on over to the website and browse through the abundance of class offerings. Then post a comment by end of day December 20th telling me which class you would like to take. I will announce the winner in my Jan 1 post.
I hope you will plan to join me in January. It’s a perfect time to begin a new project. I will give you lots of tips and hints to help with the success of your quilt. You can go onto the Craftsy website now and get set-up; then you will be ready to go.
Almost forgot – The four lucky winners of copies of Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks from today’s top designers are: Linda Dixon, Cindy Wendt, Miss Moozie (love this name!) and Helen Petrik.
Happy Holidays everyone. Be well and safe. Hope to see you next year in the Craftsy classroom.
