Craftsy Class Completion Update

One of my 2014 Quilty Resolutions was to get more organized and intentional about going through the Craftsy classes I own. To that end, I'm going to post a quick monthly update as to which class I'm working on or have completed that month.

First, here's how I define "completed":

1. I have finished watching all the lessons in the course, AND

2. I have...

  • completed the class project, OR
  • completed one project in the class (if there are multiple projects--I may not be interested in all of them), OR
  • practiced or made note of one or more techniques in the class for use in my own projects later. (I may learn things simply by watching, but am not interested in doing class projects; and, some classes don't necessarily have projects per se but only teach techniques in the first place.)

Other terms I use:

  • "In progress" means I've actually taken some actions based on the class and intend to go back and practice more intentionally or do project.
  • "Viewed, not done" means I've watched most or all the lessons but haven't taken action steps yet; still plan to.

So, this first blog entry related to my Craftsy classes will list all of the classes I have purchased or registered for (freebies) since my very first day on Craftsy. (I can hear your gasp from here. Just stop, LOL. ) I'll then have notes about where they stand.

Completed Quilt Classes

  • Art Quilting 101 with Wendy Butler Berns (no class project; still go back for reference on occasion)
  • Chain of Stars Mystery Quilt with Kimberly Einmo (finished class project)
  • Color Play for Quilters with Joen Wolfrom (watched all, but did not do class projects)
  • Craftsy Block of the Month 2013 with Laura Nownes (watched much of it; decided I wasn't interested in doing the blocks now)
  • Creative Quilt Backs with Elizabeth Hartman (for reference only, no class projects)
  • Hand-Stitched Collage Quilts with Laura Wasilowski (finished 1 of 3 class projects, posted on blog; watched all lessons--that was enough for me to learn techniques to use on my own projects in the future. Great class!)
  • Magical Jelly Roll Quilts with Kimberly Einmo (I'm considering this one completed even though I've not yet made one of the quilts in the class, but did use her class as inspiration for other quilts I made in the interim. Will likely go back and make one or two in the future--I like the designs.)
  • Pattern Free Quilt-making with Joe Cunningham (Didn't do any class projects, not sure I will--not entirely to my taste, but good to have for future reference if I decide to play around with it later.)
  • Piece, Patch, Quilt: Basic Quiltmaking Skills with Gail Kessler (Always game for new tips even though this is for beginners; watched all the lessons, won't be doing projects.)
  • QuiltCon Lecture Series 2013 (watched all those of interest)
  • Scrap Quilting with Pepper Cory (watched all of the lessons; didn't do any class projects but will use for reference later as there were a couple I have in the back of my mind as possible donation quilts in the future.)
  • Stitch & Slash with Carol Ann Waugh (completed class project and backing!)
  • The Art of Cloth Dyeing with Jane Dunnewold (this is the class that sent me down that whole hand-dyeing bunny trail.)

Completed Spinning Classes

  • Know Your Wool with Deborah Robson (Used for reference before going to fiber festival last spring)

In Progress or Not-Yet-Started Quilt Classes

  • Art Quilt Backgrounds: Beyond Log Cabin with Judith Trager *Not started
  • Beyond Basic Machine Quilting with Ann Petersen *Not started
  • Designing Modern Quilts with Weeks Ringle *Viewed, not done
  • Fabric Patterning with Wax Resist with Malka Dubrawsky *Not started (Took awhile to collect materials, but have most of them now)
  • Finishing School: Edges and Bindings with Mimi Dietrich *Viewed, not done
  • Free Motion Fillers Vol 1 with Leah Day *Not started
  • Free Motion Fillers Vol 2 with Leah Day *Not started (I just bought these two about a week ago when they were 50% off knowing I wouldn't be getting to them immediately)
  • Free Motion Quilting a Sampler with Leah Day *Viewed, not done (not making the sampler; watched a few lessons to pick up tips for basting, etc., need to go through quilting designs one by one.)
  • Machine Quilting with Wendy Butler Berns *In Progress--see below.
  • Machine Quilting Negative Space with Angela Walters *Not started
  • Machine Quilting the Home Sweet Home Quilt with Frieda Anderson *Not started (just bought this one on sale a few days ago to have for when I'm ready)
  • Painted Pictorial Quilts with Annette Kennedy *Not started
  • Pictorial Quilting Techniques with Wendy Butler Berns *Viewed, not done
  • Pictures to Pixel Quilts with Carol Sheridan *Not started
  • Shoot It! A Product Photography Primer with Carol Sheridan *Not started
  • Strip Your Stash with Nancy Smith *Viewed, not done
  • Stupendous Stitching with Carol Ann Waugh *In Progress (see below)
  • Thread Art with Lola Jenkins *In Progress (see below)

In Progress or Not-Yet-Started Spinning Classes

  • Spindling from Fluff to Stuff with Drucilla Pettibone *In Progress (have worked through quite a bit of this but haven't finished a full spindle yet, so not considering this class completed.)

In Progress or Not-yet-started Cooking Classes

  • A Modern Take on the Mother Sauces with James Peterson *Not started
  • Artisan Bread Making with Peter Reinhard *Viewed, not done
  • Homestyle Pan Sauces with Martha Holmberg *In Progress (have made a couple of the sauces, am debating others based on our usual eating habits)
  • Perfect Pizza at Home with Peter Reinhart *Not started
  • Secrets of Slow Cooking: Mastering the Braise with Molly Stevens *Not started, but will soon--it's winter, after all!

Plan for January, 2014:

  • Finish Machine Quilting with Wendy Butler Berns. The main stopper here was that I ran out of prepared quilt sandwiches for practicing and never took the time to make more. During this vacation week I'm working on getting more ready--right now I've got a bunch of muslin pairs cut, but I need to piece some batting scraps together and then baste the sandwiches. I've also added to my task list "15 minutes practice machine quilting a day" and am doing my best to stick to that. I watch a lesson from her class, sketch her suggested designs out in a sketchbook, and then practice that design on a quilt sandwich. I may actually get this class done by the time I go back to work on January 2.
  • Finish Stupendous Stitching with Carol Ann Waugh. The stopper here was similar to above--I used up all the Stitch Bible pages I'd had prepared and needed to prepare more before I could make more progress. Creating more pages was one of my #BDSI tasks, so now I'm ready to finally make progress on this class. I should be able to have this class done by the end of January.
  • Make progress on, if not complete, Artisan Bread Making with Peter Reinhart. I'm not sure I'll make all the breads in the class but I want to get familiar with his technique and try at least a couple of his recipes.

I'll post at the end of January what progress I've made on my classes. Doing this should help me stay accountable and organized! I'll also be giving reviews of the classes in my podcast episodes so stay posted.