Review & Coupon Code: "Precision Piecing" on Craftsy
7:35:00 PMRecently I was contacted by Craftsy.com and asked to write a review on my blog of one of their newer quilting classes, called "Precision Piecing".
I will preface my review with this: although Craftsy.com contacted me and asked me to take one of their courses and review it therein, all of the opinions below are mine and mine alone. I am giving you my own (unbiased, unprompted) opinion on the Craftsy.com platform and specifically, the class "Precision Piecing".
A Bit About Craftsy.com
If you are unfamiliar with the Craftsy.com platform, it's a really convenient way to take classes with well known instructors in your field of craft. Several of the instructors are published artists, well known bloggers, and designers.
Craftsy offers an unrestricted interactive online learning environment - and what I mean by this is that once you sign up for a course,
- you always have access to that course, forever more, even once you've completed it
- you can access the course for any length of time, any time of day or night
- you can comment and ask the course instructor questions during the instructional video; the instructor then responds to you (and you usually receive an answer from them in your email inbox within 24 hours)
- you can share your projects with other people taking the classes by uploading photos to the platform
- the classes are relatively inexpensive, and some are even free (and everyone loves free!)
- the topics of classes range within each discipline; within the "Quilting" classes, you can learn about specific types of piecing, take a block-of-the-month class, machine maintenance and trouble shooting, and the list goes on.
I have taken a few courses in the past through Craftsy's platform, and have really enjoyed them. The instructors are very approachable, clear and concise in their delivery of instructions, and the overall quality of videography of the lessons is very clear and easy to see. Craftsy does a fantastic job of utilizing camera angles and zoom in order to optimize your learning experience in each of their classes.
When I signed up for my first online Craftsy.com class last year, this was my biggest concern - that I wouldn't be able to see what the instructor was doing because of the innate limitations of it being online vs. me standing in front of the instructor in the flesh. My concerns in this respect were quickly squelched.
This class covers how-tos on three quilt projects: precision pieced Amish Pinwheel, foundation paper-pieced Stained Glass Window, and the curved-pieced Emerald Ring. I felt the class assumes you have a bit of quilting experience; I wouldn't recommend it for the really 'green', brand new quilter - but if you've sewn a few quilts or blocks in your day, this is most definitely the class for you. Definitely a valuable set of skills to learn and refine your abilities as a quilter.
Throughout the class, the instructor gives some really good tips even on basic things such as rotary cutting, pressing, thread usage (for accuracy), using sandpaper to immobilize fabrics, stitch ripping, and more.
Some of the things this class in precision piecing specifically addresses:
* sewing perfect intersecting diamonds using template seam guide
* sewing y-seams and special pressing techniques therein
* 8-point matching
* foundation paper-piecing; printing foundations vs. needle piercing technique
* specifics of how to foundation paper-piece, trouble shooting, cutting templated pieces for easy piecing
* curved piecing
Norah McMeeking, your class instructor, is very good at multi-tasking; i.e. chatting about what she's doing while doing it. You can tell she's a seasoned instructor with plenty of experience of talking to a class and is very conscious about making sure the camera can see what she's doing while she's doing it. She's clear and concise, easy to hear and understand. Her close-ups of special pinning techniques are fantastic and easy to follow.
If you're a novice quilter or have been quilting for years, there is most definitely something in this class you're bound to learn more about. It gives a great overview and lesson on foundation paper piecing, which is becoming more and more popular - and something that even the most seasoned quilters have troubles with. Not after this class!
I thought I would share a few of the projects I learned to make in the class; I didn't have the time to make the entire quilts or every block, but, this gives you a bit of an idea of some of what you'll learn in the class.
my version of the Amish Pinwheel Block from "Precision Piecing" |
part of the class is teaching how to get perfect diamond intersections, every time(circled) |
how to get perfect Y-seams, every time (circled) |
my version of the foundation paper-pieced Stained Glass Window block from "Precision Piecing"(note: I added a border around the block to bring it to 12") |
perfect 8-point matching, every time (circled) |
If you are interested in taking this course, Craftsy.com is offering the class to my readers at a 50% discount.
Click the coupon above you'll be taken to the site, where you can read more about the course and if you so choose, take the course at a discounted price.
Happy quilting everyone!
4 comments
Looks good Erin, if only there were another 20 hours in a day! :o)
ReplyDeleteI am on this site.. never taken classes though.. have recived and watched 2 free ones x May just have a look at this one x
ReplyDeleteErin: thanks for the great review. I have taken several classes on Craftsy and absolutely love the platform. I hope those followers who haven't looked into this platform give it a try. I have had a great time with interests that I wouldn't have actually taken a class for otherwise.
ReplyDeleteBased on this review I had a look at this class and have signed up for it. I haven't done ny Craftsy classes before so I'm looking forward to giving it a go!
ReplyDeleteI ♥ to hear from you!
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment or for asking me a question. Rather email me? Reach out at sewathomemummy@gmail.com.
I like to email everyone back when they've commented - so if you're a no-reply blogger, make sure to leave your email address in your comment so I can share the love back atcha!