On yesterdays post Timaree asked yesterday in the comments “Could you tell us what the differences or main difference is between what you offer versus the wiki?” Timaree is referring to my Encrusted Crazy Quilting which will start on June 19th. It is a good question and I am sure many people think but have not asked the same.
My class emphasises designing a block as well as the technical aspects of making a block. Many people attempt crazy quilting but find it hard to juggle all the bits and pieces together. Put simply with using so much embellishment they find it hard to do. I teach how to design the block so that it reads as well as the technical information on how to make it.
Students have contact with me in the forum for the full six weeks and the lessons also print out to over 200 pages of information. For what is it worth I trained in an art school have 3 visual arts degrees at various levels and if you value experience have taught in an art school for a long time.
For many people you can only go so far with free stuff online. These resources are good and help people learn but the odd structured class does help and online lessons in comparison to face to face lessons are a lot cheaper. There are also many comments from students on the classes offered page which has loads of information on how they are run etc
Perhaps some of my old students who have done the class might leave a comment about this as I often wonder if I give too much away but the challenges I run, the resources I point to are only part of the picture as structuring this information plus teaching design skills into a class is what you are buying.
While I am at it I will remind everyone that I am also running another course Using a studio journal commencing June 27th
OK I am on overload at work so I am taking a few days off blogging. I will be still around approving comments and moderating stitching fingers
I have taken Sharon’s Encrusted Class and was so happy with it. I am especially pleased with the design aspects she teaches. I have done several CQ RR’s and always wondered why my blocks seemed well, not as exciting as others…got my answer with this course. How to lead the eye around the block, to fix problems and I have all the print outs to refer to even now. (I work in an art related field, and I still learned so much!)
I have just checked out the first of the wiki CQ courses to compare to Sharon’s on line courses. I have only taken the PLOS course with Sharon due to too many other commitments. I would love to do another course with her because they are so comprehensive. Another bonus is the direct feedback from a qualified, professional and experienced artist and tutor. I found the quality of the photos on wiki quite poor compared to Sharon’s info also.
I did sharonb’s encrusted crazy quilt workshop the first time around. It was the first on line class that I had ever done and I felt a wee aphrensive about it all. However I was more than happy with the course, its content and the comprehensive notes which I have kept in a binder that I continually reach for when needing inspiration or guidance. Up to date I never found a book that offered as much as what the course notes did. I have done all of sharon’s courses and while each course is stand alone – in their own way – they have offered some common ground which has linked them. I think the course offered true value for money, plus the added plus of working and discovering like minded people. I can only endorse how much I liked the feedback, comments, encouragement and overall friendship
which was offered. I cannot speak highly enough about the course… I am looking forward to her next on-line class…
I took Encrusted Crazy Quilts, and I felt I really got my money’s worth. I had taken a CQ class through my guild, and I had 5 “finished” blocks. I liked 4 of them, but one wasn’t quite right, and I didn’t know why. With the information provided through the course I was able to figure out what was wrong with the 5th block, and fix it with a minimum of effort. There is so much more than technical information, which is very nice and complete, but the artistic and design information is the part I really profited from. The forums were wonderful as well, and I would not hesitate to take another class with Sharon.
Jane from Illinois
This web dinosaur is just beginning to understand the whole ‘wiki’ thing. It is used by SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) for their educational programs, I know, and it is great — but it is available only to SAQA members.
As for ‘free’ online ‘classes’ through wiki…versus a more formalized class such as those you offer, Sharon, well… the old adage is that ‘you get what you pay for’, so you are quite right, you can only go so far on a free basis. I enjoy your classes and am looking forward to Encrusted CQ!
I’ve also done PLOS and Sumptuous Surfaces and can’t wait for Studio Journals to begin. These were the first on-line courses that I have done even though I have embroidered for a good many years, and I wondered how they would be. Definitely not disappointed. Aside from the comprehensive, well written and illustrated notes for each lesson (and that alone would be well worth the cost), the forum was extremely helpful as well. Prompt replies to questions to Sharon (and none were considered to be too stupid or obvious) and also the interaction with other participants meant that I finished each course with at least two large files full of notes and ideas. I use the information in them very frequently. Although I’m not intending to do CQ at present due to lack of time to put in, I am sure that it would be of a similar value to both beginners and those who have made cq for a long time. I would encourage anyone to participate – Sharon has so much to offer and is extremely generous with her knowledge and expertise. Thank you so much.
I too have attended PLOS and Sumptuous Surfaces. And will attend the Journal course too (not the encrusted crazy, as I’m not a great fan of this type of work, but if I were, I would not hesitate a second either). Attendind those two courses has made a hudge difference to my textile life. Sharon is very generous with all her information, and it is well structured. I’ve learned a lot about stitching and also design, or creating a piece. Before them, I was totally unable to create something on my own. After them, I enjoy doing so. I don’t mean they made me a textile artist recognized worldwide, but they gave me the confidence I was lacking, and some expertise.
I did not find that kind of information on the web, nor in face to face workshop. in such a workshop, I will learn a new technique, of course, but would not have the time to dig in the matter. For the same price, Sharon gives more information, offers help and advice online, and I have the time to do it on my pace and as long as I want.
So, if you have the opportunity, just give it a go, and you won’t regret it.
Thanks Sharon. I have books on crazy quilting and they all criss-cross on techniques till I don’t know what to do, especially with the embellishing. I am making a machine stitched utilitarian (lightly decorated) crazy quilt for my bed (and all my animals) but I am doing hit-or-miss with the squares. Guess I need a little more help!
Sharon I am sorry to hear that you are overloaded at the moment. I can’t wait for the Studio Journal to start – I am booked in at last. Since I am not a Crazy Quilter I can’t comment on the Encrusted class but I have to say again that Sumptuous Surfaces was the most wonderful thing I had encountered in years – from the design of a piece to the actual stitching. It opened a whole new world for me.
I could not, to my knowledge, have found that information on the web – certainly not in the one place. The lesson book sits beside me as I stitch and I refer to it and my PLOS notes often.
PLOS was very comprehensive also – so much so that I am still trying to catch up with all the ‘homework’ more than 6 months later. The problem is that I am still carried away with the idea of creating another ‘Sumptuous Surface’ and can’t settle, as I should, to the mundane exercise of stitching a sampler.
Sorry to ramble on but I am trying to say that I think these two courses that are worth doing if at all possible