I’m excited to announce I’ve just opened up an online class you can take from home in your PJs if you want to!

Since my in person visits to guilds and retreats have been postponed due to the virus, I decided it was time to get serious about putting together an online class. I’ve been working hard learning how to do my own videos, write instructions, take photos of step-outs and process shots, and it’s finally ready!

It’s called Improv Intro – Blocks, Stripes, and Curves and you can take a look here to see the course outline and sign up. UPDATE: here’s the link in full https://coursecraft.net/courses/z911Z

Project for new Online Class – Cindy Grisdela

I used the online teaching platform https://coursecraft.net/ to host my course, because it was super easy to set up, the tech help was great, and it wasn’t too expensive.

There are 12 lessons that use video, text, and still photos to share information about techniques to make Scrappy Improv Log Cabin Blocks, Angled Stripes, and Curved Strips. I chose one of my favorite quilts from Artful Improv and recreated it using a new color palette, because it made more sense to me to show the process of designing a specific quilt from start to finish. I share ideas about choosing colors and fabrics and walk you through step by step to design this quilt. I hope that students will feel encouraged to use the techniques to make their own designs as well.

There’s a gallery of quilts at the end using the techniques in different ways to give students ideas for their own projects.

Below are a few of the images from the class.

Choosing Colors – Cindy Grisdela

 

Composition Rows – Cindy Grisdela

 

Fan Stitching – Cindy Grisdela

Full disclosure: the techniques in the class are the same as the ones I write about in Artful Improv. But with the class you get step by step videos and more guidance than is available in the book. Plus you have the ability to engage with me and other students via comments on the platform. I’ve also set up a private Facebook group for students to interact and get additional feedback.

While we are social distancing due to the virus and in person teaching has been put on hold, I think there are positives to learning online. You have your own sewing area available to you–your machine, your chair, your fabrics–and you can work at your own speed, going back to the material as often as you need to. I am available via direct email or comment on the platform for questions and concerns (I get an email from the platform whenever someone comments.)

I am also available for virtual lectures and workshops for your guild or group. Any of my lectures can be given virtually over Zoom, and I have another class set up for online guild workshops.

If there’s another class or concept you’d like to see me offer online, please let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

 

4 Comments

  1. Ann Baldwin May on May 12, 2020 at 11:01 pm

    It is so fun to hear about all of your new adventures. I wish you all the best! You are rocking the art quilt world!



    • Cindy on May 12, 2020 at 11:37 pm

      Thank you so much Ann! I appreciate your kind words.



  2. Linda Swanekamp on May 13, 2020 at 12:49 am

    Do you have to use just solids for your class? I have some, but I love the tones and patterns of fabric too much to just use solids. Thanks.



    • Cindy on May 13, 2020 at 1:28 pm

      Linda, that’s a good question! No, you don’t have to use just solids–you can use prints or a combination of prints and solids very effectively.