Well, dang. I had a November Craftsy Class Update all written and intended to schedule it to post while I was gone. Apparently I never did, because I just found it still sitting in my drafts folder. So this month I'm catching both my November completions and December completions--not that I've gotten a lot done in December because...well, you know. Something about travel, about only being home one week of the month. Still n' all, I managed to complete two classes this month to add to the four last month, so that's not bad!
Check out the very end of this post for my grand summary of my progress on my 2014 Quilty Resolution regarding the completion of Craftsy classes.
New Completions
(+6)
- Continuous Line Quilting with Ann Petersen (see review here).
- Travel Photography with Jad Davenport (see review here).
- Strip Your Stash with Nancy Smith (see review here).
- A Modern Take on the Mother Sauces with James Peterson (see review here).
- Free-Motion Quilting with Feathers with Angela Walters (see review here).
- Simple Soups from Scratch with Kathy Gunst (see review here).
Classes in Progress
(3)
- Fabric Patterning with Wax Resist with Malka Dubrawsky
- Machine Quilting: Small Changes, Big Variety with Angela Walters
- Embroidering Texture & Dimension by Hand with Sue Spargo (see below)
Proof I've already started working on the Sue Spargo class...
Classes added this month
(+2)
I succumbed to the Craftsy end-of-year sale and got two more classes at $19.99 each. I can't be very sorry about that, especially since I immediately finished one and got started on the other.
- Embroidering Texture & Dimension by Hand with Sue Spargo (photo at left).
- Simple Soups from Scratch with Kathy Gunst (see above).
Classes To Be Completed
Current count: 12 (-4 from last month as I added 1)
- Art Quilt Backgrounds: Beyond Log Cabin with Judith Trager
- Embroidering Texture & Dimension by Hand with Sue Spargo
- Fabric Patterning with Wax Resist with Malka Dubrawsky
- Free Motion Fillers Vol 1 with Leah Day
- Free Motion Fillers Vol 2 with Leah Day
- Free Motion Quilting a Sampler with Leah Day
- Free Motion Machine Embroidery with Terry White
- Machine Quilting: Small Changes, Big Variety with Angela Walters
- Machine Quilting Negative Space with Angela Walters
- Machine Quilting the Home Sweet Home Quilt with Frieda Anderson
- Painted Pictorial Quilts with Annette Kennedy
- Pictorial Quilting Techniques with Wendy Butler Berns
Completed Classes (all topics)
Current count: 45 (+5)
- 20 Essential Cooking Techniques with Brendan McDermott
- Modern Take on the Mother Sauces with James Peterson
- Art Quilting 101 with Wendy Butler Berns
- (The) Art of Cloth Dyeing with Jane Dunnewold
- Artisan Bread Making with Peter Reinhart
- Basics of Digital Photography with Rick Allred
- Beyond Basic Machine Quilting with Ann Petersen
- Building Flavorful Soups with Peter Berley
- Chain of Stars Mystery Quilt with Kimberly Einmo
- Color Play for Quilters with Joen Wolfrom
- Complete Knife Skills with Brendan McDermott
- Continuous Line Quilting with Ann Petersen
- Craftsy Block of the Month 2013 with Laura Nownes
- Creative Photography: Capture Life Differently with George Lange
- Creative Quilt Backs with Elizabeth Hartman
- Creative Ways with Whole Grains with Anna Bullett
- Cooking Essentials: All About Chicken with Marge Perry
- Designing Modern Quilts with Weeks Ringle
- Design It, Quilt It: Freeform Quilting Techniques with Cindy Needham
- Dot-to-Dot Quilting with Angela Walters
- Finishing School: Edges and Bindings with Mimi Dietrich
- Fire up the Fish with David Bonom
- Free-Motion Quilting with Feathers with Angela Walters
- Hand-Stitched Collage Quilts with Laura Wasilowski
- Homemade Italian Pasta with Guiliano Hazan
- Homestyle Pan Sauces with Martha Holmberg
- Know Your Wool with Deborah Robson
- Machine Quilting with Wendy Butler Berns
- Magical Jelly Roll Quilts with Kimberly Einmo
- Pattern Free Quilt-making with Joe Cunningham
- Pictures to Pixel Quilts with Carol Sheridan
- Piece, Patch, Quilt: Basic Quiltmaking Skills with Gail Kessler
- Perfect Pizza at Home with Peter Reinhart
- Roasting Techniques Every Cook Should Know with Molly Stevens
- QuiltCon Lecture Series 2013
- Scrap Quilting with Pepper Cory
- Secrets of Slow Cooking: Mastering the Braise with Molly Stephens
- Shoot It! A Product Photography Primer with Carol Sheridan
- Simple Soups from Scratch with Kathy Gunst
- Spindling from Fluff to Stuff with Drucilla Pettibone
- Stitch & Slash with Carol Ann Waugh
- Strip Your Stash with Nancy Smith
- Stupendous Stitching with Carol Ann Waugh
- Thread Art with Lola Jenkins
- Travel Photography with Jad Davenport
2014 Quilty Resolution Summary
A few of my Craftsy class pics from 2014
So, how did I do, in total, on my 2014 quilty resolution regarding completing Craftsy classes? I never set a specific number to be completed, nor did I have the real intention of wiping the slate clean by the end of the year. I was far too realistic for that. Plus, as you know, I bought new classes through the year in addition to working on ones I'd already owned. For the most part, the new classes got finished pretty quickly. New is always more interesting, to be honest. So I'd say about half of the classes I didn't get finished have been in my queue for a long time; the other half were purchased in 2014. I suppose that's not a bad balance.
When I started in January 2014, I had:
- 14 completed Craftsy classes.
- 21 to-be-completed classes (those I already owned but hadn't finished or, in many cases, even started yet).
At the end of December 2014, I now have:
- 45 completed Craftsy classes (+31 from 2013)
- 12 to-be-completed, 3 of which are currently in progress (-9 from 2013, but the math doesn't show the true picture because...)
...this means I purchased 22 classes during 2014, most of which I then completed.
It certainly would be understandable if you were thinking, "Yeah, but did you really learn anything? Is it possible to take that many classes and absorb the material?" The answer is, yes. Sure, there are some classes I went through and decided, "Nope, not for me, not right now, anyway." But they're in my memory banks (and on my computer) for future reference. Some are classes with techniques that I continue to work on--such as spindling, dyeing, and free motion quilting. I can indeed say that I picked up hints or tips from just about every class, even if most of the class turned out to be not my bag or stuff I already knew. That being said, there are several things I do now that I didn't do before--making homemade pasta being a major stand-out, and spinning, and being far more brave and confident in my machine quilting. So yes, those 45 completed classes (or 31 completed in 2014, anyway) were all worth the time, and have helped me improve.
I can also say, however, that though I'll continue to do my monthly updates in 2015 (it keeps me plugging along and I really do want to finish the 12 remaining on my list) and will most likely continue to buy new Craftsy classes on occasion, in general I'll be doing a lot fewer this coming year as I have other things on my horizon that'll be taking up some time. So no, Craftsy classes aren't continuing as part of my 2015 Quilty Resolutions. I have another plan for that. Stay tuned.
(Usual transparency statement: This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. Thanks for supporting this podcast and blog!)