January Update on Craftsy Class Progress

If you're new to this blog, one of my 2014 Quilty Resolutions is to focus on completing a significant proportion of the Craftsy classes I've managed to amass over the last two years since I first discovered Craftsy. And that's not a fly-by-night resolution. I've got a lot of them. I have learned so much from the classes I've taken so far, and enjoy the opportunity it gives me to continue to expand my skills even when my work and travel schedule don't let me take classes at my LQS.

Mind you, I also want you to be supporting classes at your LQS! Look at your LQS listing first. Nothing can replace that in-person class experience with a teacher that can stand over your shoulder and actually see what you're doing, to offer suggestions for improvement. But if you can't make a class in person, Craftsy is (IMHO) the next best thing.

So, to hold myself accountable and focused on working my way through the classes, I'm posting a monthly update here of what I've accomplished. This is my first official update--here's what I've gotten done in January.

Wendy Butler Berns' Machine Quilting class--done! (See this blog post and this podcast episode for reviews.)

Peter Reinhart's Artisan Bread Making class--done! (See this blog post for the review and photos.)

Molly Stevens' Secrets of Slow Cooking: Mastering the Braise--done! (See this blog post for the review and photo.)

Stupendous Stitching with Carol Ann Waugh: I've made great progress! I imagine you'll be seeing a full report with finished project pretty soon.

Spindling from Fluff to Stuff with Drucilla Pettibone: I've made progress--I'll really have to make a judgment call soon as to when I'll decide I'm done with this one.

So...drum roll please. Here's the updated list. (For the original blog post with more detail on how I define "completed," and notes about individual classes, click here.)

Completed Classes (all topics)

Current count: 17 (+3 from last month--yippee!)

Classes in Progress

Current count: 3

(As I finish classes, I roll new ones into the line-up. So the above are the classes I'm working on as of this writing but will change as I continue to progress.)

Classes To Be Completed

Current count: 18 (-3 since last month)

Classes added this month*

Count: 2

  • Complete Knife Skills with Brendan McDermott. It was free, it's something I've been working on w/ YouTube videos and in-person classes at a local cooking school, and it plays into all the other cooking classes I'm taking. I also figured it wouldn't take me long to go through the class and pick up whatever techniques I'm missing.
  • Free-Motion Quilting with Feathers with Angela Walters. This was my choice for a free class as a thank-you gift for being a Craftsy affiliate. (Small print that I can't make small on my blog, sorry: Interested in being an affiliate yourself? Use this link to check it out. If you become an affiliate through this link, you help support this podcast and blog. End of small print and back to real life.)

*I'm not restricting myself by saying, "I can't get another class until I finish every one I already have!" Heck, if a class on my wishlist comes up for a 50% off sale, I'll quite possibly take advantage of that. And I know myself--as soon as I tell myself I can't do something, that's all I want to do. So I'm better off saying, "Sure, I can if I really want to. No big deal." Then it takes the pressure off and I'm likely to make a more reasonable decision in any given moment. That being said, consistently working on a couple of classes at once keeps me distracted and much less likely to be reading those sale emails. ;-)

(Transparency statement: Using any of the Craftsy links on this post help support this podcast and blog. But I'd be doing these posts regardless for my own accountability, and I wouldn't be talking about Craftsy if I didn't really like it!)