Craftsy Class Adventure

Yay!  I just got finished shooting my first class for Craftsy.com!

It’s shocking how well I’ve kept this little HUGE secret in the bag for the last 3 months, but I have been literally bursting at the seams to tell you about the awesome class we’ve been putting together for free motion quilting.  Note: I’ll share more details on the actual class later when it launches in November!

So for the last 3 days I’ve been in Denver, Colorado hanging out with Justin, Jared, and Carolyn, doing what I’m always doing – making videos about free motion quilting!

This was a really interesting experience because while I’ve taught quilting on video an enormous amount, I’ve never done it like this.  Every morning started by having my hair and make up done by my stylist Danica or Tiffany:

Next, we’d start shooting in a studio with lots of hot lights and 2 cameras to catch every detail on the machine.  In the back of the room Carolyn was editing the videos as they were shot.  While many aspects of teaching were the same, I had to get used to many new things – like watching out for loud sounds.

Normally I don’t worry about this at all (which is why you can usually hear a rooster crowing in the background of my videos), but for Craftsy, we’d stop and wait when loud cars drove by or loud music was being played.  The guys operating the cameras (and often standing for hours at a time) had to be super careful not to make a sound while I was talking or quilting.  Try holding a cough or sneeze for 10 minutes and see how hard that can be!   

This attention to detail went far beyond background noise.  I’m so super excited about my class because I feel like I was finally able to go into some intense detail that I haven’t been able to go into before because of time or shooting limitations.

Having made over 500 videos, that’s a pretty bold statement, but keep in mind I’m still limited to 15 minute videos on YouTube, and the constraints of shooting videos all by myself.  While no, I hardly get any complaints about my videos, personally I’ve always felt like they could just be…better.

With Craftsy, I’ve finally found that missing element that’s always bothered me – the workshop feel.

When I’m at a workshop, all I have to worry about is teaching and sharing the information as clearly as possible.  I don’t have to worry about lighting or editing or squishing the video into 15 minutes.  I just stand up and teach!

The really terrific thing about this class is it will be just as interactive as a real workshop.  Just in case you’re not familiar with Craftsy you should really check it out!  Not only can you post questions to the platform of your classes, you can also post photos and have discussions with other students.  You can find all the quilting classes posted so far right here.

It’s an awesome learning environment because each class is quite meaty with lots of focus on the little details that can easily be missed.  Ultimately a Craftsy class ends up feeling more like a college course or an artistic intensive, but with the added benefit of being able to return to different lessons again and again and interact with the instructor at any time.

It honestly blows away anything I’ve been able to teach in a traditional quilting in-person workshop or in all of my YouTube videos.  I guess the big difference is I was encouraged to focus on the tiny details, but also moved steadily through lots of designs and information.  Meaty is really the best description!

While here in Denver, I met many people that will be involved in taking the videos and turning them into the finished class.  Overwhelmingly, every single person I met was super excited and happy to be working at Craftsy, even though it’s obviously a demanding job with long hours (one day we shot from 8 am until 8 pm and no one complained at all!)

That might seem like a silly thing to notice, but personally I know that positive attitudes, excitement, and this kind of dedication only come when everyone is super psyched up about what they do.  It was so much fun to hang out and work with so many like-minded people!

Again, that might not seem like a big deal, but over the last two years whenever I’ve started a conversation with a new person I’ve met, like at a mom / kid outing with James or at yoga class, I’ve always felt a bit like a freak.

I’m not sure whether I intimidate other women or if it’s something else, but it’s often hard for me to find people to relate to in Shelby, NC.  Here in Denver, I met 3 women, all published authors and professional in their field of quilting, weaving, or crochet, and I’m sure there are many, many more working for Craftsy that I just didn’t have time to meet and gab with while I was here.

I guess the point of all this rambling is simple: we all want to belong and feel good about what we do.  Teaching this class for Craftsy, I found both.

So now after 3 solid days of shooting videos, talking almost constantly, and smiling my face off, I’m feeling super tired, but also super happy.  I’m ready to go home, but I’m also most definitely ready to come back to shoot more classes whenever I can!

Time to shut up and quilt sleep…

Leah

P.S  Super, super, super thank you to Linda, Jared, Carolyn, Justin, Nicole, Sadie, Tiffany, and Danica who all made my experience 100% awesome, and to everyone else that will have a hand in turning this raw film into a finished class!

And an extra big thank you and hug to Alissa who helped me plan and outline this class – without you, this class wouldn’t have happened!