Online Teaching with Laura Coia, Podcast Episode #25
If you’d just like the audio of the podcast, here’s a player to listen or download the episode:
And we now have video as well! For this episode only the introduction will be live video as I share what’s going on around the house. The interview with Laura will be still images of the two of us. Yes, a full video of the podcast is coming, I promise!
Now a bit about Laura Coia:
Laura is a freelance educator and pattern designer and the creator behind Sew Very Easy, her YouTube Channel that has new videos coming out every Tuesday and Thursday at 2 pm.
Her first video was about her tablecloth quilts – yes, she eats on her quilts! Honestly that’s a great idea so we can see and enjoy more quilts around the house.
Laura shares videos on sewing and quilting and plans her tutorials around seasonal projects and items she’s curious about and wants to create. She occasionally will publish a series of videos like her three part how to sew on buttons, but for the most part you only need to watch one video to see the entire tutorial.
Her process for creating a video is pretty simple – she gets an idea, then researches the materials required, and designs the pattern. As she’s writing and planning, she’s also acquiring the materials and keeps the entire project organized in a bin on her shelf.
Once the bin is filled and she has all the materials and pattern created, Laura starts making the video. It takes her about two days to create the video tutorials from start to finish. She only sews one item while making the project from beginning to end so she doesn’t end up with lots of half finished projects.
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She shoots with a Cannon X80 camera on a tripod with 22 lights. That sounds like a lot, but I can speak from experience – lighting is key!
Laura keeps a really chill attitude about making videos and sharing her tutorials. As she’s filming, she imagines she’s hanging out with her girlfriends having a fun time. Sewing and quilting is supposed to be relaxing and fun, that’s the whole point!
It’s perfectly fine to learn from Laura’s tutorials, make the projects, and sell the items at a local craft fair. She just asks that you give her credit as the designer. So something like “Based on a design by Laura Coia Sew Very Easy” would be a good attribution to the original tutorial.
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Laura doesn’t have a website and doesn’t want to sell stuff in addition to her YouTube channel. Her focus is 100% on running the channel and making new videos every week.
What does Laura do with all the projects she creates? She gives a lot of the projects away as gifts! If she’s sewing a cute outfit for a kid, she makes sure it will fit her grandson. And that’s also why she uses quilts as tablecloths – gotta find more surfaces to enjoy them!
Laura is most looking forward to seeing where her YouTube channel takes her. She loves the comments and interaction with people online and is also looking forward to writing a book too. Find Laura’s Sew Very Easy channel right here.
The sponsor for the show this week is the Mega Star Walking Foot Workshop, an online quilting class where you’ll learn how to piece and machine quilt this beautiful throw sized quilt from start to finish!
The best part of this workshop is it’s all about walking foot quilting! Learn how to use your walking foot effectively to quilt straight lines, curves, and a giant spiral on your quilts. Along the way I share tips and tricks for dealing with common quilt issues like puckers and pleats, and how to move the quilt smoothly under the needle.
Come take a class with me and learn how to make this beautiful quilt! Click Here to learn more about this workshop.
Now for a few updates from around the house!
I finally finished puffing and closing the holes on James’s puff quilt. I love the Super Mario mushroom and how thick and fluffy this quilt turned out!
But then I realized I needed to open all the puffs on the edges and remove all the stuffing because the edge was impossible to bind next to a 2 inch thick puff. So I pulled out all the fiberfill and already attached 2-inch wide borders to reinforce the outer edge of the quilt.
It was annoying, but didn’t take as long as I expected. Two evenings of work while watching a silly TV show with James and we’re already back on track and I should be ready to baste this quilt on Friday.
I’ve also been working on a few collaboration projects. Tomorrow I’ll be sharing a collaboration with Laura. She pieced a free form applique block and I quilted it!
I’ve also created a hoop quilt from AnneMarie Chaney’s Hoop Quilt Along. This is so cheerful and fun! I can’t wait to quilt it!
Another thing I’ve been researching and debating is the photography issue for my new book. I called around and even toured photography studios in my area and the cheapest price I was quoted was $2500. Unfortunately the guy quoting that price didn’t really understand quilts or seem willing to listen to how I wanted the shots framed or edited.
After much debate, Josh helped change my mind once again and now I’m planning to shoot the photos myself. I finally invested in a good camera (Nikon D3400) and we installed a special shooting area on the back of the house.
This was created with two sheets of polystyrene insulation sheeting. I use this exact same material for my design walls inside and realized it could also work outside too.
When we need to shoot quilts, I’ll cover the boards with a big piece of fabric, then pin the quilt to the board nice and straight and square. No, it’s not pretty and it’s certainly not for everyone, but hey, it works for me and that’s what counts!
So that’s it for this week. I’m off to play with my new camera, shoot new videos and photos, and create fun projects to share with you. I loved this chat with Laura because it felt like talking to a kindred spirit – we both create and share videos because we love sewing and quilting and just want to share it and pass it on.
And I hope you’ll pass this podcast on as well! Please share the podcast with your friends on Instagram and Facebook to help spread the word. Also if you have anyone you’d like to recommend for the podcast or you’d like to be on yourself, please post a comment below!
Let’s go quilt,
Leah Day
