Craftsy Class Reviews

This page is devoted to reviews of the Craftsy  classes I have taken.  I find reviews helpful before I buy something, and I hope you do too.

Before you read further, I must tell you that I am a Craftsy  affiliate.  What does that mean?  Well, if you click through to Craftsy  using any of the links on this page and you purchase a class, I DO get a small commission on your purchase.  I use these commissions to fund giveaways on my blog.  I enjoy giving things away, but don't have any sponsors to fund it regularly.  So these commissions do the trick.  

While I am an affiliate, I want to assure you that these reviews are wholly my own opinions!  Craftsy does not pay me for reviews or even ask me to review these classes.  I give you my honest opinion.  While I haven't taken a bad class yet, if I do, you can be sure that I will tell you so!  I personally don't like spending my precious fabric budget on bad classes.  It irks me.  So I wouldn't expect you to like it either.

So here we go...Please let me start with my TOP 5 classes.  These are the classes that I keep going back to - either to make the pattern that was the focus of the class or to review the skills and techinques.

•  "Tara Rebman- Quilt-As-You-Go: Patchwork Bags"  - I really enjoyed this class and reviewed it HERE.   I also made a 2nd bag right after the first, with a few adjustments to the pattern, which I talked about HERE.  I have now made at least 6 of these bags.  They are so versatile and make great gifts.  See the one below!
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• Design it, Quilt It - with Cindy Needham - This class is awesome!  Not only does Cindy show you the basics of free motion quilting, there is so much content in this class that it really should have been 3 classes.  I talked a bit about this class in THIS post.
• Machine Quilting Negative Space - with Angela Walters - one of my favorite classes!  Angela shows you how to quilt several of her favorite quilting designs and how to mix them up.  I re-watch this class about every year.  Not only does she show you how to quilt her favorite motifs but she gives great advice about how to just relax and quilt. (A reminder I need!)
•  Creative Quilting With Your Walking Foot by Jacquie Gering. This is the intro class to walking foot quilting, but it contains SO MUCH info!!  Her follow up class is great too, but this is the class that I continue to rewatch to remind myself about registration lines and lining everything up nicely.
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• Bag Making Basics - reversible tote & zipper pouch - This class is pretty good and FREE!!!!.  I liked the projects and the instructor was pretty clear on how to make them.  I've made a few of the zipper pouches, and thanks to the class, the zipper isn't so scary.

Here are the other classes I have taken:

• Big Techniques with Small Scraps - I really enjoyed this class with Sarah Fielke.  She makes some lovely quilts and goes through how to do hand applique, how to use your 60 degree ruler, and how to do a step down technique.
• Quilting Quickly - with Jenny Doan - The Quilting Quickly classes focus on using various precuts to make a bunch of fun quilts, like the Disappearing Nine Patch, Pinwheels, you do some strip piecing, and the basics of quilting are covered right up to sandwiching your quilt.
• Quilting Quickly 2 - with Jenny Doan - I'm not finished with this class yet, but I like it a little better than Quilting Quickly 1.  You learn how to do rag quilts, circle quilts and drunkards path, and a dresden quilt, all with precuts.
• Precision Piecing - not finished with the class yet.
• Craftsy Pieced Hexies: Beyond English Paper Piecing Class - I was uninspired by this class.
• Craftsy Pre-Cut Piecing Made Simple Class with Camille Roskelley - If you love Camille's patterns like Swoon, Piece of Cake, and Hashtag; and haven't purchased them yet, then this class is great.  You get the patterns and Camille walks you through how to piece each one.  I don't feel that there were any stunning techniques or quilting tips included in this class. 
• Inset and Applique Circles by Machine - I was really jazzed about learning these techniques.  Clearly not so jazzed to have made 10 circle quilts yet, but one day....
• Art Quilting 101 with Wendy Butler Burns - not finished with the class yet.
• Designing Modern Quilts Class with Weeks Ringle - not finished with the class yet.
• Finishing Schools: Edges & Bindings, Mimi Dietrich - not finished with the class yet.

These are the machine quilting classes I've taken:

• Free Motion Quilting with Feathers with Angela Walters - Another great class by Angela
• Free Motion Quilting a Sampler with Leah Day - not finished with the class yet.
• Continuous Line Quilting with Ann Petersen - I am not finished with this class yet, but it seems like it would be good for beginners to free motion quilting.

Free quilting classes I have taken:

• 2012 Block of the Month - great, fun, modern blocks, plenty of techniques learned in this class.
• 2013 Block of the Month - a totally different set of blocks, a little less modern and more traditional, but you learn a bunch of techniques that are useful.
• Piece, Patch, Quilt : Basic Quiltmaking Skills - great beginner class, but keep in mind while you are watching it that she only shows one way to do things.
• From Pixels to Patchwork - interesting class.  You learn a lot about photography and the technique of pixelating a photo into a quilt.  It does assume that you already know how to put a basic quilt together.
• Quiltcon Lecture Series - really inspiring!  This mini-class is basically video feed of several of the speakers at Quiltcon.  Amy and David Butler were especially good.
• Creative Quilt Backs - Loved this class.  I talked a little about this class in THIS post.
• A New Look at Longarm Quilting with Mandy Leins - eh.  Maybe if I had a long arm, I would get more out of this class.

Sewing classes:

• Sew Little Nursery Design - not finished with the class yet.  This was probably the first sewing class I bought on Craftsy, and I think the instructor covers some great techniques that will be really helpful as I learn to sew things other than quilts.  BUT, she is a little too energetic and fast-talking for me to watch this class at my normal viewing time (bedtime, of course).  
• Design and Sew an A-line Skirt - I didn't know anything about garment sewing before taking this class, and I learned a lot.  I still haven't made a skirt yet, but I feel pretty confident that if I follow the instructions in this class, I will be able to make one that fits me perfectly.
• Tailoring Ready to Wear - not finished with the class yet.
• Pattern Drafting from Ready to Wear - not finished with the class yet.
• 40 Techniques Every Sewer Should Know - Gail Yellen - not finished with the class yet.

Free Sewing Classes:

• Bag Making Basics -  drawstring bag and bucket bag - same instructor as the class above.
• Mastering Zipper Techniques - not finished with the class yet.
• Sewing Machine Feet from A to Z - not finished with the class yet.

Food and Cooking Classes:

• Artisan Bread Making Class - I'm not finished with this class yet, but it is good so far.  I am hoping to bake some homemade bread over the holidays.  I ran out and bought all the necessary stuff!
• Classic Croissants at Home - not finished with the class yet.
• A Modern Take on the Mother Sauces - not finished with the class yet.  My one complaint so far is that some of the ingredients used to make some of his modern versions aren't readily available to the average home cook.
• Perfect Pizza at Home a Free Pizza Making Class - this one is taught by the same instructor as the Artisan Bread Making Class.  He is excellent.  My most recent homemade pizza experience was rather dismal, but now that I've taken this class I am ready to try again!

Fine Art Classes:

• Drawing Facial Features with Gary Faigin - not finished with the class yet, but it already seems excellent.
• Painting Flowers in Acrylic - Free class - not finished with the class yet, but I have already learned a lot about layering your color.
• Figure Drawing Atelier - FREE CLASS with Patricia Watwood - haven't even started this class yet.

Other Classes:

• Shoot It: Product Photography Class - not finished with the class yet, but so far she has talked a lot about color, composition, setting up your shot, etc.  I think it will be a good reference.
• Crafty Crochet Embellishments - haven't even started this class yet.

More to come, no doubt!  I hope these help.

If you have any questions about some of the classes listed above, please let me know.  Just because I haven't finished the entire class, doesn't mean I don't have an opinion about how it is going so far.

Jen