Made by Misa

My cable went down for almost three days. Since we have cable internet, that meant not-so-good things for my online access. So, even though I was going to upload some pics of the progress on my block, I haven't yet.

However, I want to talk about how much I have learned from taking classes from Sharon. I started embroidering in July. Before that, I hadn't done any embroidery other than a tiny little bit of cross-stitch when I was very young. Taking her Personal Library of Stitches class really enabled me to learn a lot about embroidery. Going back through the files, there are STILL things I'm learning. I hear the same thing from experienced stitchers, too (I wouldn't want to give the impression that this class is for "newbies" only).

Now I've taken Sharon's other class, Encrusted Crazy Quilting, too. I ALSO started as a beginner to that. And, again, I've learned so much. Not just from the weekly class download, which, btw, is always HUGE (not in file size, but in page number) but also from interacting with her on the forums for the class. And also, from interacting with others through the forums.

Currently, both classes are $60 (each) for a six week class. This works out to only ten dollars a class. Most times, you'd end up paying twice that for half the info.

Sharon is coming to the USA next year on a teaching tour. She won't be stopping in Seattle (dangit) but she will be going to Portland, Oregon. I'm hoping to be able to take a class
from her and meet her in person!

You can find out all about her teaching tour and the classes she is offering both in person and online here. She also mentions that there's a third class in development, focusing on texture, with, of course, an emphasis on design.

If you're reading this, you probably already know about her blog, In A Minute Ago. (After all, if I had to pick only one embroidery or crazy quilting blog to read, it would be hers.) Some people still haven't noticed, however, that she has a Stitch Dictionary and a Cafe Press site, where you can get a mug, a journal, or greeting cards with a CQ design on it (limited edition - she changes the design every month).

I'm a big believer in supporting sites that you frequent regularly. I don't just consider "In a Minute Ago" to be a blog. To me, it's an online learning "extravaganza". And something I want to support. If you've learned a lot from Sharon, as a lot of us have even just by reading her blog, please try to do something to support her. Maybe you can take a class from her - you won't regret it, I promise. But maybe you feel that you can't afford $60 (although I'd like to again point out that it is only $10 a week for six weeks... you have to pay it all in advance, but you could save up ahead of time). That's alright. There are things you can do to help support Sharon. Buy from her cafe press store. Make a donation through paypal (the link is on the sidebar on her blog). Or, perhaps you're going to be buying a book... consider doing it through her amazon "store". It won't cost you any extra, but will help her out.

And if you can't do any of these, well, I'm sure she'd appreciate a comment or an email from time to time saying "Thank you" for all that she does for the online embroidery and CQ community.

Labels: classes, crazy quilting, embroidery, SharonB