Fruit From My Hands

Quilt class opportunities are few and far between for me.  Sewing class opportunities are totally none existent.  Nevertheless, I keep my eyes and ears posted for any chance to make something or learn a new technique.  One of my local fabric stores offers classes but they are rarely for anything that catches my interest.  They do lots of rag quilts and t-shirt quilts. I’m sure those serve the population but they don’t do anything for my intermediate skills.  I’ve done several of those type quilts and they don’t really interest me enough to pay a class fee.

My local quilt shop, Backyard Fabrics, recently expanded her tiny store to include a large room that includes a classroom.  She has begun to offer some classes.  She tells me she has a long list of teachers anxious to teach.  Thanks to the wonder of Facebook, she has posted photos of the upcoming classes and last week, she posted one that really caught my eye. The class is for the wallhanging photo posted here named Chick N Stars.

I am above the moon excited about this.  And I don’t really know why.  I’ve tried to decipher it.  I can sit down at my pc and take a virtual class any day of the week.  I can pull up a tutorial on my pc and make a quilt at any time.  But there is just something special about an in-person, hands-on workshop where you arrive with sewing machine and fabrics and leave with a completed top (or wallhanging).

My best guess about the reason for my excitement is a couple of things. First, a class for me is like a spa day for other women.  I get to sit, play with fabric, chug along on my machine and immerse myself in patchwork.  I have a good excuse to turn the phone on silent.  I don’t have to walk the dog, put a load in the washer or prepare a meal.  The prospect of spending 6-8 hours involved in a beloved hobby is so luxurious I get giddy.

Second, I am forced to do something under someone else’s direction.  Someone else will set my agenda for the day. Someone else will set my goal for the day and there will be no argument.  I will not be able to get distracted and wander off. I will not be able to make a multitude of excuses for why I shouldn’t be “wasting” this time away from chores or work.  Video classes and tutorials, while excellent for some things, give me too much freedom.  I can click stop on the video and walk away. The phone can ring, the daughter could need something or the husband could come home early from work. I can procrastinate and never start, much less never finish.

The instructor will help me meet my goal.  I like that most of the time.  I have had instructors that were drill sergeants and made me rip and rip and rip. Those women will never be forgotten but I really can’t blame them.  I have a beautiful quilt to show for their efforts training me.

I don’t know what kind of person that instructor will be but I’m prepared to surrender my day to her and let her guide me to a perfectly pieced wallhanging.  I began pulling fabrics this weekend. The excitement is building.

So, do you prefer video classes or in-person classes?  Am I the only one that needs a leader?