Craftsy Best of 2014 class sale

Hi everyone:

Image courtesy of www.thegraphicsfairy.com

Okay, you've been a good girl - you've made all the gifts for your favourite people, you've got 12 different kinds of Christmas goodies in your freezer and your house is decorated from top to bottom - you deserve a treat! How about a Craftsy class at $19.99 or less? Sounds like a great deal to me!








From December 20th all the way through Christmas, Craftsy is having the Best of 2014 Sale! ALL classes are on sale for only $19.99 or less. Shop now to stock up and save.

Once you enroll you'll own your Craftsy classes forever, so you can watch them at your pace in the comfort of your home, anytime. Hurry, offer expires 12/25/14 at 11:59 PM MT. 

Now you can put your feet up with a cup of tea and learn something new. You deserve it!

Note: I am a Craftsy affiliate and will be compensated if you purchase an item through the above links. Thank you!

Black Friday Sales from Craftsy

Hi everyone:

Have you had your fill of turkey and pumpkin pie? Ready to do some Black Friday shopping? Well, you're in luck because Craftsy is having a Black Friday Sale. All of their classes will be on sale for $19.99 or less!

You can treat yourself - or a friend - to one of Craftsy's classes, which will all be on sale for $19.99 or less! Yes, that's right - or less! The class sale starts on Friday, November 28 and runs through Sunday, November 30. 

While this sounds like a great after-Thanksgiving gift for yourself, you might want to consider gifting a class to a creative friend for Christmas. At these prices, you could gift one class and buy one for yourself! 

This is a great time to try out some of the newer quilting classes, such as Playful Textures for Easy Appliqué Quilts with Kim Christopherson and Kris Thurgood or The Secrets of Free-Motion Quilting with Christina Camelli. 

Have fun shopping and happy quilting!

Pre-Black Friday Deals from Craftsy

Hi everyone:

Happy early Thanksgiving to my American friends! While we in Canada will be busily decorating and buying for Christmas this week-end, you will be eating turkey and celebrating Thanksgiving with friends and family. 

If you are considering creating fabric-y gifts for Christmas, you may want to check out Craftsy's Pre-Black Friday Sale on Wednesday and Thursday where you can save on Yarn, Fabric and Kits.  

Shop now because you won’t want to miss these incredible sales! 

Happy quilting and don't eat too much turkey and pumpkin pie!


Please note that I am a Craftsy affiliate and will be compensated if you purchase using one of my affiliate links. Thank you!

Craftsy Classes on Sale for a Limited Time

Hi everyone: It's a week-end to save! Don't miss Craftsy's Shop to Unlock Sale happening now! Get up to 50% off online classes for a limited time only! If you purchase a class during the flash sale, you will unlock a second set of classes on sale. A sale within a sale! I love it! For users who purchase, you will receive a subsequent email with a link "unlocking" the next set of classes. This is an opportune time to purchase one of Craftsy's on-line courses at a great price.  Hurry, this offer expires on November 9th, 2014 at 11:59 PM MT. Shop Craftsy's Shop to Unlock Sale now and save big. Please note that I am a Craftsy affiliate and will be compensated if you purchase a course through the links in this post. Thanks!

Happy Thanksgiving - Celebrate with Craftsy

Hi everyone:

Finally, my favourite time of the year - turkey time! Yes, it's Thanksgiving in Canada and I can hardly wait until Thanksgiving dinner with turkey and all the trimmings. This is going to be a great week-end as my daughter will be joining us from university and it will be great to have her home if only for a few days. 

There's another reason this week-end is special: Craftsy is celebrating the fact that they have over 5 million - yes, that's million with lots of zeroes - members. Wow, that's a lot of crafty people! To celebrate this milestone, they are having a Flash Sale and you can get up to 50% off select online classes for a limited time only!

I've recently signed up for more Craftsy classes: Leah Day's Free Motion Fillers Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 classes. I always find I learn a great deal about free motion quilting by watching Leah Day and like her down to earth approach. She uses a domestic sewing machine - the same Janome machine that I currently have - and has helpful tips to make free motion quilting easier. Of course, there are many other classes on sale this week-end, so browse the classes and save up to 50% off.

Hurry, this offer expires on October 13th, 2014 at 11:59 PM MT. Shop Craftsy's 5 Million Member Flash Sale now and save.

Enjoy your week-end and your Craftsy classes - and don't overdo the pumpkin pie!

Happy quilting!

P.S. I am a Craftsy affiliate and as such will receive monetary compensation if you should purchase an item using the links above. Thanks!

Quilt as You Go - Part 1

Hi everyone:

Before I went on vacation this summer, I was working on some Quilt As You Go (QAYG) projects. I was inspired to try this technique after enrolling in the Quilt As You Go Patchwork Bags class at Craftsy. While I didn't intend to make the bag – yet – I was intrigued by this technique and wanted to experiment with it a bit so I tried it a few different ways.

In the Craftsy class Tara Rebman is piecing her top and doing all the additional quilting at the same time. She is using a log cabin design and straight line quilting, so I thought I'd go through my scraps and try it Tara's way – top, batting and backing. Here are some photos of my process:

The straight line quilting gives a nice texture to the project and I liked the modern look.

It does take a bit of time though as you piece the top and then do the quilting right away. If your fabric piece is wide, you may have to quilt more than one straight line. Of course doing the quilting now saves you having to do it after the piecing is done. 

The piecing and quilting shows through on the back of the quilt and can be a bit messy (lots of starts and stops and some quilting lines overlapped and some didn't, so lots of thread).

PROS: 
Quilting is all done when you've finished piecing. 
Straight line quilting gives a nice texture to the project.

CONS: 
Extra thread on back of quilt may not be desirable. 
Have to bind the quilt when done (as opposed to doing a pillowcase binding method for smaller projects).

As I was working on the QAYG technique, I also wanted to experiment with piecing the top to the batting only and doing an overall quilting design later when I added the backing. Hopefully this would save me from having to pin the top before I quilted it - I hate pinning! I also thought I'd try doing a strip QAYG project for a table runner, rather than using a log cabin construction. I hoped that this method would keep the back of the quilt cleaner – you'd only see the quilting as in traditional methods. 

Next time I'll show you how this other method worked for me. 

Have you tried QAYG? Let me know your thoughts on this process in the comments below.

Quilt Kit Giveaway

Hi everyone:

Wouldn't you love to win a quilt kit? Of course you would and Craftsy is giving you that opportunity. You can enter to win one of two quilt kits and the choice is yours. 

Which quilt would you love to win? One randomly selected quilter will get to choose their prize, whether it's the starry True Blue Quilt Kit OR the elegant Blue Garden Quilt Kit. 

True Blue Quilt Kit
Photo Courtesy of Craftsy

Blue Garden Quilt Kit
Photo courtesy of Craftsy

The best part: the prize also comes with the coordinated backing for the quilt!

Enter to win here: Enter to Win a Quilt Kit from Craftsy 

**Please note that only residents of the U.S. and Canada are eligible to enter.** 

The contest is on now until August 27, so enter soon. Good luck!

Summer Days and Savings

Hi everyone:

Welcome to August and the dog days of summer! No need to fret though, while August brings us closer to September - and the start of school and the end of warmer days - it also brings good things, such as Craftsy's Dog Days of Summer Sale, which is happening now. 

All classes are on sale and you can enjoy up to 50% off ALL online classes! Take advantage of big savings today. Shop now and save (you'll be already to start classes once September is here).

Even new classes, such as Quick Quilted Gifts with Tammy Silvers and Ultimate Free-Motion Quilting with Patsy Thompson are on sale, so it's a great time to save some $$$ on even the newest quilting classes. You can also save money on Craftsy's other classes, so check out the Cooking, Knitting and Photography categories. 

Hurry, offer expires August 11, 2014 at 11:59 PM MT. 

Craftsy's Creative Escape Flash Sale

Hi everyone:

(This post contains affiliate links which means, I will be compensated if you purchase after clicking these links.)

Craftsy's Creative Escape Flash Sale is on now. You can save up to 50% for a limited time only. 

Now is the time to buy those classes that you have on your wish list!

I've recently enrolled in Cut to it: Strategies for Smarter Quilting with Debbie Caffrey and this is one of the classes currently on sale. I'm learning so much from Debbie and there is a wealth of helpful reference materials included in this class as well. 

I've also been working on QAYG (Quilt As You Go) table runner projects after watching the Quilt-As-You-Go Patchwork Bags class with Tara Rebman. Of course there are many other classes on sale too, so there is plenty of choice.

QAYG project that will eventually be a table runner

If you're looking for a gift for one of your quilty friends, remember that you can always gift a Craftsy class. There are classes for sale in all categories, not just quilting (although this is my favourite category!) This would be a great opportunity to do so when classes are on sale.

You won't see so many classes with prices this low again soon. Hurry, offer expires July 20th at 11:59pm MT. 

Happy Mother's Day!

Hi everyone:

(This post contains affiliate links which means, I will be compensated if you purchase after clicking these links.)

First let me wish all the mothers reading this post a very Happy Mother's Day! I hope you are taking time today away from the household chores and responsibilities and doing something fun and enjoyable. The laundry and dusting can wait for another day!

While we're enjoying Mother's Day, there is another celebration going on as well. Craftsy is celebrating their third birthday and are having a Flash Sale to celebrate. 

You won't want to miss out on Craftsy's Birthday Flash Sale! Get select online classes at up to 50% off for a limited time only. You won't see so many classes with prices this low again soon. Hurry, offer expires May 11th at 11:59pm MT. Shop Craftsy's Birthday Flash Sale! Two classes that I have already enrolled in are on sale: Free motion Quilting a Sampler with Leah Day and Design it, Stitch it: Hand Embroidery with Jessica Marquez.  Both are great classes and I've learned so much from both of these instructors. My favourite part about learning with Craftsy is that you have the classes forever and you can review lessons to ensure you are understanding the technique. You can even quilt or stitch right along with the instructor! Now I'm off to enjoy the rest of my Mother's Day with my family - who have already done laundry and are making me my favourite dinner tonight. I hope that you have a terrific Mother's Day with your family - and that you don't have to do the laundry :)

Adding and Selling Patterns on Craftsy

Hi everyone:

(Note: This post contains affiliate links which means I will be compensated if you purchase after clicking on these links.)

Have you ever thought about selling your quilting, embroidery or sewing patterns, but didn't know where to start? I have some helpful information for you that I'm sure will start you on that designing - and selling - path.

As you know, I create and sell my digital designs on my Craftsy pattern store. You didn't know that Craftsy sold patterns too? In addition to wonderful online courses and craft supplies, Craftsy also has an independent online pattern store that lets anyone upload and sell downloadable e-patterns with no fee!  That's right, Craftsy doesn't charge you any fees to sell your patterns on their website. You set up your store, decide on the fee for each e-pattern and wait for the orders to roll in.

Hearts Abloom, one of the patterns featured on my Craftsy pattern store

If you're now wondering how to set up your own pattern store to sell your fabulous patterns, just follow these easy directions:

1. Make sure you have a Paypal account. All pattern transactions happen through Paypal, and Craftsy requires that you have a Student, Premier, or Business account in order to sell patterns.

2. Put your pattern in .pdf format. You can’t upload any patterns to the online pattern store unless they’re a .pdf file format, so if they’re currently saved as a Word doc, .jpg, or other file format, you must convert it to a .pdf before you upload it to Craftsy.

3. Include a photo. All patterns must have at least one photo to accompany them, but you can add up to five photos. Colorful, interesting photos tend to work the best for catching our members’ eyes!

Manga Owlet applique template on the Chatterbox Quilts pattern store on Craftsy

4. Fill out the pattern description. We will ask you some basic questions around your pattern making it easier for Craftsy folk to find your pattern and know what your pattern is for. Make sure you have info about your pattern handy for this step.

For more information on how to sell a pattern through Craftsy, or to get started setting up your own pattern shop, visit Craftsy today!

There's no easier way to set up your own pattern shop and start selling your designs today. Good luck!

Welcome Spring with Special Savings

Hi everyone:

Spring Flash Sale This Weekend Only on Select Craftsy Classes!

Just a quick blogpost to let you know about the Spring Flash Sale at Craftsy this week-end. There are huge savings on select classes and some of these are even quilting ones! I've even found a few that I'm not yet enrolled in - I know, hard to believe, isn't it?

The Spring Flash Sale is only on for a limited time and expires at 11:59 MT on Sunday, April 13, 2014. Visit Craftsy to reveal what classes are on sale, but hurry, this offer expires at 11:59 MT on Sunday, April 13, 2014!

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you click on one of my links and make a purchase. Thank you.

Stripping at a Discount

Hi everyone:

Yes, I've done it again. Okay, no I'm not stripping - at least not the way you think I am! I'm talking about strip piecing, of course! I couldn't resist signing up for another Craftsy class since they're currently on sale this week-end during Craftsy's Endless Creativity Sale. All online classes are on sale at up to 50% off until March 17 at midnight MT. 



My latest enrolment is in Nancy Smith's Strip Your Stash class. I think I was attracted to the idea of using up more of my stash (I guess I should start doing that sometime!) and there are some really fun designs in this class. Nancy also has some great suggestions for choosing colour palettes for your projects.

Don't limit yourself to quilting classes: there are over 60 quilting classes available on Craftsy, with classes in other categories such as fine arts, crochet, knitting, and food. I've also signed up for classes in some of these other categories and am enjoying these as well.

So don't delay - check out Craftsy's Endless Creativity Sale soon as these savings are only available until midnight MT on March 17.

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links

Kits and Fabrics for Craftsy Classes at Sale Prices

Hi everyone:

Heads up Craftsy fans...Craftsy wants to help you escape the ordinary and create the extraordinary! Enjoy up to 80% off all inspiring project kits and supplies. Shop now to find your next amazing project during the Stash Of Possibilities Sale. Hurry, offer ends at 11pm PST on February 24, 2014.

Save up to 80% on Yarn at Craftsy!
Save up to 80% on Fabric at Craftsy!

I've had my eye on the Sweet Treats kit on Craftsy and this is my opportunity to purchase it at a great price.

Photo courtesy of Craftsy

Or maybe I should get the Kaffe Fassett Crazy Square Table Runner kit. I love the bright colours!

Photo courtesy of Craftsy

And then there are fabrics on sale too… Thank goodness I'm not a knitter!

Save up to 80% on Yarn at Craftsy!
Save up to 80% on Fabric at Craftsy!

Have fun shopping!

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links

Happy Valentine's Day and Sweet Savings

Hi everyone:

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope you're enjoying a lovely day with your special someone - and not indulging in too many chocolates (is there such a thing?)

If you didn't receive any chocolates or flowers (can it be possible?), your sweetie could make it up to you by taking advantage of the special flash sale that Craftsy is having this week-end.

Just for Craftsy fans...This weekend only, it's your chance to get up to 50% off perfect matches (for Valentines Day, get it?!?) of 2 Craftsy online classes. You can bundle classes for a bigger discount! Act fast, the offer ends at 11pm PST on February 16, 2014.

Just click on the link below to view the classes that are on sale.

Craftsy Perfect Match Flash Sale

Happy learning!




**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links

That's my pattern on the Craftsy Blog!

Hi everyone:

I was reading through the Craftsy blog a few days ago and was surprised and thrilled to see one of my patterns on the Craftsy blog. 

They were featuring embroidery designs with a heart theme for Valentine's Day and my Flourishing Heart pattern was right there - on the Craftsy blog! (I think I mentioned that already, didn't I, but I was so excited!). 

Photo from Crafty blog

Flourishing Heart is a FREE pattern that I have on my Craftsy pattern store and it is one of my favourite ones. It's a fast and easy project (my favourite words) to learn hand embroidery and makes a great gift. You can make it as a pincushion or a shelf sitter and it's lovely as an ornament too. 

Flourishing Heart, a Chatterbox Quilts pattern

I know that Valentine's Day is fast approaching, but this is really such a quick project, that you could whip up several in time for the big day. And you might even have time to make a few for yourself.

Empty Spaces in Your Fabric Stash?

Hi everyone:

I'm sure you made lots of Christmas gifts for friends and family this year and your fabric stash is looking a bit depleted. Don't fret, Craftsy is having another sale - on fabric and yarn. 

This Friday and Saturday, save on fantastic fabric and yarn from the Craftsy Flash Sale ! For 48 hours only(1/24 - 1/25), get great deals on supplies from your favorite designers and brands. Save up to 65% off fabric and up to to 80% off yarn. Need inspiration? Craftsy's project kits are also on sale up to 60% off. (I've already found several kits that I'd love to have at great prices, such as the Squared Up quilt kit or maybe the Sweet Treats one). 

The sale expires this Saturday at midnight, so when you find something you love, don't wait! Click on the links below to go to the Fabric or Yarn pages:

Craftsy Fabric Flash Sale 1/24 - 1/25 Only!
Craftsy Yarn Flash Sale 1/24 - 1/25 Only!

**I'm a Craftsy affiliate and am compensated if you purchase items through my links. It helps to pay for the many Craftsy classes that I'm enrolled in.