Monday, July 22, 2013

A Craftsy class review

In the past year I’ve bought quite a few Craftsy classes and have enjoyed some more than others. Past week a sale was on which you will not have missed, I saw quite a lot of links in blogland to them.  Today I entered my first review for a class on Pattern Review. I plan to add more on my experiences with the classes I’ve followed, but there are still a few I have to finish watching. I was rather disappointed in what I saw from Sandra Betzina’s class on pants fitting for example but still want to see the rest before I am too negative about it. The couture dress by Susan Khalje  was a wonderful course. I wrote about that course on my blog last year, though through various circumstances never got round to making the dress. Last week I bought Sewing on the edge by Lynda Maynard. I followed all lessons within 2 days and HIGHLY recommend this class which is about finishing the edges of your garments: necklines, armholes (tanktop, sleeveless top) and hems.
These are the subjects covered:

A few extra decorative ideas are added to the class, but the main focus is on clean, beautiful finishes. I tried one of the finishings for a knit based on the book (blogpost here ) and that was a success, but till now I never tried others.
Because I have the book I was a bit reluctant buying this class. As I had positive feellings about Lynda Maynards class on fitting (still not completely finished those lessons) I thought it might be worth to buy the video class and I am happy I did.
Lynda Maynard is a great teacher and she shows the steps of construction very clearly and is well prepared. She made sure that it is very clear which side is the right side of the fabric and what is the wrong side.
I learned quite a few tips and trics and it's easier to see her doing it then reading it all in the book. Though I'm sure happy to have the book too, which covers more than only these edge finishes.
Below a few screenshots from the class and the blouse I finished this weekend to fill the missing gap of white summer tops in my wardrobe. I used the double fold binding on the armholes. With Lynda’s method it’s more precise then what I did before (and honestly I mostly avoided them). 

ETA: just to be clear: the first 3 photos are from the class, not my work. Only the white blouse is mine.







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13 comments:

  1. Nancy KJuly 22, 2013 at 8:34 PM

    What an enabler you are! I too was reluctant to buy Lynda Maynard's finishing class because I have the book. But your recommendation has weight, so I zoomed over to purchase that one and her fitting class before the sale ends today.

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  2. RebeccaHowardJuly 22, 2013 at 10:16 PM

    I'm with you Nancy. I have a list of classes I haven't finished yet, but who can resist this recommendation ? Thanks Sigrid.

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  3. kbencoJuly 22, 2013 at 10:41 PM

    I don't have the book, and am very interested to see your review and your impeccable finishes!
    Maybe I need to buy that class ;)

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  4. Mrs KJuly 23, 2013 at 12:04 AM

    Okay, you got me ;-) I debated on this class and went over just now to purchase and it's not offered any longer :-( Maybe next go 'round!

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  5. AnonymousJuly 23, 2013 at 12:11 AM

    Thank you for the reminder - I have the book. I love those finishes. Maybe it's time I worked up some samples to master new techniques.

    Your white blouse is beautiful. What is the necklace made of? It looks very interesting.

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  6. VickiJuly 23, 2013 at 12:19 AM

    I have bought lots of classes to but not this one. Thanks for the review.

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  7. SharonJuly 23, 2013 at 1:18 AM

    Your white blouse looks gorgeous and your review of the class at Craftsy is a wonderful recommendation.

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  8. BonnyDJuly 23, 2013 at 1:37 AM

    I love your white blouse. Lovely!

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  9. JillybejoyfulJuly 23, 2013 at 2:28 AM

    This is SO perfect, thank you! I asked on SG for reviews of 3 classes on my wishlist - this was one of them. Since only one is in my budget at the moment, I think, now that I've read your review, that this is it; thanks so much!

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  10. GailJuly 23, 2013 at 6:48 AM

    I also recommend the shirtmaking class. The presenter is a tad boring but the information is very solid.

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  11. pdiddlyJuly 23, 2013 at 9:55 AM

    good review Sigrid I'll wait for the next sale and grab it.

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  12. Becky R.July 23, 2013 at 3:42 PM

    Thanks so much for this recommendation. I need to improve in this area, so I will get it next time they go on sale. It's nice to know that someone like you who is so accomplished can still learn new things. Maybe there's hope for me!

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  13. StephanieAugust 11, 2013 at 6:15 PM

    It's great to get an honest review on Craftsy classes. I have stopped buying Craftsy classes, because you cannot preview classes anymore and all reviews posted are always 100% positive, which is misleading and doesn't help at all. It's great that you write about your opinion about the classes. So, based on this I might actually take this class. It sounds really good.

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