I like getting comments and questions. Often they lead me to ideas for other blog posts. And it shows me that people are paying attention, which is nice to know when you’re putting something out into the aether of the internet. Otherwise, you wouldn’t know if you’re reaching anyone at all!

The Problem

I’m  happy to answer any questions people take the time and effort to send to me. However, I’m not always great at the email thing. I tend to take a lot of time with my answers, so then I may wait until I have more time, like you know, “later today,” which then translates to “tomorrow.” You get the picture.

Add social media questions (on Facebook, Patreon, Instagram) to those of the blog and those of students, and I sometimes try to avoid the computer for a day.

But when it comes right down to it, it’s a good problem to have. Just know that if I’m a little late in responding, it’s not you, it’s me. I’m working on it.

A (Partial) Solution

One idea we had (me and Tom, my husband and co-conspirator in the blog) was to make sure people were aware of how much info they can find on their own through my website. Not all answers can be found on my website (or blog), but many can—if you know where or how to look!

So Tom’s job this week is to explain how the website is organized, how you can search the blog for answers on technique, how to find out if there’s a class in your area, and so on.

In other words, here below is a Q&A with answers to FAQs which can be found on my website PDQ.

Searching the Blog

The biggest resource for information about fabric collage on my website is of course the blog. You’re reading it now but you may not know that all the previous blogs are available to search and read at any time.

But Susan, you have well over one hundred and fifty blog posts, you cry in dismay, how am I ever to find the answers to my questions?

The answers you seek are to be found in two ways.

First, for broader inquiries try sorting the blog posts by Category. In the right hand column (or way down at the bottom of the page for those viewing on mobile devices) there’s a drop down menu Blog Post Categories>Select Category. Here’s an overview of the most popular categories:

How To: People want to know how it’s done and short of taking a class with me the best way to learn how is to search for answers here. Posts for everything from how to start to how to finish will come up when you select this category.

In Progress: These posts cover certain quilts of mine as they progress from beginning to end.

Quilt Stories: Posts about individual quilts—their inspiration, their challenges, what I learned from them and so on.

Student Work: Here’s where you’ll find all the posts covering my teaching gigs around the country. You’ll find slides shows of in-progress student work as well as classroom shots. If you want to know what it’s like to take a class these are a good place to start. Many people have commented how inspiring it is to see what others have chosen as subject matter, how they approached it, and what they accomplished in class.

The Finish Line: Students rarely finish their fabric collages in class, but some will later send me photos of their completed quilts so that I can share them. I tend to group 10 or 12 student works from various classes together, going back into my photo archives to find in-progress shots of each project, displaying the quilts from start to the finish line.

As I said, sorting the blog posts by Category is a good way to do a broad search of the blog, but what if you have a quite specific question? Maybe you want to know why I use glue, or maybe you took a class and want to see the classroom shots I took of your quilt, or maybe there’s a particular quilt of mine you’re interested in knowing more about.

In these cases, use the Search Blog box also in the right hand column (or again down at the bottom on mobile devices). Simply enter your search words in the box and hit “enter” or “return” on your keyboard. Be as specific as you can with your search terms in order to narrow down the results.

The Search Blog box will also search the entire website.

Patreon

While we’re exploring that right hand column, let’s talk about Patreon. What is it? Why is it there?

My Patreon page allows those who appreciate the blog to make a monthly contribution of any amount to offset the cost of producing it. This support also has made it possible for me to develop my Online Fabric Collage Master Class Manual.

It does require a credit card to be billed by Patreon on a monthly basis. Some have asked if they could send a check directly to me instead, which is certainly an idea for the future. However right now, we wouldn’t be able to keep track of, and reward, donors as easily as we can via Patreon.

There are special bonuses for subscribers to Patreon, based on the level of contribution. You can see them spelled out there in the gray box in the right hand column.

The Main Menu

Take a minute to scroll back to the top of this page.

If you’re on a computer, you’ll see a menu bar across the top. If you are on a mobile device such as a phone or tablet you’ll see a menu icon that looks something like this:

Tapping on that gives you the same menu as on a computer.

But what do you find under those menu items?

Home takes you back to the first page, of course.

Quilts is a page with a list of quilts I have on display on my website. Once on the quilts page you can further sort them by category: All, Bugs & Butterflies, Fish, Major Works, Other, Portraits, or Specimens Exhibit. I don’t have every quilt I ever made listed here. That would just be too much. But these are my most recent and my favorites. Also, at the bottom of many of the pages there’s a link to the (blog post) Quilt Story for that quilt.

My Blog shows a listing of blog posts, most recent first. A good place to start looking for answers to particular questions you might have. You can do any of the searches I mention above on that page.

Classes>Teaching Schedule. This is, as you might expect, one of the most frequent questions I get: When and where am I teaching? Am I teaching anywhere near them? This link displays a calendar style listing of my teaching engagements. There are several ways to view the information there: monthly, as a list, weekly and daily, even as a map showing locations I’ll be teaching in a particular month.

Classes>Class Descriptions list brief descriptions of the content of my classes.

News is a occasionally updated section where I cover events not related to my teaching, such as shows and so forth.

Market. It’s amazing how many people ask me if I have a book or patterns for sale. The Patterns are not like typical quilt patterns that you cut out and use as templates. They are made to be used for fabric collage where the design is transferred directly to a foundation fabric. My Specimens Catalog of quilts that are included in my Specimens exhibit is available. I also sell Wallpapers for your electronic devices. These images are formatted to fit smart phones and tablets as well as computer desktops. After going out of print for a few years, my Book, Serendipity Quilts, is back in print, by popular demand! Thanks to everyone who has requested it!

About is a short bio about me. There’s also a Contact form for contacting me via email.

Facebook is simply a link to my Facebook Artist page.

Last comes Master Class, this is where you find out about, purchase, and log-in to the Susan Carlson Online Fabric Collage Master Class Manual. This online resource uses text, photos, and video to teach the technique of fabric collage. This is a lifetime purchase, which will be updated occasionally as needed. Modules adding to the Master Class are in the works.

Keep ‘Em Coming

Hopefully this will help you navigate your way to finding just the answer you’re looking for. Should your search fail, you’re still welcome to contact me with specific questions. And I certainly want to continue receiving any photos of finished quilts you have to share. Meantime, I’ll continue to work on the email thing. They say brevity is the soul of wit. Maybe I need to be more witty.

If you find something particularly interesting while exploring the website or blog, please share it in the comments below! Thanks.

12 Comments

  • Love your work, Susan!!!! And I thank you so much for your encouragement when I was just starting out. I think it is great to see how you are using Patreon, too. Can be challenging when the art is so labor intensive. Good luck and be well!

  • WOW, this was very helpful, not only for your blog but all blogs I visit. THANK YOU for all your time and efforts, I love love love your work and the technique. I made a fish from your book and it makes me smile every time I look at it in my sewing room.

  • Susan, your willingness to share your years of knowledge & wisdom w/your students ( absolutely LOVING my class w/you at Lake Tahoe … Last day is today … WAHHHHH!) via your blog is so incredible.

    Peeps, if you EVER have the chance to take a class w/this Dynamo, DO IT!! if you can’t, the blog posts are pretty damn close to the next best thing. The amount of detailed info she includes guides you in the right direction. After this week w/you, you can be sure I’ll be referring to the blog as I finish “Kailani” .

    Oh! Another nice thing about the blog is while you’re working through your project, you can swear & curse as loud as you want and don’t have to worry about offending anyone! But after you calm down & get a grip, you’ll find the answer to your problem in Susan’s blog. It’s a VERY good thing!

  • Hi Susan and Tom, you used to have a place on the website about how to contract with you for a class. I know you are booked solid already, but if someone wanted to try to get you to do a class in a new location say next year or further on, where would we find that info?

  • Hi Susan, A belated thanks from me (in Australia) for all your wonderful blogs! I find them very informative. Are you planning to visit sometime next year? Thanks, Sharon.

  • I have your book and it is fabulous – such a pleasure to read the methods – still have to do me a sun and moon!

  • This is so helpful, think I missed it when it was originally posted. I feel like such a neophyte when it comes to computers and have asked questions that I could have answered just by knowing how to get there. Thank you so much for all that you do for those of us who love this art form and know that you are most generous with your knowledge and time. Many artists are so proprietary with their knowledge, you go above and beyond in what you share.
    Thank You 🙏

Leave a Reply to Kim Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *