In 2016, when I first decided to create an online class to teach fabric collage, I had no idea.
No idea how much work it would be. No idea how long it would take. No idea how persistent some of the logistical challenges would be. No idea how hard it would be to come up with a name for it!
So, it’s with a great sigh of relief (and a few happy jitters) that two years later I now announce that the Susan Carlson Fabric Collage Online Master Class is ready to launch. Click on the button below to find out more or to purchase! An excerpt of one of the lessons is available to preview.
What kept me going during this time is the enthusiasm that my readers have expressed whenever I mentioned the online class. People who have followed my fabric collage art for years, bought my books perhaps, but were unable take a class in person, were especially excited. Maybe you’re one those people who can’t take the time to travel, can’t afford the expense of travel or a quilt retreat, or are physically unable to attend a class.
This is for you.
Maybe you’re one of the thousands of students I’ve taught over 25 plus years and you’d like a “refresher course” on fabric collage. This Master Class Manual incorporates the structure, notes, and oh so much more of the class you took.
This is for you, too.
The Bottleneck
The biggest obstacle to overcome in creating the Master Class was the “bottleneck.”
How could I deliver the material to as many people as were interested without my being overwhelmed? I kept coming back to cloning, but it’s just not feasible.
During my research, the online courses I looked at taught a particular project and were open to as many participants as wanted to sign up. With this in mind, my first draft of an online course was a simple spiral project.
But even that simple project nearly gave me an ulcer thinking about the time that would be required to provide feedback. I knew that wouldn’t work for me. No matter how simple I made the project, I wouldn’t be able to keep up. I spend much time and attention in tailoring my responses to each individual student. I wasn’t willing to compromise that by spreading myself too thin.
Besides, I realized, I didn’t want to simplify the course. Frankly, I didn’t think that was what my readers were asking for. Rather than accept that compromise, I decided to produce a resource that would teach the entire process not just a single project.
I began to think about how I could teach the process so that participants could learn the technique and produce any project within their abilities. Deciding to make the course process oriented rather than project oriented moved the class forward.
The Fabric Collage Online Master Class Manual is the textbook, comprehensive enough to be used independently, so that as many people as wanted to could dig in. Remember that simple spiral project which might have been the whole online class? That’s now a single exercise in the Manual.
Not a One-Woman Job
Many of you know that I work closely with my husband, Tom. He has been with me since the beginning of my career, watching and encouraging my progress. He knows how I work. He knows the process. He has a good eye for critique (though he’s a little more direct than I tend to be). He cooks, washes dishes, vacuums, walks the dogs, and keeps the household running as I’m off gallivanting around the world teaching. And he’s all mine, ladies.
Among his other duties, he helps write the blog each week. Actually, there would be no blog if he hadn’t agreed to be the maker, organizer, and primary writer—it just wasn’t an endeavor that I could have taken on myself. Throughout the year, the blog posts get juggled between both of us—some being more in Tom’s realm, some posts more in mine (with the idea that you can’t tell which is which!).
Tom has kept the online class ball rolling as well—especially this past year as we worked on checklists to be sure the final version would have all the possible elements of fabric collage included.
I could not have done this alone. Tom’s name might not be on it, but I hope you think of him as well as you read these blog posts each week, and as you create your fabric collage pieces.
The Bones
Those of you who have been following this blog since its start in November 2015 will find portions of the Master Class familiar. Producing the blog each and every week since then has been a way of creating much of the material for the Master Class. The blog provided the bones, but of course we still had to put meat on them.
So the Master Class Manual is the culmination of years of writing and sharing information in my weekly blog posts, with both photos and video, plus videos we’ve put together exclusively for my Patreon supporters.
Now re-sequenced and reformatted, edited, filled in, and elaborated on to make a comprehensive instructional manual to lead you into the world of fabric collage—step by step, at your own pace, in your own time. Days, weeks, months, years. It’ll be there for you as guidance and reference.
We plan periodic updates which will automatically show up when you log into the manual. The Master Class Manual will be available for life to anyone who purchases it.
Patreon
A special thank you has to go out to my Patreon supporters. Their monthly contributions to supporting the weekly blog posts and the development of the Master Class has made this possible. Whether they contributed one dollar a month or twenty, it all helped. Their financial support allowed me (and my partner Tom) to invest the time in this endeavor.
The Future
So now would be a good time to take some of that effort I’ve been using to create the Master Class and put it toward making my own quilts! At least that’s what Tom says.
Congratulations, Susan and Tom! We all appreciate your persistence and dedication (and the effort you’ve both put in). I will be purchasing the Manual, for sure. Can I assume that one can purchase the workshop for projects already in process, such as my Highland Cow?
The Online Coaching Classrooms (on Facebook) are for certain subject. For the first couple, they are limited to simple subject matter. I do plan to do some “any subject” ones coming up as soon as my teaching/travel schedule permits.
Congratulations to both you and Tom!!! I know this has been quite a challenge. I am confident there are so many who will benefit from this online offering, just as so many of us fortunate enough to have taken an in-person class with you have moved our art forward with your guidance. I could not be happier for you!!!
P.S. Enjoy your time at Asilomar! I am just home from my Asilomar class. Lots of deer, squirrels and butterflies plus a late night encounter with a raccoon! We both froze in our tracks and remained absolutely still for what seemed like forever before he finally moved on!ðŸ¾ðŸ¦‹ðŸŒ²
Congratulations to you both Susan and Tom and thanks for all your hard work !! This is such an awesome opportunity that you’ve provided – I look forward to taking the class
You and Tom are amazing bright lights and I am so grateful to be sharing this planet with you. My hope is to meet you one day. Namaste Laura W.
Congratulations to Tom and you, Susan , on all your achievements! I have been working on collages after following your blog and buying your book Serendipity Quilts. I’ve learnt so much and hope to take a class with you soon.
I would love to see you do a class on the blue moon!
Thank you, Susan and Tom, for creting the Online Manual. Due to my husband’s physical challenges, l cannot travel, so would not be able to attend a physical class. When I discovered your method of collage, I knew after all these years I had found my medium. I refer to the manual and the blogs all the time and also appreciate the facebook group.