Two Series of Videos Now Available
This week I finished up my second four-week series of Thursday Night in My Studio Live! presentations. I’ve really enjoyed these weekly hour-long visits with fabric collage enthusiasts from all over the United States and the world. I imagine the friendly faces of those I know, and those I’ve never met, as I try to remember to talk into the camera.
The latest series focused on creating a loose and fun improvisational face, with a special focus on facial features: eyes, nose, and finally this week, the mouth. I’ve included the two faces I started during these presentations, above and below. I have made the template these faces are based on available for free to those who attended the live visits, as well as any who purchase one or more of the Portrait Series videos (May 7th-28th).
Both these four and the earlier set of four videos—focusing on the creation of four favorite quilts—are now available to purchase on-demand for the original cost of $5 each. All eight episodes can be found on the front page of my website: www.susancarlson.com.
Just scroll down to the Thursday Night in My Studio Live! section.
New Thursday Night Series Beginning June 18th—Focus on Backgrounds
The next series of four live Thursday Night in My Studio Live! presentations runs June 18 through July 9, beginning at 7 pm Eastern US Time. We have needed to increase the price for these sessions—either live or as on-demand later—to $7 each. Registration is now open for any of the live presentations by using the links below. Limit of 100 attendees per session.
I’ll use the same format as previous sessions with a slide show, live demo, and question and answer period. Each presentation is recorded and registered attendees will receive a link to access that recording at no extra charge the next day (Friday). Each recording will also be available to purchase on-demand on that Saturday.
Backgrounds will be the focus of this next series—as requested by many Thursday Night attendees. Backgrounds can be surprisingly troublesome, and for many is where their fabric collage quilt bogs down. So if you want some background on backgrounds, register for the presentation(s) of your choice. Click on the links below to register.
Registration links can also be found on the front page of my website: www.susancarlson.com. You may register at any time for as many Live! presentations as you’d like, however you do need to register for each one individually (we haven’t figured out how to package them as a group yet).
To view these sessions you will need the 5.0 or better version of the Zoom app.
Thursday Night in My Studio Live!
Third Series from June 18 — July 9, 2020
7:00 p.m. Eastern U.S. time
Each Thursday for 4 weeks
100 Attendee Limit (per night)
$7 Registration Fee
How discovering the story of your subject inspires your background.
June 25—Straight-Edge Collage Background
Using larger rectangular pieces to more easily create a background for your subject.
July 2—Blended Collage Background
Bringing the collage into the background with irregular pieces of fabric which blend one into another.
Using tulle and other shiny fabrics to jazz up your background.
A Tough Decision
While these Thursday Night presentations are not a substitute for an in-person class, it may be a “pandemic solution” for the foreseeable future. If you’ve been following along with my posts, you know that my in-person teaching for the spring and summer has already been cancelled.
In the last few days, I’ve made the decision to cancel (or reschedule) the remaining classes for this year. Those venues are in the process of contacting registrants, so please have patience with them if you were to be one of my fall 2020 students.
All in all, I will have lost 10 weeks of teaching this year. All the cancellations have been difficult decisions both because of the financial hit we—and the teaching venue as well—will take, and because I hate to disappoint all the people who had planned to take a class with me, some of whom have waited for years to get into an in-person workshop.
Most classes are being rescheduled into 2021, and I sincerely hope that the worldwide health situation will be much improved by then.
However, as a business person (as well as a teacher and artist) I have to consider the possibility that we may never go back to “normal.” Travel will be even more difficult in the future with increased checkpoints and longer security lines. The safety of such travel—for my students and myself—may be questionable for a while. And further virus outbreaks may cause disruptions to all our plans.
Even before the pandemic, I had been looking ahead to a future when I could travel less—the destinations are great, but getting there isn’t always a whole lot of fun. Part of that plan was to develop more online options for my followers, such as the newly released Sea Turtle eWorkshop and updating the established Fabric Collage Online Master Class Manual with upcoming modules of specialized instruction for specific subjects.
As the pandemic made it’s mark in everyone’s lives, Tom and I made a quick switch to add the Thursday Night in My Studio Live! sessions, as well as releasing the opening exercise of the Master Class Manual as the Spiral eWorkshop.
We are now (with our son Sam’s, help) researching online learning portals, to try to figure out how to emulate the in-person class experience online, including daily feedback and live interaction where possible.
This is all to say, that while my travel is shut down, we’re using the time productively to transition toward more online teaching. This may be the silver lining to the upheaval of 2020’s schedule—my ability to reach even more students, those beyond the reach of my in-person classes.
Available Now: Fabric Collage Coaching
As we search ways to create an online classroom situation with multiple students, we have already added online one-on-one coaching sessions through Zoom.
So far, it’s been prior in-person students who have taken us up on the offering, getting feedback as they continue on a project begun in class, or need help getting started on their next subject. I do believe that having a base knowledge of the fabric collage process as I teach it will make best use of the coaching time. However, I’ve seen beautiful results from those who have used only my books, blogs posts, and eWorkshops to learn their skills, so having taken an in-person class is not a pre-requisite.
What They’re Saying
I just love this ability to listen and watch your instruction over and over. It helps me since I don’t work on these projects daily with work and life. Thank goodness you video the coaching session because I have watched it probably 6 times so far. Very, very helpful. —SARAH M.
Technical requirements are minimal: a device such as a computer or tablet, and high-speed internet to accommodate the 2-way video aspect of our coaching session are what’s needed.
The process is quite simple.
- We will set a meeting time and date.
- You will email high-resolution photos of the overall piece and closeups a day prior to our session.
- I will send you a Zoom video conferencing invitation and a request for payment from PayPal.
- We will meet via Zoom where I will use tools such as multiple cameras (if needed) and on-screen notations on your photos to give you feedback for your collage.
- Your meeting with me (preserving the photo annotations) will be automatically recorded and made available for your review, forever. Others have found it helpful to also photograph their screen as we progress.
- The session includes one follow-up email with photos and any further questions from you. I’ll then review your progress and offer final comments via email.
Each 45-minute online session with follow-up email is $100.
Click here for more information.
Free Fabric Collage Pattern Offer Ends Tomorrow, Sunday, May 31
I’ve been told again and again, that fabric collage is a balm for the soul and has helped many a person through a rough patch. So, to help you cope with these strange and worrisome times, please accept a free pattern using the following coupon code: collagecopingfreepattern
But please do so before the offer expires midnight tomorrow, Sunday, May 31 (11:59 pm, Eastern US Time).
Feel free to share this offer with your friends. So far more than 600 people have downloaded their favorite pattern. Let’s see how many we can share this with.
Once you’ve selected your pattern, copy and paste the coupon code into the box in your shopping cart and click “Apply Coupon.” One pattern will be yours free (though feel free to purchase more at $5 each). Offer expires May 31, 2020.
These patterns are download only, meaning you will be able to download the pattern immediately after payment. An email with a link to download the pattern will be sent to you automatically. If you do not see it in your mailbox, PLEASE check your Spam or Junk folders. If not there, contact us directly though my website and we will email it to you. This pattern, and any you have ever purchased, is always available to you by visiting the “My Account” page and clicking on the “Downloads” link.
Covid is continuing to affect all of us. I am in my early 70’s and do not like realizing that my travel years are being curtailed. Having said that, as much as I was looking forward to Madeline Island in June, I am very relieved not to be thinking about getting on an airplane right now. Life will get figured out, just not today!
I believe the direction you are taking is the best for all of us. I know I’m lucky to have been in a couple of your live classes so I’m sure my perspective could be a little different from those just starting and needing the encouragement of one-on-one. But like life itself, we are transitioning into a new reality . . . Plus this way, I can go back and review sessions when I need them or get stuck with a nose or eye or hand or foot. . . . Whoops you haven’t gotten to those yet! But I can hope!
And of course, I’m not shy about asking a question thru email if I need some help . . . And that can be a big hurdle for the shy and quiet.
I won’t be joining you on backgrounds, but look forward to the next batch.
Take care and keep moving forward.
So sorry to hear the fall classes have been canceled. It has taken me over two years to get registered for class in Kalispell MT. I will keep going through the masters online content & hope it will happen some time in the future.