How cool is it to wake up in my own bed, walk out to my studio after a cup of coffee and breakfast, fire up my computer and see the smiling faces of 12 new students? The familiarity of home, family and pets—then to be able to teach fabric collage to students from wherever they are in the world. What a treat!
That’s what I feel when I teach one of my Live Online Classes. I hope (and have heard from students) that attending a Live Online Class is just as pleasant.
My latest group of twelve—in January 2023—included many returning students plus a couple newbies.
As you may know, the way my online classes work, my husband Tom, is behind the scenes organizing the week-long class so that I have up-to-date photos—such as Sylvie Aguilar’s “Tiger,” above—to look at and annotate when it comes time for me to give each student feedback. So Tom sees and hears most of what goes on, even if he doesn’t have his camera and microphone turned on for the Zoom session. He knows when a student is confident or struggling. He even gets anxious for my students when they experience frustration.
In this latest class however, Tom found he could relax. While there may have been challenging moments, Tom told these students: “Often there’s one or two folks I’m concerned about. In this class I’ve got no worries about anyone—you guys got it.”
And as student, LeahGrace Kayler, added later when we asked for class feedback, “… a vibrant group offers a whole different level of learning… I found the whole cohort of students to be very supportive. Everyone was “into” the class.”
Each student cheerfully accepted the challenges they had set for themselves and everyone, to my and Tom’s eyes, succeeded. Take a look at the work of the first group of students, the “Zookeepers,” and judge for yourself.
Zookeepers
The Zookeepers are all returning students. In fact, three of them—LeahGrace Kayler, Sylvie Aguilar, and Catriona Stirling—first met in my May 2021 Live Online Class where they named their Zoom breakout room the Zookeepers. Taking into account the time zone in which students reside is sometimes a factor in creating a breakout room (on a similar wake/sleep schedule). In that first class together, LeahGrace and Sylvie were both in the Eastern US time zone (class hours 11 a.m.–6 p.m.) and the “closest” zone-wise to Catriona (4–11 p.m.) in Scotland.
The matching of students in that May 2021 breakout room worked out lovely. Shortly after that class, and with the addition of Ros Pettit, the group of four began meeting weekly to share their fabric collage journey with each other. When they signed up for this January 2023 class, it was a given that they would want to share a breakout room once again.
As Ros told us, “I especially enjoyed our breakout room as it was a group of women I’ve come to know well in collage and appreciated so much the amount of work we were able to accomplish together.” From LeahGrace, “I loved my breakout group! It was so much fun to all be together in Susan’s class.”
From Catriona:
We initially connected after the class using WhatsApp to share our progress using photos and then met “in person” on Zoom to continue working on our projects together. LeahGrace and Sylvie were much more focused than me and soon finished and attended another class where they met Ros and the rest is history.
We now meet weekly working on collage, other textile projects and sometimes just for coffee and a chat. We help each other with design critique and encouragement as well as just having fun. Working together for this extended period has enabled us to trust each other’s opinions and develop our work in ways we weren’t able to do on our own.
Sylvie Aguilar
See more of Sylvie’s work in these posts: May 2021, September 2021, and September 2022.
From Sylvie:
As I was considering subjects for the class, the only animals that spoke to me were our beloved 2 cats. We unfortunately had to say goodbye this past November after 15 wonderful years of unconditional love. I was worried that I would not be able to capture their personality since 15 years with them is a long time, but with Susan’s guidance I was able to achieve a first draft where we actually recognize Tiger. The only downfall is that I should have started to work on Shadow earlier to get going on her as well.
Susan and Tom have perfected a system that works well. I especially like that she draws on the photographs you send in before you meet with her. I take a screen shot and print it to help me remember what I need to work on until our next meeting.
LeahGrace Kayler
See more of LeahGrace’s work in these posts: March 2021, May 2021, September 2021, December 2021, and November 2022.
From LeahGrace:
When I was a little girl, if we ate all our breakfast, my grandmother in New Jersey would open the windows in the breakfast nook, put peanuts on the table, and “friend squirrel” would come onto the table and eat the peanuts. I’ve always liked squirrels.
In the post-class survey we asked, “Did you achieve the goals you set for yourself in this class?” LeahGrace replied, “Yes – I am so happy with my squirrel.” I know from working previously with her that this squirrel has been in her mind for awhile, it was quite fun for me to see him come to life.
LeahGrace sent us an after-class updated photo, below, just a couple days ago. Most evident (to me) are the highlights she added around “Rocky’s” eyes and muzzle—great contrast—those extra touches are so important.
Ros Pettit
See more of Ros’s work in these posts: March 2021, September 2021, and May 2022.
From Ros:
My piece celebrates the resilience of a 92 year old Norwegian parachuter portraying her country’s folklore tale of the north wind. The photo, “Eyes as Big as Plates # Agnes II” is used by permission. “Eyes as Big as Plates,” by Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth, a Norwegian photographer and Finnish sociologist, is a book which was crafted to celebrate the elderly in many different countries around the world. During Covid I saw how little we were able to connect with one another and how important that connection is. I hope that this piece will demonstrate that when finished.
At the end of the class week we asked for feedback from students. Our question, “What is the biggest drawback to the online format of this class?” Ros’s answer, “Sometimes when you are having a fabric meltdown, it is helpful to get a hug from a classmate!” That’s a good point.
Catriona Stirling
See more of Catriona’s work in this post: May 2021.
From Catriona:
I love animals and I love taking photographs so I’ve been spending a wee bit of time outdoors and at my local zoo over the last few years trying to improve my photography skills. I’ve managed to capture a few good shots and had several animal options to pick from. I eventually decided on the ring tailed lemur as my subject but the photo I ended up using wasn’t the one I had initially chosen and prepared for my consultation with Susan as I realized my cropped shot didn’t actually feature the lemur’s tail which was a bit daft considering that was how it got its name.
The light bulb moment when I realized I could create my lemur in non-realistic colours. I felt like an artist! I took my first class with Susan in May of 2021 after being a fan since her first book was published. My first subject, Hinemoa the yellow eyed penguin from New Zealand was a relatively simple subject and I knew that for my next class I needed to push myself to tackle eyes, a nose and fur so no more birds for now. And my stretch goal was to try to work in less realistic colours as I’d seen my friends and Susan do with their projects.
The slight drawback of the time zone issues were outweighed by the benefits of having my stash on hand. I’m afraid I still have issues in restricting my fabric choices but, in this case, as my colour palette changed as I worked, [being home] was probably an advantage.
A big thank you to the ladies of the Zookeepers for allowing us to share your lovely friendship, your amazing artwork, and your considerate thoughts!
In the next two weeks of posts, we’ll be sharing the equally amazing and colorful progress of the other eight students through their breakout rooms—Spice of Life and Wild Things. Be sure to tune in for these online tours of our online classroom.
Space Available in May 2023 Live Online Class
You are invited to join me via Zoom for a 5-Day Live Online Fabric Collage Class. This class is for all levels of fabric collage proficiency, from beginner to advanced. The class runs May 29–June 2, 2023.
I have included an update of the number of spots available and will do my best to keep it updated as it changes. If you find on the registration page that the class has sold out and would like to be placed on a waitlist, please email Tom ([email protected]). Thank you.
CLASS DESCRIPTION: Five-Day Live Online Fabric Collage Classes (Animals Only)
Price: $995 per student
Required Class Fee: $169 for the Fabric Collage Master Class—an online resource “manual” to refer to before, during, and after class—yours for life ($199 regular price; contact tom@tomallenbooks for coupon code for discount. This fee is waived if you already own the Master Class)
Hardware and Software Requirements: Computer, tablet, or other larger-screen device; reliable internet; ability to photograph and send images of collage in progress (a cellphone is recommended); Zoom meeting software (free to download)
Maximum Number of students: 12
Subject Matter: This class deals with animal subjects—furred, feathered, or scaled—pets, exotic animals, birds, insects, sea life, sea slugs, whatever type of animal appeals to you.
Included: Forty-five minute private pre-class coaching session to prepare you for Day One of class.
See links below for more information.
May 29-June 2, 2023
2 Spots Remaining (as of February 17)
Register and pay here:
https://susancarlson.com/product/may-2023-live-online-fabric-collage-class-with-susan-carlson-animals-only/
I am noticing this group of students primarily are using batiks. I know batiks do not fray and I have used batik in my projects. Susan, do you primarily recommend batiks for the animals?
Hi Mary, like most of us, I am fond of batiks, partly for the minimal fraying, but also for the variation of colors and contrast in the prints and the “flip-ability” of the designs—very handy. But I use and recommend just about anything that works for the color and print desired, including fabrics beyond quilting cottons like rayons, polyesters, etc.!