jewelry-making fever. Unfortunately, my skill set doesn’t always match
up to my enthusiasm, as evidenced by the sweater I knitted for my son
that took two years. (Yes, two years; the second year consisted of
me adding panels to the original pattern because my kid insisted on
growing.) Now, there’s an app for enthusiastic, if execution-challenged crafting amateurs
like myself.
Craftsy, the uber-popular home for online crafting
classes in knitting, sewing, quilting, cake decorating and much more,
has launched their iPad app, now available for free download. Of
course, free download doesn’t mean free classes; there are a few free
mini-classes, but the majority of the instruction on Craftsy is between
$19.99 and $40.
While this may sound expensive, especially since
there is much free content on YouTube, Craftsy’s video quality is
excellent (including helpful close-up shots of the stuff you really need
to see) and their instructors are professionals, who are screened, reliable and
probably charging a lot more moolah for a live class. You can re-watch
any portion of your class as many times as you like and even ask
questions of the teacher and community. Online classes with this level of interaction elsewhere often run into the hundreds.
Subjects
range from creating modern quilts to metalsmithing at home, decorating
your own wedding cake, scrapbooking, and even a few holiday crafts for beginners. Poke around and you’ll have fun imagining what you’ll do with your new skills.
A helpful side note: if
there’s no sound on your Craftsy class, check your iPad to make sure
it’s not on mute–there are many videos and music sites that will play
even if your device is muted, but Craftsy is not one of them. I say this
only because that tip is all over their website, not because it actually
happened to me. Ahem. –Shari
Download the free Craftsy iPad app at the iTunes store. Or check out Craftsy.com to take craft courses online from your computer.
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