Introducing One-on-One Quilt Making Lessons

Quilts are personal….that’s one crucial thing that I have learned over the past several years that I’ve been in the quilt making business.

So when I started teaching quilt making a year and a half ago at Cabrillo College, I realized that each student was interested in learning the art for very different reasons. Some students recently retired and are looking for a fun hobby. Others already know how to sew garments and want to branch out. But the most earnest students have a very specific desire or goal in mind when learning how to make quilts.

I had a student recently who had made a quilt top over 30 years ago and wanted to complete it into a finished quilt. She came to my class not as a beginner, but with very specific needs for her project. How should she quilt it? What should she do about any repairs that it might need beforehand? After discussing the project in more detail with her, we both realized that she needed more guidance than I could give her in the classroom setting. So we agreed that private lessons were the best for her, allowing the very individual problems that would arise with her project to be worked through with my direct attention.

Another student I’ve had found out about me from my classes at Cabrillo, but contacted me directly to work with her privately. She needed to make a bed sized quilt for cultural reasons to present to individuals in her spiritual community. The problem was that she had never made a quilt before and had barely even used a sewing machine. This was going to require a lot more than just learning the basics in the classroom and going home to apply those skills. This student needed the quilt to be handmade by herself but at a skill level that would be appropriate for its presentation. Private lessons have allowed me to help her to accomplish her goals.

These two examples are from students who live in the Santa Cruz, CA area, so it was easy for me to provide lessons in person at their homes. However, another student recently reached out to me for an online private lesson. She was making a baby quilt for her first grandchild, but had never made a quilt before. We spent an hour over Zoom as I guided her through the first steps in the process and gave her some tips and tricks to help her get started, as well as suggestions for essential tools for quilt making. Even though this lesson was remote, we were able to make a connection and I helped her feel ready to embark on her project!

Because of these recent experiences, I have decided to open up private lessons as an option for students both locally and anywhere. I know that everyone’s learning needs are just as unique as their quilt goals, so I believe that private lessons can be a great place to start, or for a progress check in, or even just to give you the confidence to take the plunge on a daunting project.

Do you have a quilt pattern that you have always wanted to make, but feel too afraid to start? Or perhaps you have an heirloom quilt that you want to repair yourself? Perhaps you are stuck in the middle of a project and need some quick advice to get you to the next step? Check out my Classes page and scroll down to Private Lessons for more information.