WOW....you were so lucky. THey just don't teach these classes at Adult/Continueing education classes any more. NO painting, pottery, or arts of any kind. THey only teach computer and social networking classes, or digital photography. I MISS the art classes!
Also want to add that I think we are going to see a more defined/detailed return to quilting due in part to the costs of making a quilt. If the LQS/industry wants to gain new customers and keep the old ones, they must adapt. Very few people I know can afford to take classes that render a $300 baby quilt! For those who have built their stash during the "flush" years of the late 90's early 2000's, we are lucky/blessed and should carry on the art of passing on our knowledge to the ones who are just learning. It is fine to learn how to "make do with what you have", but it is also going to be in vogue to learn the art so that when you spend the $ to buy the materials to make a quilt, it will be of heirloom quality!
Originally Posted by
QuiltingNurse
I took my first class through a class at an Adult school. It was 6 weeks in length and 2 hours per evening. It was meant to just give an introduction into quilting and then if you liked it, move on to classes. It was suggested that we begin with the Quilting 101. The adult school class was superb! We began with the very basics and then made a hand pieced 9 patch block. It truly was the art of quilting!! It served as a foundation to moving on to bigger and more complex blocks. While many fell in love with quilting and could do the basics, they needed a class (perhaps 6 weeks to do the series of blocks. I am one of those people. I began quilting in the mid-1980's and that's the way we were taught. Let's get back to the art of quilting, teach the basics and work with those who want and need the classes for the more complex blocks. I remember taking a monthly class in how to do the hand applique Baltimore album blocks, how to hand quilt, how to choose fabric, battings, threads, acccurate seaming and piecing, 1/4 inch seam allowances, moving on to machine piecing, etc.
I thank those instructors who provided such a rich foundation. Hope we get back to it.