There ya go! :p

Know what you are saying. I always feel like I am the straggler at guild sew days. Seem to get more done sewing at home.
I have some Orthopedic problems, and carrying the featherweight in and back home don't help at all. When they have them before the night meeting, I am too tired to go to the meeting!
(think that is also known as 'getting old-er!)
mariah

I take only those classes that will teach me a new skill. I have a (fairly) expensive machine that I Never take to class - it's too heavy!! Those who bring their fancy machines struggle to get them in the door, then set up, etc. I'm fairly old and have moved beyond the trying to impress stage, so I focus on what I'm learning instead of those trying to impress me. It's a lot more fun now.

I don't belong to a guild, easier to just make my stuff at home than to drag it all out, plus no time for it.
We don't have anywhere in our town for classes...used to years go, when I learned the basics, classes then, but the classes didn't advance, so I taught myself from youtube, facebook, blogs, books etc...

I used to teach quilting classes at the LQS. I have seen many different machines and many different sewing styles. Please don't compare yourself to what someone else is doing. The class is to help you learn a new technique. Every one learns at a different rate. Just enjoy the day and what you are doing. That is what quilting is all about.

As far as sewing machines go -

I am curious/interested in what other people are using. My "youngest" machine is from the 1980s or 1990s. The only reason I don't take my Singer 237 (a plain jane from the early 1960s - it zigzags, sews straight, has three needle positions, and sews forward and backward) to sew-ins or classes is because it's heavy.

As far wanting to see what other people are doing -

I am guilty of that, too.

I would be intimidated going to a class where I knew very little about the topic - wine - for example, would be one of them. How to recognize a knock-off from the real thing in the fashion world would be another topic where I would be completely misplaced.

I am intimidated when I get in a group where I know that most of the other people in it are more educated, have more money, have careers, etc.

But, on the other hand, most of them are breathing the same air I am, and most of their bodies function similarly to how mine does. (Although they might be better able to afford tune-ups and better paint jobs!) :)

(I do like the little red squiggle that shows me that I should check out the spelling on a word.)

Bear, we recently went to a get-together. Our neighbor is a dietician and my husband is a food chemist so they have a lot in common.
Well, everyone at the gathering were our boys ages. At first I felt really out of place. I'm outgoing by nature but I still
felt funny. But as the night wore on I just started mingling. I'm also not a foodie but since that's what sustains us it wasn't a foreign subject at least.
I sure felt old though. :)

I love classes at both the LQS and the large quilt shows. Because I make it a point to take new classes in areas of little expertise to gain more knowledge and skill. Knowing this I don't expect my work to be the best in the class since it is new. So I think if you go with the mindset to not be hard on yourself you will have a better experience. I usually go by myself but quilters are so nice it is usually easy to meet new friends and sometimes you can get some tips from more experienced classmates. There will always be snobs wherever you go but you can't let negative people ruin a positive experience. I think most quilters are way to hard on themselves. I also wouldn't worry about peoples fancy machines they sew the exact same thing so you will make a lovely quilt whether you have a 50 dollar machine or a TOL. I have a low end and a nice machine and I sew on my Walmart brother all the time and love it just as much as my big machine. And I used a small machine for many years before I upgraded and I did just fine. No real genuine person will look down on you for what you are using. Quilts are made with love not money

How you feel is completely up to you, and is always valid.

Is quilting big business? I suppose so. And that is ok. However, I buy what I like and can afford, not what 'they' want me to buy. As long as I am respected when I shop, none of the other stuff matters. If others feel like they are better than I am, well, that is their problem.

Isn't it amazing that our personal reactions to taking quilting classes have so much to do with how we felt about school? I am an assertive person, but never wanted to look dumb in school. It took years to overcome that fear of asking a question when I thought everyone else in the class 'got it'. Then one day it dawned on me that someone else almost always asked the question I wanted to ask and bailed me out.

Since my fear was holding me back, I mustered the courage to ask questions. At first, it was difficult to do, but it served me well for the rest of my life. I still ask the dumb questions.

However, I rarely take classes for quilting. My color vision is a big factor in that, as most or the quilts I might want to take in a class are complex with too many colors/fabrics in them. Too many colors/fabrics confuses my brain and frustrates me to the point where the quilt joins UFO pile, never to be finished.