Alot of classes also require that you have the book for the class, so maybe check into that. I like a class for the friendship, but enjoy books as well. Hope you share your project results with us when you're done.

If you can afford it take the class and may be arrange to 'share' a book that someone else has bought/is buying.

A good teacher knows how to derail those who would take over the class. If not then as a student you have the right to speak up and suggest that student wait til she can get 1 on 1 time while the rest of you work.

Often in classes you learn more than just the one technique. More than one aha moment has occurred as a result of a class. That and the social quilt [and otherwise] networking make taking a class fun.

Totally agree.

I love taking classes, meeting new people and learning new things from both the instructor and the students. Even the unprepared and newbies have experiences that are worthy of learning from. Prior to my first quilting class, I had never used a rotary cutter. I expected lots of eye rolls from the other students INSTEAD they all gave me advice and tips on using the cutter. The instructor taught everyone (including me) the techniques and then kept checking on me to make sure there were no major injuries!! The other students ran into other obstacles and we all learned from each other. By the end of the day, everyone had learned the techniques and had created several blocks. I even had made more blocks than some of the others!

I enjoy classes because it forces me to learn on a specific day. If I am learning from a book, there is always something else demanding my time.

The best advice I can give you is a Craftsy class. I buy them at discount and they are mine forever to watch whenever I want, pause, repeat and quilt along if I choose to. So $19 for a Craftsy class is pretty good, and most of them are worth way more than that. You can interact with a teacher and other participants. I am not affiliated with them. Just a fan.

I don't know about this particular one, but for me I would choose a book over a class, unless the technique looks too complicated, then I might choose the class. You'll always have the book, and if you have some difficulty, you can still pick the minds of the people who took the class. But there's also the possibility that the instructor will offer a discount on her books.

You can check to see if the book is available in your local library or another nearby one. check http://worldcat.org to see how far away the closest copy is. Then call to see if you can check it out, or request in on interlibrary loan (requires about a month or so). I saw a book where the title and front cover intrigued me, then I saw the book in the library, and it wasn't as interesting as it sounded.

There was one case where I really needed the class. I had a book on paper piecing, but I couldn't figure it out. A one evening class made it look easy.

Getting together with other people is nice, but are you paying to learn or to get together with other people?

I agree with what many others have already stated, I would take the class and get the book later. The chance to see her in person may not come up again and there is nothing like being right there with an instructor to ask hands on questions. Often times I find in a class setting that others come up with questions I'd never have thought of, so it's great to hear the answers to those too. ;)

I have spoken up several times when a class member hogs the instructor's time. That's what I say, hey you are hogging all the class time from the rest of us. The instructor then has an out to get back on track. It's liberating to speak up, everyone needs to do it.

I would like to thank everyone for their input. I made the decision to pass on both. This is an expensive quilt adventure for fusible appliqué shapes. I attended a presentation by the instructor, Sue Pelland. She was very good. I found the book and the 3 rulers on sale but still expensive. I need to see what my skill level is for finishing machine appliqué before I can explore Leaves Galore. I think I would purchase the book versus the class because of my learning ability and some patterns are included in the book! You all had very good points to think about. Happy quilting!

Books are great references and always there to use.

I like to take classes too but by far, books have been more useful over time than classes.
peace