Classes? what classes?
 

I have purchased 4 machines in the last decade. I have yet to attend any dealer classes. Time, travel, having to pack up to attend, etc. Never convenient. I have learned machine embroidery, techniques, etc thanks to YouTube videos and forums like QB. I am learning how to use the Silhouette cutter on You Tube and blogs.


Anyone else prefer online instruction vs attending dealer instruction?
sandy

I am old school quilter and I like a person to be there to answer any questions I may have.

I'm pretty lucky in that I can follow written instructions, even without illustrations. Having said that, I almost always learn something important from live instructors. They can observe you and comment which a video can't! When I first started FMQ, I had a hard time. An instructor watched me for like 30 seconds, gave me a couple suggestions and the light bulb went off.

Self taught, but I value good instruction in every form.

I take advantage of everything I can find. I have not tried the Crafty classes, I find enough free info on U tube.

I doubt I would ever buy a machine I had to take more then one class to learn to use. It just isn't worth that much of my time.

I've only bought Janomes from a dealer, and they're really so easy to use I haven't really learned anything from the dealer classes. My dealer doesn't like to let you leave with your new machine until you can show that you at least know how to thread it (using their shop machines). When I was picking up my 6600 I sat down, grabbed the thread and had the machine perfectly threaded in about 3 seconds. It's pretty standard, and there are even arrows on the machine to help and a needle threader...how hard could it be? I still have something like 3-4 hours of free instruction time available on their books, but I'll never use it. The manual tells me pretty much everything I need to know.

If I had bought my embroidery machine from a dealer I might have learned something, but I bought mine on Amazon and have learned online and from the manual. Again...pretty basic as far as machine function goes. I still get mixed up on figuring out proper stabilizer for the fabric & design but some of that I think is just a learning curve that people have with these no matter what. There are general embroidery machine classes available locally that I could take for a nominal fee but I haven't bothered. I don't mind learning from experimenting - I remember things I've discovered myself better than I remember things I've been told anyway.

When I purchased my Gammill longarm, I started playing with it before I took the class 2 months later. I had videos that I used, but the class was invaluable. The instructor taught me so many little tricks that weren't in any of the written or video materials. It was a 2 day class and very well worth my time!

Each person learns in a different way-- I like to take classes with an instructor -- many times the little tips and tricks aren't included in a book or a video. I always like the interaction with teachers and students.

I prefer a live presentation but have learned much from QB and youtube. For anyone owning the Phaff Expression 4.2, there is an excellent presentation on youtube, explaining absolutely everything about the machine and all it's tricks. It's over an hour long, but worth every minute. I'm a slow learner so have watched it 3 times, learning something with each viewing.