But first, hello!
If you’re new here, thank you so very much for subscribing to my little corner of Substack! Come on in: you might need to move a few heaps to take a seat, but it’s so good to have you here.
This week I have a Big Thing I’d like to share with you (and maybe you’ll join me?) and then next time, I’ll tell you all about my recent adventures with sketchbooks, ink splats, fairies and rebels.
The Big Thing in a nutshell:
My Fab Free Motion online course is open with a 20% early-bird discount:
Why I’m quite keen on this one…
Once upon a time I had a Big Idea, which remained safely contained within the confines of my brain and a stack of index cards, for several years.
Every now and then, I’d shuffle the cards into a logical order and think I’d nailed it, only for a new thought to occur. I’d write the new thought on a new card, and reshuffle. Eventually, I realised the little ideas would never stop, and if I ever wanted the Big Idea to see the light of day, I had to make a start on the Next Step.
So I started to bring the little ideas to life, carefully grouping them into sets of five (one a day for a week, with the weekends off). Some of the extra ideas were too good to be shushed, so they were given their own space as ‘extras’ for the weekends. I filmed each one in full as I created it, and wrote detailed notes so other people could give them a go.
The idea being - if someone followed each idea from day to day and week to week - they’d end up in a place where
free motion embroidery no longer made them nervous
they didn’t have to avoid free motion any more
they’d get their machine to do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted
they’d be able to express their own ideas with confidence and pizazz
they’d know how to create the quality of free motion stitch they’d always wanted - and know what to do if it didn’t look right
they’d be able to use different materials and different threads with confidence
they’d know how to create fab texture and colour effects using just their sewing machine and simple materials
The Big Idea wasn’t just for people to create a collection of little ideas that looked exactly like mine (although that’s inevitable in the beginning).
The Big Idea was for people to try my little ideas, and in doing so, learn to trust their sewing machine, their hands and their eyes, and by the end of the course, have the skills to be able to express their own ideas - big or small - with really good machine embroidery.
That Big Idea became my Fabulous Free Motion embroidery course, which opened this time last year.
Here’s what people said:
What happened next?
Unfortunately, between last year and now, I had another Big Idea.
This second Big Idea was to take every group of little ideas and make them available in smaller chunks, a sort of “choose your own adventure” in free motion embroidery.
On the surface, this second Big Idea is a Most Excellent Idea - right until it came to creating it. To be honest, I’ve wasted weeks and weeks with this one, trying to get my tiny brain around how to do it. For example, how do you take a detailed video and instructions for what materials to use for a whole course, and chop it up neatly into only the bits you need for one-sixth of a course?
Turns out, I was right first time round and I should trust my instincts. My first Big Idea is the Best Idea and I knew it was, all along:
There’s a reason I designed it like I did. I know what I’m doing!
After years of teaching this stuff, I know it works
Practice and process leads to progress. There are no shortcuts.
To get good at something, you need to put in the time.
Also, and definitely not least,
Too many really good extra bits would get lost in the split. There’s a load of things that could become mini-workshops in themselves, but I wanted to include them.
The moment a spreadsheet seemed inevitable, I knew the game was up.
So now what?
THE Big Idea, my original Fabulous Free Motion course, remains intact.
Whole, unchopped, in all its glory!
Even better, it’s OPEN NOW for enrolments with a 20% early-bird discount until the end of March.
Early-bird discounted price £198 until March 31
Full price is then £248
Split the cost with 4 monthly payments (£49 with discount, £62 after 31 March)
Lessons start 8 April
The course is 10 weeks total includes rest weeks to practise/breathe…
Forever access
Take it easy
This year following student feedback, I’ve stretched the timeline slightly to relax the pace, and grouped the lessons into three distinct blocks. For want of more exciting titles these are Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced (no point reinventing the wheel - everyone knows what they mean!) I’ve also added extra rest or catch-up weeks between each block, to allow time to practise and consolidate skills (or take a breather) before another block of lessons lands.
There’s definitely a fine line between keeping things pacy and interesting, yet not overwhelming you and creating a panic because you can’t keep up. I know I do best when things are kept active, and if things are too long or drawn out my motivation and energy starts to flag. However I also know what it’s like to feel overwhelmed. I hope I’ve struck the right balance.
Either way, whether you’re a tortoise or a hare, once you’ve enrolled, you have forever access so you can revisit any of the lessons at any time for as long as you like - and I’m not going anywhere, so you can always contact me for help and support.
You can find all the details including FAQs and requirements list here:
When you join, you’ll get instant access to introductory lessons with things to do straight away and get ready for 8 April when the free motion lessons are released.
All the info is on the course page (clicky button above) but if I’ve missed anything, or you have any questions, please ask!
Unless I see you in class first, until next time,
PS Stay notified
A third big idea I had is to create a section here on Substack that you can opt into, so you receive email updates and reminders for my courses - and so I don’t have to mention everything in my ‘regular’ posts. If you’d like this, click on your name or picture top right, then manage subscription, and toggle on the notification button for online course updates. I’ve deliberately left it toggled-off, so you decide if you want ‘in’.
PPS I still love the name
and I still love the whole ‘choose your own adventure’ concept! I’ll probably keep working on it, but in the meantime, I want to concentrate on the Big one above, and other projects*!
*ahem, Swirls…
This is exciting Izzy!!