Quilters are always ready to learn something new!
And so are quilting teachers! Now quilt guild's can learn from textile experts from all over the world, with no travel expenses.
In the last few months quilting teachers have been gearing up for a new way to reach their students. While some presenters and teachers have been presenting online for years, the majority of us have been showing up to guilds and conferences in person. Enter the fall 2020 when guilds normally reconvene to meet up with old friends, listen to lectures, see great trunk shows and attend workshops. While we can't meet in person, we can still connect online and we can still welcome visitors into our guilds.
For those of us on the teaching side, we've been rewriting our contracts, purchasing new cameras, ring lights, microphones and for some overhead booms to hold cameras for those up close shots of their sewing lessons. For me the change isn't quite as challenging as my presentation was and still is a PowerPoint lecture. I did purchase some professional lighting, a new webcam and a very big zoom subscription. I can host up to 500 guild members and talk for as long as I want to talk, or should I say as long as the guild wants me to talk.
I was disappointed not speak at this year's Quilt Week in Lancaster, Pennsylvania or at the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, England, but I'm looking forward to 2021. My previously booked Toronto and area guild talks have all requested virtual presentations and I'm booked to speak "in" California, Washington, Virginia, Vancouver and Scotland! I'm happy to teach in any time zone, I just may not look as "healthy" as usual if it's past midnight my time. Now quilt guild's can learn from textile experts from all over the world, with no travel expenses. In April I spoke to the Akoma Ntoso Modern Quilt Guild, based in Indiana. It was so hard not to post "Indiana wants me, but I cant go down there " on Instagram, but I didn't.
If you are interested in sharing "Sew Smart - The Ergonomics of Healthy Quilting " with your guild, visit my teaching page to check availability, fees and other information. Many guilds are saying that even after we are able to gather in person, they will have a few virtual meetings a year - like maybe in January and February when the weather is unpredictable and driving at night isn't fun.
Conferences have also gone virtual. The Festival of Quilts offered a great line up of workshops this summer. I'm teaching st the Fall Virtual Quilt Show which runs November 9-15th, 2020 and also at the Road to California Quilters Conference from January 21st to 24th, 2021. QuiltCon Together will be a virtual event from February 18th to the 22nd, 2021.
If your guild is looking for virtual presenters, visit globalquiltconnection.com Sue Bleiweiss and Lyric Kinard have done an amazing job of organizing several meet the teacher events and the website is a great resource.
Global Quilt Connection Presentation
