So the year is creeping forwards, somehow it’s reached March and as ever there is a lot of planning going on behind the scenes. The NEC show is now 18 days away and I still have 2 pieces of work to finish off and get to the framers.
Obviously this means I’m unwell and my schedule has been completely thrown out. Anyway, Miss Calico is very almost ready to go get framed before I frame up fabric to start of the final cat.
Behind the scenes I’ve been planning to bring back distance learning for a while. I have run distance classes before but I was’t 100% happy with the system I had been running so I rested it whilst I spent time working out how to make it better. I want my distance learning courses to be an extension of my classroom, so I needed to establish the best way to recreate that online.
Firstly in a class room I am physically showing students how to stitch something; a visual demonstration is often needed for people to picture how individual stitches work. Whilst written instructions can be useful I’ve previously found relying solely on wordy instructions do not provide enough guidance. This is why bespoke videos are now being produced alongside the instruction booklet, these relate to each technique within the project being worked and these will only be available to members of the class. My youtube channel is where I shall be adding general techniques, these shall be popping up now and then. The next will be pricking and pouncing, I will be utilising the next cat portrait as my subject!
Secondly I’ve looked at a lot of existing distance learning classes and I’ve been shocked at the sizes of some groups, how can individual learners get feedback and help when some groups are so large? Whilst a large group can interact together within a forum I do worry about how much tutor involvement there can be. When teaching I am constantly assessing the stitches being placed by learners, I want to be able to monitor the work produced within the group so obviously numbers need to be capped. So with that in mind each session will be limited to 15 learners.
Lastly materials; kits will be included within the cost of the course. This is the only way I can be sure people will be able to use the exact materials needed for the project in the same way I would provide a kit for a day class or short course.
Sign up details can be found on the website with the shaded blackwork peacock as the first project which starts in May. It is followed by the shadow work project you can see above.
Jen Goodwin Embroidery 