Classes
He has incorporated Creative Studio Version 3 into all of his classes and he designs his classes to meet the needs and requests of his students.
Al enjoys traveling throughout the United States to teach classes as well as teaching at our studio in Fayetteville, NC. If you would like to host a class in your area, please let us know by contacting barbara@quiltartistrystudio.com or al@quiltartistrystudio.com.
AL'S CURRENT CLASS DESCRIPTIONS:
Beginning Creative Studio
This is a two-day course. This course introduces the student into the new and exciting world of using Creative Studio in quilting. The basic features of the program are taught and demonstrated - including the new features in Version 3 - so that the students can return to their studios with the knowledge necessary to fully utilize this program. The following techniques will be covered: how to manipulate patterns; placement of borders and corners; how to do edge-to-edge; inside and outside trim features; the proper use of quilt groups; boundaries; sequence of placement and selection of reference points. The class is taught using Tammy Finkler's Creative Studio Sampler which gives students exercises to recreate in their own studio to
reinforce the instructions in the class.
Intermediate Creative Studio
This one-day course is designed for the experienced user of Creative Studio to delve deeper into the unlimited capabilities of Creative Studio including the new features in Version and to expand the student’s ability to effectively put this program to use. The morning session is usually devoted to demonstrating the new features in Version 3. Each of the new features will be demonstrated, explaining how they work and examples will be given on different ways to use the feature. We will go into depth on features such as: dividing patterns, drawing lines and arcs, setting sew order, and reversing start/stop. Such techniques as proper placement of boundaries to increase stitch accuracy, using the origin point to maneuver design groups, and getting patterns to conform to odd shapes are taught and explored. During the afternoon session, we will spend time in addressing students’ questions and problems and work out new and different ways to utilize this program. There will also be time to ask the questions that you have come up with in the course of using the program.
When Al teaches the intermediate/advanced Creative Studio
classes, he likes to tailor the class to the requests of the students.
Usually the morning session is devoted to covering the new features in
Creative Studio and the afternoon session focuses on the interests and
questions of the students covering such topics as borders,
edge-to-edge, wholecloth, previewing designs, or any other requests
from the students. The intermediate/advanced classes do not have a
workbook, but they do include a class outline.
What's New in Creative Studio
In this
half day class, we'll discuss each of the new features in Creative Studio Version 3. Each of the new features will be
demonstrated, explaining how they work and examples will be given on
different ways to use the feature. We will go into depth on features
such as:
1. Echoing
2. Manipulating Patterns
3. Competition Tie-Offs
4. Setting Sew Order
5. Relocate
The student will leave this class with a
better understanding of how the features in the latest version of
Creative Studio can be effectively used.
Everything You Wanted to Know about E2E Quilting
In this
half-day class we will discuss all aspects of doing Edge-to-Edge work
to quilt an entire quilt, or large area inside a border. We
will go through the entire process step by step and explain the
importance and reasoning behind each step. Different methods of
recovering from missteps will be covered. We will also talk about
previewing different patterns, and ways to expand and enhance our
creativity with this process. After taking this class, the student
will have a better appreciation and understanding of the Edge-to-Edge
process and will be able to expand their quilting capabilities.
Getting the Most Out of Creative Studio
This
half-day class is designed to get the student to think outside of the
box and expand the way they use Creative Studio. We will discuss
different tools included in the program and how we can use them
effectively to increase our capabilities of using Creative Studio to do
more accurate and creative quilting. We will go into detail about how
to expand the use of the boundary tool, how to create borders, how to
preview our quilting designs for our clients, and expanding the E2E
function with concatenation. The student will leave this class with a
better understanding of the capabilities Creative Studio offers and
with an appreciation for creatively improving their quilting abilities.
The Exciting, Creative and Fascinating World of Concatenation!
Creative Studio allows us to create unique and varied designs by using the Edge-to-Edge feature and multiple patterns. With this feature, called concatenation, we can be creative with unique pattern placement on our E2E work. This half-day course will illustrate how the student can look at their E2E work in a whole new light and add another dimension to what is offered to their clients. We will learn how to select patterns, manipulate them, and stitch out your creative design.
Preview Your Quilting Plans for Your Clients
Quite often it is difficult getting your client to visualize what their quilt will look like once you have completed quilting it. Creative Studio gives us the ability to provide our clients with a print out detailing the patterns we plan to use, their relation to each other and to the total quilt look, as well as size and density of the quilting. In this half-day session we will learn how to prepare the outline of a quilt, select patterns, preview them, and construct the final presentation, including printing it out. After taking this class, the student will have the added capability to work with a client in constructing a quilting plan and giving them a clear picture of the final look.
Don't Carpet Your Ruts! Why You Should Start Using Creative Studio
Changing to a new software program is sometimes difficult and intimidating. If a program works for you, why go through the hassle of learning a new one? In this half-day class, we'll explore how similar Precision Stitch is to Creative Studio and why it is easy and beneficial to make the transition to Creative Studio. During this class we will cover two important staples of quilting - Edge-to-Edge work and Borders. At the completion of the class it will be clear to the student that making the transition to Creative Studio won't be that hard ad the effort will be worth it.
How We Create Borders in Creative Studio
With Creative Studio we can now increase the accuracy and impact of the borders we incorporate into our quilting. This half-day class will discuss all aspects of designing border treatment, including whether we should rotate the quilt. We will learn a quick and accurate way to place border corners and then calculate the correct number of repeats and connect the corners. We will learn how to stitch the side borders as we work down the quilt, accurately connecting previously sewn repeats. We will also discuss how to pick the correct pattern for the border size. After taking this class, the student will feel comfortable with adding borders to their quilting designs.
Using Repeat Patterns To Do Our E2E Work
Creative Studio provides us with the ability to streamline doing Edge-to-Edge work and gives us more flexibility. In this half-day class we will learn how to get our E2E feature to sew back and forth across the quilt continuously, saving time on quilts with a pattern allowing multiple rows per each advance of the quilt. There are times when the E2E feature just won't allow us to stitch our patterns the way we want, so we'll learn how to use the Repeat Pattern feature to stitch out our E2E design, giving us more options without giving up any of the advantages of the E2E feature.
Problem Solving Session
This is a half-day session devoted to learning how to recover from mistakes in procedure or unexpected actions on the part of the computer. We will learn how to recover from a computer crash, a misplaced Point of Origin, and incorrect restarts. Students are encouraged to bring problems they have encountered so that we can discuss them and learn what went wrong and how to recover. We will talk about how the Point of Origin is used, how the Restart Feature operates, and how to use the Relocate Project Origin feature. At the end of this class the student should be able to understand better how to respond to unexpected actions taken by the computer and the necessary actions to recover.
Advanced Creative Studio Workshop
This is a workshop for Creative Studio users who are proficient in using all aspects of the program and want to gain a deeper understanding of how to expand the program's capabilities. The session will revolve around the question "How do I do ..." Each participant is encouraged to come with at least one such question for us to discuss. During this workshop we will explore different ways to perform common tasks as well as performing tasks not thought possible.
Auto Sketch
This one-day beginners course is designed to provide the knowledge needed to use this program to solve most design dilemmas. Use of the basic drawing tools to create unique, custom designs and the ability to trace patterns and convert them into borders and edge-to-edge designs is the main emphasis of this course. The student is also taught about the design process, how to set up the program with the required macros, and how to create a custom tool bar containing the most often used tools.
Private Instruction
Private instruction is tailored to the needs and desires of the individual student addressing specific areas or techniques as requested. Instruction can be given on a wide range of topics and on different programs during the same session as requested by the student and only limited by time restraints. The sessions are conducted either at The Quilt Artistry Studio or at the student’s studio.
When a new
concept is learned and mastered, it is as though a light has been
turned on and we can proceed with vision and confidence. Al’s goal in
teaching is to “turn on the light” for his students so they can use
these programs with ease and achieve the results they desire.
The world of quilting is full of generous, creative and talented individuals. Al feels that with every class that he teaches, he gains from his students new inspiration, a true sense of camaraderie, and a renewed appreciation for each person who chooses to follow their dreams and become a quilter.