Sewing Machine Educators and Finding A Quilt Class

Sewing Machine Educators and Quilt Classes

In this episode I'm breaking down just what a Baby Lock Educator is and what the team does.  It's been a blast to be a part of the Baby Lock Educator team.  I've gotten the chance to meet Baby Lock sewing machine owners and shop owners from across North America.

I also chat about finding quilt classes.

Quilt on the Wall, Sasha the Tiger: https://bit.ly/3xEC7oy
Baby Lock: https://babylock.com

Where you can find me:

YouTube: https://youtu.be/dGpcdl523U0
Facebook: http://facebook.com/nicolegilbertquilts
Nicole Gilbert Quilts Blog: http://nicolegilbertquilts.com/custom-blog
Nicole Gilbert Quilts Instagram: http://instagram.com/nicolegilbertquilts
Nicole Gilbert Quilts Shop: http://nicolegilbertquilts.com/shop

You Can Find me on:

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Transcript

0:00

Hi, folks. I'm Nicole Gilbert and this is the stop scrolling start sewing podcast. Each Wednesday join me as I share the ins and outs of that quilt life. If you don't have a sewing machine can bust out a Superfly why seam or you just want to hear about the latest and coolest quilty news. This is the podcast for you. Okay, folks, let's keep the party rolling. This is season three, episode two. So before we dive into all the fun stuff today, let's talk about what we're going to talk about today. We'll start with the quilt on the wall. Then I'm going to answer a question that I got a lot in my inbox this week. And then we're going to talk about how to find the best quilt classes near you. Okay, let's dive in. So first up is the quilt on the wall. So this, and I love her so much. This is the Sasha pattern by Shannon Brinkley. Many of you already know, I am actually one of Shannon Brinkley certified teachers. For this technique, this technique is called a scrappy applique. And so I travel around the country and also do virtual presentations of this quilting technique. So this is Sasha, she's pretty big, I want to say she's about 60 by 60. And she has a completely applicate on a solid background quilt. She's big, so it's a little bit cumbersome to kind of get all your pieces laid out because there's a lot of individual little pieces. But this quilt is a lot of fun to make. And it's it's an eye catcher, I actually plan on making two more of these because I want to showcase some other finishing options that you can do with this. But it's just it's a lot of fun to make in the description or the show notes, whichever, if you're listening on your podcast provider, it'll be show notes. If you're on YouTube, it will be in the description below. But if you are interested in this tiger pattern, you can go ahead and click that link. And it will take you over to where you can find it. Also, there's another link below where you can join scrapy African school if you'd like to do that. Or you could just jump into the comments on the YouTube and let me know that you're interested in taking a virtual class because I would love to set one up for all of your so that is the quote on the wall. For those of you who are listening on the podcast provider and not on YouTube. It is a large Tiger applicake. Well, it's pretty darn cool. Okay, so enough about the quotes on the wall. Let's talk about the question that I got 150 million times in my inbox this week. That is a gross exaggeration. But enough emails came in that I thought I should talk about it this week on the podcast. So last week on the podcast I shared with all of you kind of what I've been up to during the show's hiatus. And something that everybody overwhelmingly asked was, What is a Baby Lock educator? And so I figured I would mess it up. First of all repping Baby Lock today wearing my Baby Lock t shirt. Yay. But baby like a baby like educator, I'm gonna go in essence and then I'm gonna like really break it down for you guys. So a baby like educator is a quilt instructor who demonstrates and uses Baby Lock machines to accomplish all of their techniques and tasks. They travel to Baby Lock dealerships and retailers to assist them with educating their consumers. So that's like the cut and dry bare bones of it. But what does that actually look like? What do we actually do? So there's a lot of different facets and a lot of different ways that we kind of assist that overall mission. Now Baby Lock educators run Baby Lock branded Facebook groups, so if you are in a Facebook group for your long arm machine, or your embroidery machine, and there's like two To admins that you know are kind of associated with being a lot, chances are they're either part of the corporate training team, or they're part of the education team. And those educators are there to answer your questions. So, like Ashley Leinart, and Denise shoberg, they do the long arm community. And so Ashley posts, you know, her Tuesday tips in there and kind of really gets the ball rolling with ideas for all of you out there who are using your long arm machines. And that kind of goes across all of the different Facebook groups. So that's one way, just getting out there and sharing information teaching you about your machines. Another way that Baby Lock educators work is that we actually go physically, to Baby Lock retailers or dealerships, and we host classes. It could be classes, like quilt technique classes, such as like an applique class, I would teach an applicant class. And what I would be doing while I'm teaching the afternoon class, anybody could take it, any kind of machine, totally fine. But what I'm going to be doing is I'm going to be working on my Baby Lock showing the features of my baby lock that helped me with the applique, nine times out of 10, you won't even feel like I'm like, not, I'm not there to say like, and you should buy a Baby Lock for this. No, what I'm doing is I'm saying so I'm sitting here on my Baby Lock chorus, and I'm using the blanket stitch, if you're on a Baby Lock it stitch number that, if not, it looks like this. So it's not, it's not so overt. I'm not trying to sell you anything. But I am working on a Baby Lock while I do it. Another thing that they that baby like educators do, is that when baby lock comes out with new updates, upgrades or machines, they can travel to the retailers and actually demonstrate what those upgrades and updates and new machines are and do, which can be really helpful because retailers are busy dealerships are busy. And while they are fantastic wealth of knowledge, they want to be there assisting the customer on their shopping journey. We can go in and kind of assist them with answering questions and whatnot so that we can work hand in hand to make sure that their customers are getting the best service that they possibly can. So it's another way every year bill Baby Lock, debuts either new machines or upgrades to machines every summer, and it's called Baby Lock tech. It is in the past, it has only been an in person event. But now it is both in person and virtual. And the team of educators put together large scale classes that they teach over a two week period of time, several classes to all the retailers. And so I was actually fortunate to participate in that this year. In late August, early September, and I taught three different classes, to over 200 different retailers, it was pretty impressive. And exciting from my point of view, and then seeing kind of all the effort that all of my fellow baby like educators put into it. It was pretty stinking cool. And so maybe like tech is there to teach the retailer's kind of just show them what they're going to be seeing coming in in the coming months. So we teach all different classes. All of the classes are geared towards helping them know the product base. Now, another thing that we do I know this is crazy. I'm like, now that I'm on a roll. I'm like, wow, baby, like educators are pretty stinking awesome. And it's not because I am one because I know so many phenomenal educators out there. So another thing that we do is that when you purchase a Baby Lock sewing machine, you have the opportunity to participate in a getaway or an adventure. And depending on the machine, there's kind of different things, some machines, you get a ticket to a getaway, some machines, it's an adventure. And then if you purchased one a while ago, and you still want to participate, you can always join in as well. But what getaways and adventures are our three to five day immersive classes. So what happens during that time is that a consumer who has purchased a machine can sit down with a baby like educator and they will teach you how to use every part of your machine and it'll be in a fun way. So We'll take a tour of your machine. And then there's usually some sort of projects that you're going to be doing that allow you to really experiment with all of the different things. So I'm thinking about, like, right now I'm assisting Linda routine, with a getaway for the Baby Lock ballad, which is the sister machine to my machine, which is the chorus. And in this class, you know, we're doing the tour and whatnot. But then now, they're making sewing machine covers. And while making those sewing machine covers, they're learning how to do buttonholes, and eyelets, and so on buttons, and how to use the decorative stitches, how to program decorative stitches into their machines, how to create quilt labels, how to do applique, how to free motion quilt, all of these things are happening in the creation of this sewing machine cupboard. And there's also several small projects as well, all of which become accessories to the machine. So there's like a cord keeper, all sorts of really great things. But at the end of it, you've gone through all of the big things. Also breaking down all the accessories that come with your machine, as well as things that you can get in addition to that you may not have even known you needed until you're like, oh, that thing is awesome. So that happens at adventures and getaways. And so adventures are virtual end getaways are in person. The biggest getaway I can think about is the long arms. And that's I think, just because they're such big investments, and they're large machines, so it's hard to kind of get the flow of things if you're not together. But there's always an option for them. So that's another thing is that we do get away spin adventures for those that purchase machines so they can really get to know the equipment that they've got at home because it's really a great, great machine lineup. thing, what else do we do? And then all of us, you know, we are also working independently. We're independent instructors, we're independent educators. And so like I have a YouTube channel, and on the YouTube channel, you'll see me unboxing baby products, you'll see me teaching how to sew. And sometimes I'm highlighting a feature on the machine. And sometimes I'm just teaching you how to sew. But overall, the baby Life Education Team is a wealth of knowledge and information. I have always been somebody who is incredibly, I find it incredibly important to really understand and know your sewing machine. And in order to now be in a position where I can share that love and that knowledge with others and kind of show them why it's so important to be such good friends with your machine is just such a blessing. So I would say that's maybe like educators in a nutshell. But that wasn't really a nutshell. That was kind of a tangent. So there's that. But let's go on to the next question, which is, how do we find quality quilting classes? Now, you can find a quilting class anywhere from here on YouTube or podcast, all the way up through something like the adventure or the getaway that I was just discussing. And there's everything in between. I would start with really understanding where you are in the quoting process. Okay. So when I say that, what I mean is, are you a beginner? Are you an advanced beginner? Are you looking to learn new techniques? Are you looking to kind of explore a new horizon or type of quilting. And when I say that, I mean modern, contemporary traditional applique English paper piecing something a little, you know, just getting a little different. Really understand what you're trying to look for. Then I want you to find your local bookshop. And I know for some of you, the only place that you have to find fabric is like a big box retailer near you or online. And I know that can be difficult, but there are fantastic online resources for you as well. But if you are so fortunate to have a local quilt shop near you, or a sewing machine dealership near you, they are going to be a fantastic place to start. Now. Another thing that I would say is become friendly with your quilt shop owner. Call shop owners are there and they want to talk to you. They're chatty, they want to see what you're interested in. Because what you're interested in means is what you're going to buy. So they're interested, they want to hear from you. So ask them questions, tell them what you're interested in, you would be amazed at the knowledge that's going to come at you from your local quilt shop owner. So I'm thinking of two of my favorite quilt shops right now. One was from when we lived in New York, it was beetle and Fred. And I actually had the pleasure of teaching for beetle and Fred, so I'm a little bias. But she was fantastic, because she had garment sewers. And she had quilters. And so to get out of my own comfort zone, yes, I taught quilting and Bag Making there. However, I could also go and make a quilted coat through one of her classes. Or I could go and do an apron making class, or I could go and do an applique class there was there was a wide variety of things that she taught, or that she had instructors come in to teach at her at her shop. Now, not all she was more of a fiber art store than just a specific bookstore. I mean, I would say quilted fabric was like 75 80% of what she had on her retail side. But she did everything from yarn to garment, sewing and whatnot. So there was there was a big shuffle up. And so her classes reflected back. Because you have to remember that a lot when it comes to quilt shop owners, their classes, they want to educate you because they want you to have fun. They want you to love sewing, the more you love sewing, the more you're going to come back and the more you come back, the more you're going to shop. And so their classes usually will reflect what they have for sale on their store. If their store is nothing but quilt, cotton, then you're probably going to find classes that are nothing but quilting classes. Now, if their store sells, you know, strapping and grommets and zippers, you'll probably find some Bag Making classes there. If they have, you know, tunic patterns and poncho patterns and you know they sell different types of interfacing, you probably will be able to do some sort of garment sewing or embroidery classes. So keep that in mind, you can kind of tell what they're going to offer for classes for what they offer on the retail side. Another place to find a good class would be to join your local guild. Now I am part of the Modern Quilt Guild. And since I moved to Kansas City, I have joined the Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild, which by the way, holy smokes, it is gigantic. Like the Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild is huge. I was part of the Hudson Valley Modern Quilt Guild when we lived in New York, and I loved it. It was this cozy, intimate setting, there was never more than 20 or 30 of us. We all knew each other it was fun. Here is a little intimidating. I'm not gonna lie because there's like 200 people when a speaker comes in, they're like on a stage like it's a it's a thing. But there's pros and cons on both because now I have access at the Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild to really big national instructors that you're like holy cow. Not only that, but in the membership. There's like, I moved here and I was like, oh my god, I follow you on on Instagram. And now we're sitting here eating lemon cookies together, which is kind of cool. But all of that to say your quote guilt will bring in instructors, they will bring in programming to learn new techniques. Now, you will want to look into the site's different areas like Kansas City is gigantic. There's more quilt guilds in Kansas City than I think in the entire state of New York. And there's a lot of very different types. So there's the Modern Quilt Guild, there is the there's a more traditional, there's ones geared to certain age groups. There's one centered around specific towns just like in this one little town, which is just crazy to me because Hudson Valley monocoque build literally was like you could live up in Albany, you could live down in Rocklin, and we'd all be in the same quote guild. But size matters, and also guilds pay for these people to come in and do these classes. And so you have to think a smaller build is usually going to be a little bit more about camaraderie and and and getting to know each other and sewing together. And you can learn a lot from each other because holy cow. In my guild in New York, I learned so much from those ladies. And they were wealth of knowledge. Well, some entertainment, and just great sold people. But we also did, we did have instructors come in. We did do classes, we did have community projects. So all of those things still happened just on a smaller scale. But I would check around for your local Quilt Guild. And there's so many different guilds out there. With so many different intentions, and themes and styles, there is a place for everyone, you just gotta find it. But I would say those are going to be the two places that you are going to be able to kind of like walk in and know, within the next couple of weeks, there's going to be something on the books that I am interested in. So there's that secret option C, and I'm going to lay this out there before I head out. But secret option C is actually to start following your favorite pattern designers, fabric designers, and companies on Instagram or Facebook. Now that the world has opened up again, and by the way, since moving from New York to Kansas City, turned out the world opened up earlier than I thought it did. But that's neither here nor there. Now that the world is like open again, instructors are traveling myself included. Like me traveling two years ago was like not a thing. I didn't go anywhere, everything was virtual. I started recording all of my classes, things were everything was done online, and I'm still doing a ton of stuff online. But now I'm actually going places and the same holds true to your favorite pattern designers and fabric designers. And these companies are hosting. And when I think companies think fat quarter shop moda, Riley Blake, Clover, like just either notions, fabrics, designers, you name it. These companies are hosting retreats, which are phenomenal. They are sponsoring instructors to go to specific quilt shows and festivals. And now all of those designers that you love, are getting booked to travel to those quilt shops I was telling you about. So yes, you could just go to your quilt shop and hope that they're coming, your favorite person comes to them, which may or may not happen. Or you can say I'm obsessed with Tula Pink, let me go to her website, where she traveling to and it's going to her schedule is there. You can check it out. And you can see where they're going and what they're doing. They want you to know, like I want you guys to know where I'm going to be because I want you to come home I want to meet you. I want butts in the seats. So keep that in mind. The information is out there. You just have to know where to look. So let's head out to our quilt shops. Show them some love. Join a quilt guild, I've said it once I've said it a million times, join a quote, build and follow your favorite instructors, designers and companies because it will be a wealth of knowledge for you. Okay, folks, you have just completed another episode of the stop scrolling start selling podcast. I am beyond grateful that you decided to spend a little bit of time with me. Whether you're listening on your favorite podcast subscriber, or you're watching on YouTube, go ahead and hit subscribe so that you never miss an episode. All right, folks, stop scrolling and start selling