Quilt University
An Opportunity for Quilters
an interview with Carol Miller, by Patricia Cummings
Above is a student made quilt by Necia Wallace, "Round Angles from 15 Lines and a Squiggle." Lily Kerns was the instructor for "A Design it Yourself Class."
Recently, I asked Carol Miller to tell us more about Quilt University and how she happened to found it. Graciously, she took time out of her very hectic schedule to fill us in on some of the details. Carol is providing a service to all quilters by lining up quality teachers and quilt project explorations so that students can learn at home, via their own computers, and through e-mails to fellow students and the instructor. In addition, students gain recognition by being able to post photos of their work in an
Online Gallery.
In Her Own Words
How did Quilt University originate?
Quilt University grew out of a sense of frustration with the teaching options available on the local level. Like many others, I started teaching in a quilt shop and through the adult education program at the high school. Eventually, I also offered classes at the Hand Workshop, an area center for all kinds of arts.
Each place had advantages and drawbacks. At the quilt shop, they wanted classes based on the newest books or techniques. Supplies were readily available and the space was clean and well lit, but often quite crowded. The high school had lots of space but students had to carry their own machine, often for quite a distance. It was hard to monitor supplies and we were often at the mercy of school schedules and activities. The art center space was shared with classes in painting and other messy crafts which meant showing up early and scrubbing down all the work tables. Neither the school nor the art center had any space for samples so it was difficult to promote classes.
Above is a student made purse by Karen Santoro created in a class, "Structured Fabrics" with Dena Crain.
After ten years, my classes fell into two categories: beginners or hot new books. It was exhausting and unrewarding having to start with a new project every six months. I felt that I never had the time to explore the things that really interested me or to develop any original projects. When the new shop owner decided that all samples had to be made with shop fabrics and had to be quilted and bound, that was the last straw! As much as I loved teaching, there was no way I could even make spending money if I had to invest that much in each class.
Around that same time, I was approaching a milestone birthday and was asking myself if I wanted to continue down the same path or start exploring something new. The one thing I knew for sure was that standing still would make me old faster than any numbers on a calendar. To help explore options, I joined a number of quilt-related groups online. Just reading about what other people were doing on the Quilt Art list was a revelation! I felt like someone had pushed a crowbar into my mind and pried it open.
Above is a quilt made by Beryl Lawson, a student in the "Self Expressions" class with Myrna Giesbrecht.
The Quilt Teach list showed me that many other people were facing the same problems. Someone wondered if we could each contribute a class outline or lessons to a general notebook. When shared, this would give all of us a wider range of classes to teach. Lily Kerns volunteered to coordinate the project but asked for someone to help, as her time was limited by her caregiver duties.
Putting Skills to Work
This looked liked a small way to use my skills and I got in touch with Lily. Writing has always been my first love. I was making up stories and poems in grade school and writing a neighborhood newspaper. I worked on all the high school publications and went on to get a Journalism degree and work for both a weekly and daily newspaper. When my children were born, I gave up my eighty hour a week job.
Realization Leads to a New Way
It took only a couple of e-mails to realize that we did not want to be anthologists. Rather, we both wanted to be able to teach people to stop slavishly following patterns and books and to start thinking for themselves. It was not that we have anything against books, but it seemed to us that the quilt world was made up of thousands of people who never got beyond calling themselves "beginners." The books were mostly on the same level, and people just kept moving from one project to the next, anxious not to miss out on the hot new trend but with no sense of personal growth.
"Hidden Cove," above, was made as a class sample for "On Land or Sea," presented by Susan Brittingham.
Lily wanted to write a series of classes called "The Road to Creativity," with the intent to help people think outside the box. We discussed writing a book but realized that we would not be there to guide students through the steps. Both of us loved teaching and wanted to be a part of the process. She had tried some technical classes online and wondered if that might be the way to go. The biggest problem was letting people know the class was available. We were kicking that idea around, wondering how we would attract people to our classes, when I went to a Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival.
As I stood in the main lobby, barely avoiding being trampled to death by the crowd, I realized that three things drew quilters in such large numbers: seeing great quilts on display, having the opportunity to shop a variety of vendors, and the dozens of classes offered. The work was getting them in the door and providing lots of options so that there was something for everyone.
What we needed was to offer a lot of classes, not just the ones written by Lily and me. We needed a whole school devoted to quilting in all its variations, on all its levels. By the time I got home, I knew that Quilt University should offer classes in depth from beginners to graduate school. The courses would allow people to choose where they wanted to start and where they wanted to go. The breadth of the classes would give the teachers as much opportunity to grow as the students.
"Let's Go Global," seen above, is the work of Carol Miller who created this 20" square as a class sample for "Jane Was Nuts."
I presented the idea to my husband, Roger, when I got home. He would need to be an integral part of the plan since my expertise was in quilting and writing, not in computers. About four years earlier, he and I learned how to use (Microsoft) Front Page and I set up a website for my state quilt guild. Running that site had given me enough experience to know that this could be done, but I would never be able to do it myself.
We must have looked like Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland, deciding to put on a show in our barn. We had no idea that this would be anything more than a great way for me to teach better classes in a better way and give some other teachers the opportunity to do the same thing.
When we opened registration for our first two classes in March 2000, we had about two hundred visitors per day. Including me, we had four teachers. The next year went by in a blur. Looking back, I don't know how we got everything done that first two years. New teachers were added almost weekly, and classes were still being edited as the opening day approached.
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"My Parents" is a lovely tribute quilt that we first saw in a show in Troy, New York. Marilyn Belford utilizes her work as a class sample for "Realistic Fabric Portraits."
We took a deep breath and reorganized. Classes were no longer put on the schedule until all the work on them had been completed. I stopped feeling like I was walking the high wire all the time.
Hopes and Dreams - The Mission Statement
There were a number of things I wanted to accomplish with our classes and I have tried to remain true to those goals as we grew. The first thing was to offer clear, competent instruction in a wide variety of techniques. We were not trying to replace shop classes or even to compete with them. We could not require our students to buy books, so we did not allow our instructors to teach from books. The classes had to be their original work.
We were not selling any products. Our Supply List is always available before registration (except for beginner classes where they need special help in choosing what to buy). We suggest that students shop first at their local stores and if they are not able to find what they need, or do not have access to a local store, we let each instructor recommend sites that carry the class supplies. This has expanded into a list in the Library of sources around the world.
"Optical Illusions" is a class sample from the "Bargello Blues" class given by Ruth Blanchet. Note: there is another file on our website about this talented friend from New Zealand: http://www.quiltersmuse.com/RuthNZ.htm
We wanted to reach people who live in areas where there are no shops or teachers. What I never envisioned was the huge number of people who are unable to travel to classes because they are handicapped, are caring for young children or an elderly relative, are ill, or are just not able to carry supplies. Deaf people write to say that this allows them to participate in a way that is not possible in live classes. Those whose first language is not English are able to read the lessons over and over or can get help to translate anything that is confusing.
On several occasions, students have written to say that the classes have helped them to recover from accidents or illnesses, providing them with a focus, allowing them to work at their own pace, and making them feel less isolated.
From the beginning, I wanted students to be involved and to interact with the instructor and with each other. To make that happen, each password-protected classroom contains a bulletin board style Discussion Forum and a Gallery. In the forum, students and teachers can post messages, asking questions or just talking to one another. The Gallery contains pictures for each class. They can send in a photo of samples of the fabrics they plan to use, or a picture of the project in progress, or the finished quilt.
The public part of the site, open to visitors, also has a Gallery, which contains student work from about 99% of the classes. Looking at these photographs, which are arranged by instructor and course, reassures new students that the work can be learned this way, as well as showing them what to expect from classes.
The Student Commons contains a Lounge where anyone can post a message and chat with friends. Links are provided to the Finishing School, where students may send photos of any quilts they are working on, whether they were started at Quilt U or not. There is an adjacent forum where works on display can be discussed, and a similar area is provided for those who have taken our classes in dyeing.
Special Photo Opportunities
To further foster a sense of community, we have held a Virtual Quilt Show every year. This show contains student work completed in classes at Quilt U and visitors vote for their favorite entry.
In addition, our annual Pets and Quilts Show presents photographs of our pets watching us as we quilt, or sitting on quilts. This popular event occurs every December.
At the end of our fifth year, we sponsored a special exhibit of student quilts at the International Quilt Festival in Houston. We were delighted to show off nearly thirty outstanding quilts from around the world.
What are the classes? Who can take them?
We offer classes on every skill level, from the absolute beginner who has never made any kind of quilt to the advanced practitioner who wants to see the newest methods and techniques. New classes are added whenever we can find a topic that we think will interest our students and a teacher who wants to share her knowledge.
Class descriptions are as specific as we can make them, indicating what skill level is needed and showing the students what must be purchased to complete the class. If that is not enough, students are encouraged to write and ask any questions they may have. We want the student and the class to be a good fit. The Road Map lists all our courses, grouped by technique and by skill level. The Catalog is a complete listing of all 130+ classes.
Classes are open for registration from the first full week in January to the second week in November. Registration for five to seven new classes opens each Saturday. Classes can have from two to six lessons and tuition is based on the number of lessons. A new lesson opens on Saturday of each week and there are two extra weeks at the end before the classroom closes.
How Can You Learn Quilting Online?
Online classes are like having a book on steroids. You not only get more written material than the average book, but you also get lots more photographs and diagrams, as well as access to the instructor thoughout the class. The interaction between the teacher and students adds another layer, bringing many minds together to see new ideas and creative solutions.
Any good teacher will tell you that she often learns as much from oher students as they do from her. I think that is truer than ever with the online format because the teacher is never rushed and always hears everything a student has to contribute. In addition, they are able to spend an extended period of time together and the teacher is able to see the projects grow to completion. How amazing it is to see how the same project will look completely new when filtered through the hands and mind of a student who comes to it with a fresh eye and without preconceived notions.
Taking Online Classes Has Many Advantages
Students do not have to carry their supplies.
They always have what they need because their whole sewing room is at their disposal.
They have plenty of space to work.
They can have quiet or music, whichever helps them to concentrate.
They can work on their own sewing machine.
They can work when it is convenient to them, day or night.
They have a complete set of notes to refer to when the class ends.
Quilt University has grown to include thirty-five instructors from around the world. More than twenty thousand students receive our newsletter each month, and more than six hundred of them are in class, at any given time.
For more information, please visit: www.quiltuniversity.com
To return to the index page of this site, with its site map, and search features to many quilt articles, click here.
Many thanks for Carol Miller, Dean of Quilt University, for sharing all of the above information in October 2006. We wish her much continued success in this effort to bring quality learning experiences to quilters worldwide. It has been our pleasure to feature this article.
Pat and Jim Cummings