New Skills for the New Year

Plus - an adorable pig, a gorgeous paper doll quilt, and a snuggly bear

Last week I wrote about my one big intention for 2024 and asked you to share yours.

This Is the Year. . .

It came as no surprise at all (because this is a curious and creative bunch of people) that lots of you are planning to learn something new in 2024.

I love it!

It was also great to have you share things in the fancy schmancy new comments section so other people could respond as well. Let’s take that even further this week!

Lots of people wanted to learn things that I don’t know anything about. (Tunisian crochet!) In the case of someone learning to weave I was able to recommend a good teacher I know. But I bet there’s someone out there who can recommend the perfect class for someone learning Tunisian crochet. :-)

So let’s do that for each other this week.

In this post I’ll share some of my favorite places where I’ve learned new things in the last few years. Then in the comments, anyone looking for a class can post what they’re looking to learn and all of us can make recommendations if we have them!

Shiny Happy World

Of course, if you’re interesting in learning basic hand embroidery, how to sew dolls, doll clothes, and stuffed animals, how to crochet stuffed animals, and how to make cute applique animals with the easiest and most fun method I can figure out, I not-so-humbly recommend Shiny Happy World. :-)

All the lessons and tutorials are free, and there are lots of free patterns too - perfect if you just want to try something out without a big investment.

Sewing Clothing

If you want to learn to sew clothing, the patterns and classes at Sew Liberated are amazing. Her patterns are designed to be easily customizable, and last year she started a series of classes teaching basic (and advanced!) garment sewing skills to an absolute beginner. It’s a terrific format for learning and I got so much out of the classes I’ve taken so far.

Not enough to have made myself the wardrobe of my dreams (yet!) but that’s because of time and priorities - not the quality of Meg’s patterns and classes. :-)

Drawing on My iPad

Buying an iPad and Apple pencil had a huge impact on my drawing practice. I have so many beautiful sketchbooks that I’ve never used because I’m afraid of messing them up (that’s a conversation for another day) but all that anxiety disappeared when I started using the iPad. It’s also fabulous to be able to draw with a huge library of digital art supplies without having to buy (and store, and carry around, and clean up after) actual art supplies. I can sit on my couch and use digital chalk pastels in every color of the rainbow - and no actual chalk pastels to carry around or create messy dust.

Now I draw almost every day, which is the very best way to get better at something.

I’ve tried a bunch of apps, and Procreate is by far my favorite. After you learn just a few simple gestures, it’s very intuitive and the possibilities are infinite. It’s an incredibly powerful app and I still can’t believe it’s just $12.99. That’s a one-time charge, not a monthly subscription.

If you want to learn to use it, Lisa Bardot is the teacher I recommend.

She. Is. Amazing.

She’s bubbly and fun and super positive. Her approach is really accessible, teaching lots of different things in lots of different styles, mostly leaning towards cute. She has tons and tons of free lessons and tutorials, and also runs a free program called Making Art Every Day where she puts together drawing prompts, reference photos, resource links, and more, for every day of the year. It’s AMAZING. How does she make a living at this, you ask? She sells Procreate brush sets (I’ve bought several and they’re all excellent) and also has a membership (The Art Makers Club) which I’m planning to join myself later this spring. In the meantime, I’m getting ready to start her free People Skills series to get better at drawing people.

Skillshare

The last thing I want to recommend is Skillshare. It’s my go-to for learning anything digital: Photoshop, Illustrator, Affinity Designer, and more. The quality of the instructors can vary a lot, but for one monthly payment I can watch as many classes as I like - and I use it a LOT.

So those are some of my recommendations. Please share yours in the comments!

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How I’m Spending My Time 

At Work. . .

The Padgett Pig pattern is available in the shop! Don’t you want to kiss that big nose?

Also - last week I shared the new Shaggy Dog pattern (it’s the current pattern for the Funny Faces Quilt Block of the Month Club) but I forgot to ask which version should be the cover model.

I love this new version for voting where you can see the results right away!

Behind the Scenes. . .

Circe by Madeline Miller is the last book I read in 2023 - book number 72 (I think, I didn’t always keep good track) for the year. I’m a sucker for most anything with Greek mythology and this didn’t disappoint. I thought the ending was especially lovely.

I feel like I ought to read Song of Achilles, but I always thought Achilles was kind of a spoiled man-child and I never liked him very much. It sounds like this is a more interesting portrayal? If anyone has read it, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

I’m going to do a better job of tracking my reading in 2024. I just signed up for Storygraph and I really like it so far. This is just one of the graphs of my 2023 reading.

I do love a good pie chart! Also - no surprise that most of my reading was “mysterious.” I’m actually kind of surprised it’s less than half!

If anyone wants to be friends on Storygraph, my username is wendigratz.

Oldies but Goodies - and SALE

See the oldies but goodies from week two of the year here. This is my favorite - at least for today. :-)

Byron is my winter soulmate - bundled in a snuggly sweater with the collar turned up for maximum coziness. :-)

The Week 2 archives post has a mix of tutorials, free patterns, and patterns for sale–and it really is fun seeing a progression over time. Use the discount code 2PUPPIES for 20% off any patterns linked to in the post. This week that’s one embroidery pattern, 1 full quilt pattern, 1 softie pattern, and 1 amigurumi pattern - a nice mix! (There’s a caption under the photos of the patterns included in the sale, so it’s super clear what’s included.)

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Awesomeness from the Community

Take a look at this BEAUTIFUL quilt that Christine made with the Paper Dolls pattern! Be sure to click through to the post to see the cute label she made too!

Head over to the Shiny Happy People group on Facebook to see what people are making with my patterns—and to ask questions and share photos of your own projects. It’s my favorite place on the internet!

I hope you have a fabulous week!

Best,
Wendi

PS This penguin fabric is just perfect. It would make such a cute quilt, too!

Have a fabulous week!