Wow is all I can say. A big fat wow! There’s a whole new unexplored world out there in cyberspace, quilters, and I’m here to tell you, I am a fan!

On a whim, or because I felt I deserved a few hours off, I recently went exploring on the Web for free educational quilting videos. Much to my delight, I discovered such a widespread variety of educational videos focusing on quilting that my head was literally spinning.

After I calmed down a bit, I decided to limit the scope of my search to “freebie videos” on machine-quilting techniques. With little effort on my part, I struck the mother lode, discovering free video classes offered by none other than the master of machine quilters, Sharon Schamber. Sharon’s free online lessons range from: domestic sewing-machine stippling, long-arm quilting, binding, raw-edge applique, and more. To access Sharon’s classes, go to: www.sharonachambernetwork.com. Click on classes, and click on free classes.

There are many ways to search for links to quilting videos on the Internet. For example, if you use a search engine such as Goggle and type in the search window: “Free videos on quilting,” your search engine will pull up several pages’ worth of results. If you desire more specific results, simply type in the specific technique you want to learn more about. I wanted to see a video on painting with Tsukineko inks and shaving cream, so I Googled: “Free videos painting with Tsukineko inks and shaving cream,” which led me to several YouTube choices. I selected a video by Trish Stuart and was amazed how much I learned in just a few minutes. Many of the sites and links for “freebie” quilting videos are posted on Facebook, You Tube, or on quilter’s blogs. You’ll be blown away by the variety of techniques offered in these on-line videos ranging from beginning quilting lessons to more advanced, including most genres of quilting from traditional to art.

Are you a fan of a particular quilting personality? Another up-and-coming Internet opportunity involves “blogging.” Many famous quilting personalities now have easily accessible blogs on the Internet. If you don’t know what a blog is, Wikipedia says “Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video.”

My blog, for example, allows me to share my adventures as a professional quilter with students, peers, friends, or fans! Internet technology is a wonderful thing. I hope you go “exploring” on the internet and find links to quilting videos, “freebie” classes, blogs and other information you find helpful or entertaining!

Happy quilting,

Joyce