The Worst Online Course I've Ever Taken

And why scrap quilting gives us anxiety

I LOVE online learning. A lot.

I have a pretty cool-sounding degree (spoiler: it’s basically pre-law with some international trade flair, and it’s completely useless in real life). I didn’t pay for it, so I’m not too sad that it’s worthless, but I do wish I hadn’t wasted five years of my life on it.

That being said, it didn’t prepare me AT ALL for owning a business. Mergers in international trade? Sure, they taught me that. Marketing a new product in the craft industry? HA!

Most of what I’ve learned about running a business has been through online courses and trial-and-error.

The worst course I’ve ever taken

Last week I bought what looked like a fun branding course. I love branding and web design. This course was (obviously) beautifully branded and the language she used in her ad was really fun and sassy, so I bought it. It was less than $100, which is my threshold for “this better be worth it.”

Lemme tell ya, it was definitely not worth it.

It was a 30 minute lecture on how Porsche did some counterculture branding in the 90s, and some woo-woo stuff about using your intuition. No “here’s some steps you can take” or tips on design.

And my reaction?

“Holy shit. If this lady can confidently sell this, why am I thinking my quilting course isn’t good enough? It’s literally ten times better.”

So I launched Scrap Academy. Right then, on the spot. It had been ready for weeks, I just didn’t have the confidence to think it was good enough.

It literally only took that one jolt of reality to finally put my dream out into the world.

And I gotta say, the feedback has been INCREDIBLE!

People have been messaging me left and right that they love the course, and it’s inspired them to get back in their sewing habit and actually use their scraps.

Which is amazing, because scraps are how we tell our story.

I recently heard an online guru say “You don’t create what you think people want to buy. You create what you love, and you take others along for the ride.”

Oof.

I’d been writing individual patterns for years, and didn’t love it.

Scrap quilts are far more fun than curated patterns because the results are a surprise every time.

Surprises can get a little overwhelming, though. Endless possibility creates anxiety (which is why kits are so popular: we like KNOWING that the end result is going to look nice).

Scrap Academy is my way of alleviating the overwhelm by turning the process into a template. You know the end result will be really nice, but the fabric choices make it enough of a surprise that you’re still delighted.

It’s perfect for those of us who love the look of improv, but the control of a pattern.

Fun fact, I had the flu when I took this picture, and that sweater is cashmere that I somehow got for $6 at a thrift store.

That’s all for today! I’m doing Scrap Academy along with all of you, and I’ll be back in your inbox soon with some updates!

xo, Amy