I have a confession. I suffer from occasional bouts of imposter syndrome. It tends to make an appearance when I look at beautifully produced online courses, with their professional filming, perfect lighting and slick editing, and compare them with my own rather more homespun efforts.

No fancy studio. No production team. Just me, my sewing machine, a camera and a rather large enthusiasm for sharing what I know about quilting.

Overhead camera stand – but it’s pretending to be a fabric rack!

I’ve been giving quite a bit of thought to my online courses and tutorials recently.  As I’m updating and reviewing them, I’ve been looking at the photographs, written instructions and videos that go with each one.

And do you know what? Some of them could be more polished.

The lighting isn’t always perfect. The camera doesn’t always capture quite the angle I’d ideally like. The video might not be quite as slick as something produced in a professional studio. And occasionally, I realise that what I thought was perfectly obvious when I was demonstrating a technique isn’t quite so obvious when you’re watching it on a screen!

But then I remind myself of something rather important.

I’m a quilter and a teacher. I’m not a film crew!

Behind the scenes in the GMQ Studio

One woman, several hats

Green Man Quilts is a small, independent business. Just me.

I design the quilts, develop the techniques, write the patterns and tutorials, take the photographs, make the videos, teach the classes, answer the emails, update the website and do all the other things involved in running a business.  Oh, and I get to make my own tea, too!  

There’s no camera operator checking the lighting, no editor waiting to tidy up the footage and no production team making sure everything looks wonderfully professional.

Sometimes it’s me, a camera, a sewing machine and a demonstration that needs to be filmed before I forget exactly what I was doing!

Would I love to have a beautifully equipped studio, perfect lighting and someone else to do the filming and editing? Well, yes, obviously! But that’s not how Green Man Quilts works.

And actually, I’m rather fond of the fact that it doesn’t. 

I suspect imposter syndrome is particularly good at making us overlook the things we actually do well, while concentrating on all the things we think we ought to be doing better – do you experience that?

Lighting in an attic is always “interesting”

It’s about the teaching, not the production values

When I create a tutorial, my starting point is always the technique or project I’m teaching.

What do you need to understand? What might be confusing? What would be useful to see close up? What could go wrong, and how might you put it right?

I use a mixture of written instructions, photographs, diagrams and videos because different things are easier to explain in different ways.

Sometimes a photograph with a few arrows is much more helpful than a five-minute video. Sometimes you really do need to see the fabric being manipulated, the stitching happening or the way two pieces fit together. And sometimes a written explanation is exactly what you need to refer back to while you’re sitting at your sewing machine.

I try to use whichever format best explains what I’m teaching.  But I also try to use all the formats because I know we all learn differently!

The videos are there to support the learning, not to win awards for cinematography!

A rare photo of me at work – 2021!

Learning from someone who actually does it

One of the things I value most about teaching is being able to share the little things that come from years of making quilts, experimenting with techniques and helping other people solve their quilting problems.  And when I am in front of you – in person or online – I don’t feel like an imposter!  (No, Imposter Syndrome kicks in later!)

It’s not just about showing you how to reproduce something I’ve made.

I want you to understand what you’re doing, why a particular technique works, what alternatives you might try and how you can use what you’ve learned in your own projects.

Sometimes the most useful part of a lesson isn’t the demonstration itself, but the little hint or explanation that helps something suddenly make sense.

That’s the sort of teaching I want to provide.

And if you get stuck while working through one of my online courses, email support is available. You can also book a one-to-one Zoom session if you’d like some individual help.

Learning on your own doesn’t mean you have to work everything out without help.

I’ve been lucky enough to learn from some inspiring textile artists myself. Barbara Weeks was my teacher when I completed my City & Guilds Certificate in 2010, and I’ve continued to find her work and approach to textiles inspirational.  I particularly enjoyed this interview with Barbara about serendipity, experimentation and finding your own creative direction.  She lives in Australia now, working with felt rather than quilting.

I must be doing something right!

I do have the rather unhelpful habit of being very hard on myself. It’s easy to look at what other people are producing, particularly those with beautifully presented online courses, and wonder whether mine are quite good enough.

But then I remind myself that I’ve been teaching patchwork and quilting for a very long time. I have students who have been coming to learn with me for ten years. Some people return term after term, year after year. They keep coming back, keep trying new things and keep finding more things they want to learn.

Now, I know that teaching in person and creating online tutorials are two different things. But the knowledge, experience and approach to teaching are the same. It’s that experience I draw on when I write a tutorial, plan a demonstration or decide what would be useful to show in a video.

I know how to break down a technique, anticipate the bits that might cause problems, explain why something works and suggest alternatives when it doesn’t quite go to plan.

I may not be the world’s best videographer, but I do know a thing or two about teaching people to quilt.

And I should probably remind myself of that a little more often.

Of course, knowing all this doesn’t mean I never have moments of doubt. That’s where imposter syndrome creeps in. It’s very good at encouraging me to concentrate on the things I don’t do particularly well, while conveniently overlooking the things I do.

Perhaps the answer to imposter syndrome isn’t to try to become better at absolutely everything. Perhaps it’s to recognise what we’re good at, concentrate on doing that well, and accept that we’re not going to be brilliant at every single aspect of whatever we’re trying to do.

I’m a good teacher. I’m not the best videographer. And I’m learning to be perfectly happy with that!

So, what can you expect from Green Man Quilts?

You can expect carefully developed projects, detailed written tutorials, photographs and diagrams to help you understand what you’re doing, and videos where they are useful.

You can expect hints, tips, alternative approaches and the benefit of my experience as a quilter and teacher.

You can expect encouragement to try things out, make decisions, solve problems and perhaps occasionally discover that an unexpected result is actually rather lovely.

You won’t always find perfect studio lighting or television-quality production. But you will find a real person who cares about the quality of her teaching and wants to help you get the most out of your quilting.

And if something could be explained better, I’m always happy to hear about it. There’s always room to improve.

I’m a good teacher. I’m not the best videographer. And I’m perfectly happy with that.

After all, we’re here to make quilts, not films!

Sheena

Green Man Quilts — Simple techniques, stunning results.