Talk Back Thursday

Thank you so much to Kristine, Carla, Meredith, Gwen, Lori, Cindy, Elaina, Keith and Becky for talking back to my confession last week! I asked about people’s experiences with sewing conventions, and I got a real mixed bag of answers.

Some people love attending them. The pros that were called out included: the classes and the shopping, meeting up with other bloggers, and having the opportunity to hear (and maybe even meet) nationally known people from the industry, such as Sandra Betzina. Meredith pointed out that you can use an expo class to check out an instructor, and then follow-up with more extensive workshops with the really good ones.

But just as many people expressed disappointment and/or a lack of interest. Kristine reminded me of something that I’ve experienced, but tend to block out of my memory – some of the classes seemed to be designed primarily to sell the instructor’s products. A couple of folks indicated that, after attending a few years, it becomes a bit “same old, same old”, with nothing really new or exciting. Other cons included having to deal with crowds, too much attention on quilting and crafting, and an overemphasis on high-tech tools rather than skill.

I think Elaina summarized it best – they may be great for some people, but they are not for everyone, not even everyone who loves to sew.

Thanks again to everyone for taking the time to leave a comment! :)