Sally Collins Teaches You Precision Piecing (DVD): At Home with the Experts #5

Comments

1. Guest says

   January 26, 2015 at 12:00 am

   Sally Collins is a master teacher of precision in quilting. Her lovely manner invites the reader to engage in the proper methods for making a quilt. I learned so much from her book and CD that my confidence level has risen dramatically. I read parts of the book everyday so it sinks into my understanding of what I need to do to execute precision piecing. Just love this book and CD.

2. Guest says

   February 2, 2014 at 12:00 am

   Sally Collins’ tips on cutting, pinning and sewing perfect quarter inch seams are superb. I thought I knew all there was about piecing, cutting, pinning for quilting, but I was wrong. Even simple things like how to hold the rotary cutter made so much sense.

3. Guest says

   April 17, 2013 at 12:00 am

   I was a little disappointed. I didn’t learn anything that I didn’t know already. She doesn’t really give you knowledge on how to do better cutting which is what makes better piecing.

4. Guest says

   September 15, 2011 at 12:00 am

   This is good. It goes over some basic info that is real important to doing good work. It could be better and cover more steps in the process of making quilts. It is a little short.

5. Guest says

   February 5, 2011 at 12:00 am

   Being a bibliophile, I don’t usually do DVDs for reference work. HOWEVER, Sally Collin’s DVD on Piecing skills is bar none the best quilting instructional DVD for workmanship that I’ve seen. Sally teaches exact and practical skills for beginners and advanced quilters, and even has good solid information for quilters with years of experience. This is because she teaches from the ground up. She will teach you exactly how to machine piece so that your chain pieces come correctly on and off the chain thread, so your 1/4 inch seams are done correctly, how to iron to set the seams, how to measure so that the blocks finish up to the correct size, how to determine where you might have gone wrong. In spite of the many reviewers who say that her books and DVD are not for beginners, I would EMPHATICALLY disagree. If beginners are given this information early on in their quiltmaking, than they will make fewer mistakes that may cause them to become disheartened or intimidated by piecing a quilt top. Imagine a puzzle of many pieces where the a bit of each piece is shaved off in many different directions. The assembled puzzle would look a bit strange, right? Well sometimes quilts end up that way due to the difficulties of working with fabric and piecing accurately. Sally has made of study of accuracy due to her love of tiny quilts. She HAS to be able to get it right in order for her quilts to finish well. She has been kind enough to pass that mastery of precision piecing on to the rest of us. There is a great classic carpentry book that has inspired thousands of craftsman of all kinds over the years. It’s title has become an aphorism to craftspeople no matter what material they work in. Sally’s DVD reflects the mindset of that master craftsman, ‘Measure twice, cut once’. In other words, do the small things well, then the large things will come together and stay together. Do the small things badly, and the large things will never quite fit together correctly.Sally’s DVD is about those small things in quilting, and how to make sure they are done well so that the large thing, the quilt, comes together well in the end. And, as in her books, she packs in the information. There is no wasted time here. And no extraneous info. The material is presented well and in a very organized manner, and as well, she explains each tip or technique VERY clearly, leaving nothing to chance. AND, the photography of her working is quite good, allowing you to see the fabric and her hands and the way that she is working. The only problem in this DVD, is that the production of her gallery of quilts is a bit over the top. The camera person zooms in to the quilt, and then fades to the next so quickly that it is VERY difficult to pause and see the quilt itself. If you can get the screen paused in time, then the zoom is just beginning and you are looking at a very blurred, very complex piece of art. I would have wished for a bit more time to pause and zoom in manually a bit at a time to look at the workmanship. I agree with the previous reviewer. There’s no WAY I’ll loan out this vid, and I’ll be watching it several times, I’m sure. Not because the material is unclear, but because there is so much of it packed in. Thanks Sally! This one’s great. I wish you’d make another!!!

6. Guest says

   July 25, 2010 at 12:00 am

   Sally Collins belongs to my quilting guild and I missed her presentation and class. So, I bought this DVD and watched it within 1 week of getting it in the mail. Sally teaches from experience in the same frustrations all quilters have with piecing and communicates in a way that is clear, concise and relatable. Her methodolgies and tips are simple and effective. I considered myself to be a messy quilter. Resigned to having non-perfect blocks no matter how hard I tried. When I applied her methods and tips to my own quilting projects, lo and behold….my blocks came out perfect! Just like the other quilters in my guild…there is hope for me yet! 😀 I highly recommend this for anyone, but especially for beginning learners of quilting and sewing.

7. Guest says

   April 10, 2010 at 12:00 am

   For experienced quilters who struggle with precision piecing, for beginners who want to learn correct technique and for anyone who doesn’t realize that it IS possible to have seams match most of the time. I quote Sally \\”you don’t have to do it right every time, only the LAST time.\\” The DVD is full of well-presented information, and is a good introduction to her book of the same name. This is an excellent product that should be available in every quilt shop. I doubt that I will ever part with my copy, as I absorb more information every time I watch it (which is usually before I have to piece a quilt – I usually applique).