Part 2: Behind the Scenes at Craftsy

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Lazies, Welcome back to Part 2 of my behind the scenes look at taping my class at Craftsy. This is my second class. Catch up with Part 1 here.

Beautiful Sweetpea Pods, Becca Bags, and Fobio key fobs for my
Zippered Bags With A Twist: The One-Zip Way class at Craftsy.

All Dressed Up and Somewhere To Go
During filming, I wore two zipper pull necklaces I made and my favorite limey green button bonanza necklace. I love wearing a bit of crafty creativity like this. People usually ask about my zipper pull necklaces when I wear them out and about. I don’t have any jewelry making skills. But I do know zippers, buttons and construction. Why not branch out and try your hand at creating a special piece.

Click the image to view the buttony goodness necklace a bit better.

I wore the one to the right for the class. I love these!
The other one went to Terry Atkinson to celebrate our zippery product launch last year.

Here and There
Every time you see me move from the machine to the cutting mat or the pressing surface in class required us to stop filming and reset the work area and cameras. So, stitch a seam, reset. Press, reset. Cut…you get the idea.

Out of Order
I was on the set for three days. Day one is prep and review. Check the equipment, get the lighting situated, review how I will present info and do a complete dry run of a couple of lessons. Then two full days of taping the six lessons in the class.

We filmed the class out of order. We filmed the first lesson last. I’m not sure why, but there you have it. The two days of filming both went long into the day. We had to wrap everything up before leaving the studio on the final day and we ran really late. Then everything I brought had to be packed up. But – some things stayed behind for more photography, so more sorting before packing.

Craftsy ordered take-out dinner for me, put me in a car, and I got back to my room at 8:30 that night. Wow, totally exhausted. I did a little packing for my early flight the next day. Part of the reason we ran so late on both days was due to last minute adjustments for table height, lighting, equipment issues, etc. There is a lot going on!

I used large Becca Bags to keep things together with my wardrobe for the taping.
Just slip the zipper grab tab over the hanger – love!

Come and Go
Many samples joined me on my Craftsy excursion. Some were for display, some left the set for photography for a bit, then rejoined me in the class.

Lots of Lazy friends joined me on the set. Many of my fav fabrics!
I’ve posted many pics of these beauties on Facebook and Instagram.
Links below to follow me.

Business Travel is Glamorous!
Um, no, it really isn’t – usually. However, my days at Craftsy started in the make-up chair with an expert make-up artist fixing what I had to work with. Compare that with the fact that I had two microphone battery packs strapped to my left ankle for two solid days. I walked a little funny when that came off each night, but I looked good!

Not to be outdone, I had two nail injuries on this trip. Really? Can’t you all just hang in there until after taping? A stop at Walgreens on the way to the hotel took care of the repairs.

I’m a Mess
Actually, my work area is usually a mess. How about yours? Lots of thread, notions, supplies, equipment close at hand? Well, it was there with me on the set, although you didn’t see most of it. It was always complimented by my beverage brigade. I had a water and a coffee nearby the whole time.

There are my beloved beverages! And some stuff,
and scraps, and things. My own little mess.

I didn’t even get a picture of the staging table. That’s where my luggage purged itself and all my stuff landed in a big mess of goodness.

Who is on First
There are a ton of people involved in the creation of each class. I lost track of all the different people I worked with, their role/function, etc. It’s like a walk through the park, where you meet someone new every few feet and work together on some part of the big picture or small details, then they hand you off to the next person. There’s a roster documenting everyone, name/contact, sometimes picture, etc. Wow!

Bonus! Here’s another view of my work area on the set.
A little cart to hold tons, space to stow under the work table, things nearby
but still off camera. Getting situated on the set is like trying
on a new purse and learning where everything goes.

The View From Here
This was my view during taping. A mostly dark room, filled with equipment, a teleprompter, etc. There were three cameras on me at all times: straight ahead, directly overhead, and over my left shoulder. I talk to the camera in front of me while showing things to the other two cameras. It’s like walking down the street and pointing to and talking about something behind you. Hmmm.

Stuff, equipment, computers – here, there and everywhere.
Plus, a little extra storage and organization at my work station.

Three Times the Fun!
I was one of three instructors at Craftsy, filming on those days. I made fast friends with knitting expert Anne Berk, who specializes in the intarsia technique. So, I got to learn a little bit about knitting. Her class just launched – congrats Anne! I never did see the other instructor, who was there filming a pizza class – wow, yum, sign me up!

Feed Me!
You know when you reach that point where you just need food? Yes, me too. Instructors stay in downtown Denver, with lots of interesting foodie places nearby. Anne and I ventured out for dinner at Sam’s #3 and we found ourselves overwhelmed by the enormous menu. Our waiter described the most popular items and Anne dove right in. I know I heard a lot of words describing food, and a picture of the perfect dinner appeared in my head. It wasn’t on the menu, so they made it special for me. It was perfect! Anne says, leave it to you to order something that isn’t on the menu. What can I say? The food words in the waiter’s descriptions took over and I knew what I needed that night. I asked him to write it down so I could order it again the next night, and I did just that.

Signing Off Now
Before leaving the studio, I signed a star on the instructor’s poster. How lovely is this? Lots of cool people on there, including a number of friends. I’m honored to be a Craftsy instructor and to be in such good company. Craftsy gets Lazy once again!

Thanks for joining me behind the scenes of this experience. It always amazes me what must go on that we never see – whether in a production like this, or publishing a book, or just about anything that looks easy on the surface.

I’d love to hear from you! Post a comment. Are you in either of my classes? Please like and share this post with your stitchy friends.

Enjoy!
Joan
Craftsy Instructor

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