Patchwork

For many years now, I have enjoyed reading Homespun magazine. It’s chock full of wonderful crafty patterns and I will often make projects that have jumped out at me from between the pages.  Usually, I like to tweek them a little, to show my personality and creative style.

My hedgehog dresden mini is one of my all-time favourite makes, and was based on this 30’s Wheel Quilt pattern by Chris Jurd.

I also made my flower hexie quilt using Rosa’s Hexies Quilt pattern by Janelle Noack that I found in an old issue of Homespun Magazine a couple of years ago.

I also had my first (and probably only!) pattern published in the July 2017 issue of  Homespun magazine. You can find the pattern here.

So, I feel like I have a history with Homespun magazine – it also helps that their offices are only 10 minutes away from where I live!

Late last year, the lovely Melisa from Cosy PROJECT asked me if I would be interested in writing  a review of their website – they were very generous, and gave me a $100 gift voucher so that I could buy classes and/or patterns, and see how the website worked. I had to delay it until  after January due to my eldest son’s wedding, but now I’m ready to take a good look around and give my honest opinion on the CosyPROJECT website.

Would I recommend it to my crafty friends? I would, indeed! 😊  And, as an added bonus, CosyPROJECT have also given you, my lovely readers, a discount code which you will find at the end of this post!

REVIEW

At the time of this writing, there are 47 classes, and more than 500 patterns. There are some crochet and knitting patterns, but the great majority are embroidery, sewing and quilting patterns. There are new ones being added all the time. Be sure you follow @cosyproject on Instagram to see all the latest patterns being added.

I chose one class and five patterns for my $100 gift voucher, which I thought was very good value! I chose a few different patterns that I thought I might like to make this year:

Sarah Fielke’s Learn Needleturn Applique class (I took a hand-quilting class with Sarah in person, and knew she was a great teacher, and I’ve always wanted to learn needleturn applique).

Boro-style Purses by Jane McDonald

Whistle While You Work Peg Bag by Christine Hayward

Picture Perfect Bag by Minki Kim

The Hexie Sampler Quilt by Christine Bates

Spring Song Quilt by Linda Guy

Overview

Here is how Cosy PROJECT describes themselves:

Cosy PROJECT gives crafters immediate access to the curated, bestselling, tried-and-tested and simply stunning patterns and projects from the pages of Homespun and Quilters Companion magazines. Cosy was built to help crafters around the world discover these amazing patterns and the world-class designers behind them. Unlike our magazines, users can easily search and filter the website to find what their looking for and then purchase immediately to start crafting that very day!

How it Works

1. Browse to find the perfect pattern or online class and add it to your cart.
2. Create a free account and then make your purchase.
3. Your pattern or class will then be ready and waiting for you in your member account. Simply print the instructions and pattern sheet and you are on your way!

Ease of Use

I found the website to be a very clean design and easy to find my way around. At the top is a Search box, where you can search by pattern name, type, or designer. The navigation bar along the top allows you to click on different topics for more info – Shop, Online Classes, Patterns, Most Popular, How it Works, and Community (where you will find the Cosy blog, and an alphabetical list of designers). There are lots of fabulous, colourful photos and good descriptions for each project.

 

Your patterns and classes are always available to you once you log in to your account. Your Account Dashboard is the place to find all the patterns and classes you’ve bought, as well as your Wishlist, Orders, and Account Information.

Downloads for your purchased classes and patterns are found under each one on your dashboard.

Shop

There is a shop on the site where you can purchase fabric, diaries, calendars, tools, kits, and magazine subscriptions.

Patterns

For each pattern, you get the following information: Description, Materials, and Designer.

Classes

For the classes, you get Description, Materials, and a Lesson Plan.

Cost

There is no cost to set up an account with Cosy PROJECT – feel free to set one up as it’s handy to have an account so that you can add patterns and classes to your Wishlist.

Prices are available in seven different currencies.

Patterns start at AUD$9.95 up to AUD$14.95, and classes are priced between AUD$39.95 and AUD$49.95.

These prices seem to compare favourably with other similar websites such as Craftsy.

What I Love About CosyPROJECT

There are a lot of patterns – you won’t have any trouble finding a pattern or three to make!

If a copy of Homespun magazine or Quilters Companion is hard to come by (non-Aussies!) then this is fabulous way to get your hands on a pattern from either of these mags! If you’ve seen a fabulous make on Instagram from an old copy of Homespun or Quilters Companion, no worries! Just search for it on the CosyPROJECT website and you’ll be downloading the pattern in a couple of minutes!

I know I much prefer using PDF patterns than having heaps of magazines piling up. It can be hard to find that pattern you wanted – which edition of the magazine was it in?? It is much easier to keep track of PDF patterns, especially in your CosyPROJECT account!

The CosyPROJECT classes are a great way to take a class from the comfort of your own home, at your pace, with some of the best (Aussie) quilters around.

What I Think Could be Improved

The specific fabric/material requirements for a project/class aren’t available until you have purchased the pattern. This might make choosing patterns a bit tricky if you have in mind something in your stash that you’d like to use but can’t tell if you have enough for that specific project.

For the video classes, I was able find out how long each chapter was, but not at what specific time the chapters began. This made it difficult to jump to that chapter in the video.

Also, for the classes, there is no way to ask the teacher questions or get feedback (as is available for some of the Craftsy classes).

My Honest Opinion

I think Cosy PROJECT is a great addition to the online world of craft classes and patterns. There is always room for a site that is easy to navigate and has some fabulous Australian (and international) designers and teachers. And who doesn’t love to have a pattern/class NOW! 😊

I will be reviewing the patterns and class I purchased, individually, throughout the year as I make the projects. I have dubbed 2018 my Year of Small Projects so some of these patterns will fit the bill perfectly.

Many thanks to CosyPROJECT for asking me to review their site.

Here is the discount code from CosyPROJECT: coleandtaffy (Expires 30th April 2018)

Just enter this code at check out and you will receive a 20% off discount off your online classes + patterns!

I’d love to hear if you’ve bought a pattern or class on CosyPROJECT, and whether you would recommend them.

Till next time,