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Bluprint to Close Doors “Over the Next Few Months”

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The crafty class platform Bluprint, formerly known as Craftsy, has announced it will be shutting down soon.

In a blog post titled “Letter to Our Bluprint Customers,” John Levisay, the CEO of Bluprint, said that he is “devastated” by the news of the closing, which will happen “over the next few months.”

He noted that details are still being worked out as to when the site will close and how people who have purchased classes will be able to access them in the future.

For now, I wanted to let you know that we are looking at various options to allow those of you who have purchased individual classes to receive a copy of your classes. This includes individual classes purchased with own forever credits. We are also planning to issue prorated refunds for paid subscribers based on the last day our service will be available, which will be communicated when that date is finalized in the near future.

Craftsy launched in 2010 as a website devoted to craft classes, which over time came to encompass many different crafts, from knitting to cake decorating, sewing to photography. A majority stake in the company was purchased by NBCUniversal in 2017, at which time the name was changed to Bluprint.

The company’s model also changed from selling individual classes to a monthly membership and shorter, more project-based classes.

In a letter sent to instructors earlier in the week, Levisay said the company’s model was not sustainable in the current economic environment, as reported by the Craft Industry Alliance.

We’ll keep you posted as we learn more about how to access classes you might have purchased in the past (I know I have a lot!) or if individual instructors will be able to retain copyright of their classes to publish elsewhere.

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Comments

  1. Amazing that I am reading this on this website as I am subscriber to Bluprint. I guessed something was going when they sent a messing in early April stating that “own forever” coupons were being discontinued as an annual member perk. I just now logged onto Bluprint and see the letter from the CEO. I think they have upset their annual members many of whom just enrolled in May. I believe they will find a way to provide to those members who have FOREVER CLASSES to download or other way to keep their purchases either by paying for individual classes or part of the ANNUAL fee. I loved Craftsy but have struggled with Bluprint. Like several quilting related businesses purchased by financial conglomerates, they have failed to understand that you can’t be everything to all. Well off to choose my classes in hopes they hold to their commitment that I have FOREVER classes. And download all my patterns!!!

  2. I haven’t seen an email come through about it yet but I am not an annual subscriber, I just bought individual classes back in the day. I saw something about it on Instagram first from an instructor, is why I went looking. I am definitely going to download all the patterns I can, but I also have instructional courses I would definitely not like to lose (photography and cooking, for instance).

  3. No big surprise. They took a good thing and “improved” it right out of business. Many of us are still looking for things that used to appear on Craftsy.

Have you read?

Summer T-Shirt Knitting Patterns

Knitters are always looking for ways to continue to knit and to wear their knits even when it’s hot outside, so there are tots of great T0shirt knitting patterns to choose from. I love knitting short-sleeved shirts because they feel so much faster than sweaters, and you can wear them on top of dresses or even longer-sleeved items when it gets cooler.

There are lots of different styles of knit tops, from the basic to the more detailed. On the more basic side are things like the Perfect T-Shirt from Originally Lovely, a basic raglan tee with nine sizes and worked in worsted weight yarn; Paper Bloom by Yvonne Hugo (free on Ravelry), available in six sizes and worked with cotton and silk yarn for extra coolness; or Iris H’s Amelia Top, also on Ravelry, a slim fit, DK weight top with nine size.

Jazz it up with a bit of lace like on the Athens Lace Hem top by Sarah Hatton (Ravelry). This otherwise simple project has a bit of lace at the bottom, which is an easy way to make a project more interesting without a ton of work. This one uses fingering weight yarn and comes in nine sizes.

Another simple embellishment is to emphasize the lines of your top with different stitches. The Spring Lines top uses twisted ribbing at the center front and V-neck and along the raglan lines to give it a slimmer fit and more interest. This design from Turquoise Toque Designs has 11 size options and is available on Ravelry.

Silfurberg by Joji Locatelli uses both of these elements, with lace panels at the center front and back and purl ridges throughout to make it a little more fun to knit and to wear. The pattern uses fingering weight yarn and comes in 10 sizes. Learn more on Ravelry.

Keep it simple or add puffed sleeves (and/or long sleeves) to the slim fit Knitty Committee top by Lily Kate France. This one has two length options, waist shaping and optional bust darts to fulfill all your curvy top dreams, and it comes in nine sizes. You’ll find it on Ravelry.

Take it even more romantic with the Daphne Top from Friday Knits, which has puffed sleeves and applied I-cord to emphasize the bust and sweetheart neckline. It comes in eight sizes and uses DK weight yarn.

Or add some sweet flowers with the Gigio pattern from Emilie Luis. This pretty pattern found on Ravelry has cable panels running up the front with the option for adding sweet embroidered flowers. You can also add decorative buttons if you like. It comes in 11 sizes and calls for sport weight yarn.