Alva · For artists & makers

Projects · Patterns HD demo video · downloadable templates

Sell art & craft courses on Shopify.

Your best project tutorials are scattered across a course platform that takes a cut, a download portal for the patterns, and an inbox full of "where's my PDF?" emails — miles from the shop where you already sell yarn, clay and kits. Alva Courses is a Shopify app that lets artists and makers sell project-based video courses with downloadable patterns and templates, right inside your store. Host long HD demo footage, attach a printable pattern to every step, drip the build week by week, and award a certificate makers love to share.

Install on Shopify A maker's workflow →

★★★★★ 5.0 ·

· 13 App Store reviews · 14-day free trial · By Tom Rushmore, Founder

Demo video

HD, big

50 GB Alva Video Hosting on Pro

Patterns

Built in

PDF blocks in every lesson

Certificate

On finish

A credential makers share

Lives in

Shopify

Your store, one checkout

A day in the life

How a maker ships a multi-week project course on Shopify + Alva Courses.

09:00 · BUILD

Map the project into weekly steps.

Open the course builder in the Shopify admin. A six-week colourwork sweater becomes six sections; each stage becomes a lesson. Drop in a demo video, attach the pattern PDF for that step, and add a quick technique quiz. Drag to reorder. The whole make is structured before the first coffee is cold.

10:30 · FILM

Upload the long close-up demos.

A close-up cast-on demo runs eighteen minutes in full HD — well past Shopify's 1 GB / 10-minute file limit. On the Unlimited Pro plan, Alva Video Hosting (50 GB, no per-video caps) takes the upload, and it streams in the storefront player. Shorter clips sit fine within Shopify hosting on Unlimited.

13:05 · ENROL

A maker buys. Their kit is waiting.

The order is paid and Alva Courses enrols the student instantly. A branded welcome email arrives from hello@yourstudio.com, the thank-you page invites them to start, and week one's video and pattern PDF are waiting in their Shopify customer account. No "where's my download?" email to answer.

18:30 · TEACH

Answer questions where the work lives.

In the evening you open the Members Overview: who has finished week two, who is stuck on the heel turn, who hasn't started. Students post photos of their work-in-progress in the lesson discussion, and you reply right there — no third-party group to herd people into.

What makers actually use

Alva Courses, re-angled for an art or craft studio.

01 / 06Project-based

Turn a make into a step-by-step video course.

The drag-and-drop builder mirrors the way you already teach a project: a course holds sections, sections hold lessons. Map each stage of the make to a section and each step to a lesson, then fill it with the rich lesson editor — demo video, pattern PDFs, reference images, a technique quiz. Duplicate lessons to spin up a "beginner" and an "advanced" version of the same project in minutes.

Turn on "Require completion before next lesson" so makers finish the foundation before the fiddly bits, and "Center lesson title" for a clean reading layout. Everything is built in the Shopify admin — no separate course tool, no second platform.

02 / 06Big video

Host long HD demos without the file limit.

Craft teaching lives in the close-up — the hands, the angle, the exact moment the glaze pulls. Those demos run long and large, past Shopify's 1 GB / 10-minute-per-video file limit. The Unlimited Pro plan adds Alva Video Hosting: 50 GB of storage and no per-video caps, so a full HD technique demo uploads once and streams in the storefront course player. Or embed from YouTube, Vimeo, Loom or VdoCipher if your footage already lives there.

03 / 06Patterns

Downloadable patterns and templates in every lesson.

A make needs more than a video — it needs the printable. A PDF block sits right inside the lesson, so a knitting chart, sewing pattern, cut list, glaze recipe or supply sheet downloads exactly where the student needs it. No separate download portal, no email attachment to chase. Update the PDF any time and every enrolled maker has the latest version. Add reference images and an audio note in the same lesson if it helps.

04 / 06Drip & pace

Drip the build so makers don't skip ahead.

A six-week make only works if students master the basics before the hard part. Drip scheduling releases a step a set number of days after enrolment, so each stage unlocks once the last is in hand. Run a live workshop cohort by scheduling lessons to publish on fixed dates, keep later steps as Draft, and set Limited-time access so a seasonal or workshop course closes after its window. Pacing the project lifts completion — and completed makers come back for the next one.

05 / 06Certificate

Certificates & quizzes that mark the finished make.

Build a quiz into a lesson to check technique before the next step. When a student finishes the project, Alva Courses automatically awards a custom-designed completion certificate and emails it to them. Edit the template to carry your studio's brand. Makers love sharing a finished-project certificate — they post it with a photo of the make, and their crafting circle sees your next course.

06 / 06Community

Discussions and branded delivery, in your store.

A native per-lesson comment system lets students post a photo of their work-in-progress and ask questions where the content lives, with moderation tools and an email ping when someone posts. Enrolment and certificate emails send from your own custom domain, and makers watch lessons and grab patterns in a branded storefront course player inside your Shopify customer account — no second login, no third-party community to herd people into.

The course builder — your project as weekly sections and lessons, with drip, scheduled and draft controls per item.

Pricing, maker-sized

What plan does an art or craft studio actually need?

Alva Courses has no per-sale fee and no per-student fee — both plans carry unlimited courses, members and comments. So the only real question for a maker is your video. A few short overhead clips and PDF patterns sit fine within Shopify's hosting on the Unlimited plan. Long, high-quality close-up demos that exceed Shopify's 1 GB / 10-minute-per-video file limit are the one thing that point you to Pro.

PLANPRICEFITS

Unlimited$9.99/moMakers with short clips and PDF patterns. Unlimited courses, students and discussion comments, drip scheduling, downloadable patterns, certificates, Limited-time access and branded email. Video hosted on Shopify within a 1 GB / 10-min-per-video limit. 14-day free trial.

Unlimited Pro$14.99/moEverything in Unlimited plus Alva Video Hosting — 50 GB and no per-video limits. The right plan once your demos are long-form HD close-ups that outgrow Shopify's native file caps. 14-day free trial.

Both plans include the full builder, downloadable PDF blocks, drip scheduling, quizzes, certificates, member & progress management, CSV import/export, discussions, instant delivery and the custom email domain. See the full breakdown on the pricing page. Each plan starts with a 14-day free trial.

Migration path

Moving from a course platform to your own shop in 4 steps.

If your project courses already live on a standalone platform or a membership site that takes a cut of every sale, the videos and patterns are done — you're really moving them home, next to the supplies and kits you already sell on Shopify.

01
Rebuild the curriculum as sections.
In the course builder, create one section per stage of the make and one lesson per step. Use "Create Multiple" to add a batch of lessons at once. Mirror the structure you already had on Teachable, Patreon, Domestika or a similar platform — get the skeleton in, then fill each lesson with the rich editor.
02
Bring over your videos and patterns.
Download your demos from the old platform and upload them to Alva Video Hosting on Pro, or paste a YouTube, Vimeo or Loom link if they already live there. Attach each pattern or template as a PDF block, add a technique quiz, and drop a Button block linking to your supply list or kit product.
03
Bind it to a Shopify product and set drip.
Connect the course to a Shopify product so it sells through your existing checkout — no separate platform fees or revenue share. Turn on drip so the build releases week by week, set Limited-time access if it's a seasonal course, and edit the enrolment and certificate emails to send from your studio's domain.
04
Import your existing students and launch.
Export your member list from the old platform and bulk-import it via CSV, or add students by hand, so existing makers keep access on day one. New students enrol automatically when they buy. Watch the Members Overview fill with progress, then point your email list and audience at the new product page.

Shopify App Store reviews

What merchants say

“Cannot recommend it enough. Finding Alva Courses after migrating to Shopify was the best thing I’ve done — the support is second to none and Tom is exceptional.”
— Matt Jackson Photography, United Kingdom · Shopify App Store review

“So glad I found this app. It integrates with Shopify, building my courses was clear and easy, and Tom has been a great help throughout.”
— Kim Knoll Art, United States · Shopify App Store review

“Very easy to use and customizable, and it works seamlessly for selling online courses on Shopify. The support is outstanding and genuinely responsive.”
— Tokos, Canada · Shopify App Store review

FAQ for makers

Questions artists and makers ask.

Can I attach downloadable patterns and templates to my course?

Yes. Each lesson can hold a PDF block, so a knitting pattern, sewing template, cut list, glaze recipe or supply sheet downloads right where students need it. Add the video for that step above it and the printable below. Students get the file inside the lesson in your Shopify storefront, not in a separate email or download portal, and you update the PDF any time without re-sending anything.

How do I host long, high-quality demo videos?

A close-up throwing or painting demo can run long and large, past Shopify's 1 GB / 10-minute-per-video file limit. The Unlimited Pro plan adds Alva Video Hosting — 50 GB of storage and no per-video caps — so a full HD technique demo uploads and streams in the storefront course player. Shorter clips fit fine within Shopify hosting on the Unlimited plan, or you can embed from YouTube, Vimeo, Loom or VdoCipher.

Can I build a multi-week project course where steps unlock over time?

Yes. Drip scheduling releases a lesson or section a set number of days after enrolment, so a six-week make unlocks one stage each week and students don't jump to the finish before mastering the basics. You can also schedule a lesson to publish on a fixed date for a live workshop cohort, or keep later steps as Draft. Turn on 'Require completion before next lesson' to keep makers in order.

Do students get a certificate when they finish a make?

Yes. Alva Courses automatically awards a custom-designed completion certificate when a student finishes the course, and emails it to them. You edit the certificate template to carry your studio's brand. Makers love sharing a finished-project certificate, and when they post it the credential quietly markets your next workshop to their crafting circle.

How do I keep track of my students and their progress?

Each course has a Members Overview showing total members, active enrolments, completions, completion rate and a progress bar per student with enrolment date and status. You can add a student manually, bulk-import a roster via CSV, or export the list. Branded enrolment emails welcome students the moment their order is paid, and the global Members view tracks everyone across every course from one screen.

Why sell my craft course on Shopify instead of a course platform?

Everything runs natively inside Shopify. You build courses in the Shopify admin, students buy through your existing checkout next to your supplies and kits, and they watch lessons in a branded storefront course player from their customer account — no second login and no separate platform. You own the customer data and pay a flat $9.99 or $14.99 per month with a 14-day free trial, instead of a standalone platform's higher fees or revenue share.

Guides for makers selling courses on Shopify.

Guide

Online course ideas that sell on Shopify

Stuck on what to teach? Proven course formats and angles makers can package and sell from their own Shopify store.

Guide

How to sell online courses on Shopify (2026 guide)

The full setup walkthrough — from building your first project course to taking your first enrolment with Alva Courses.

Use case

Alva Courses for content creators

Turn your audience into paid students — host the long videos, drip the content, and sell from your own store.

Pricing

Plans & pricing for Alva Courses

Unlimited at $9.99/mo, or Unlimited Pro at $14.99/mo with 50 GB Alva Video Hosting. Each starts with a 14-day free trial.

Install in 90 seconds

Ship your project course this week.

Install Alva Courses from the Shopify App Store, build your make into weekly sections and lessons, attach a pattern PDF to each step, bind it to a Shopify product, and place a test enrolment — watch the welcome email land and week one appear in the customer account. Sell your project courses right beside the supplies and kits you already stock. The 14-day free trial starts when you do.

✓ 50 GB Alva Video Hosting for long HD demos ✓ Downloadable patterns and templates in every lesson ✓ Certificates makers are proud to share

Install on Shopify See pricing & plans

courses@alvaapps.com
replies in < 4h, Mon–Fri

Alva Courses for artists and makers