Get to Know your Sewing Machine and Free Motion Quilting*

Saturday 23rd June 2018

Price: Whole day £30, Half day £20 morning or afternoon

Gwen

In the morning (10am – 12.30) we will explore every knob and dial on your sewing machine.  General maintenance and machine usage to ensure you can get the very best out of your machine.  We will look at the multitude of feet available and how they should be used, as well as any specific problems you may have.

In the afternoon (1.30pm – 4pm) we will concentrate on the basics of free-motion quilting.  You will learn how to set your machine up correctly, check your tension and the best ways of handling your quilt whilst you work on it.

You can either stay the whole day or you may choose to do only one of the sessions.

Foundation Piecing**

Wednesday 27^th June

10am – 1pm

Gwen

Price:  £20

Foundation piecing is a very accurate method of patchwork which takes away the worry of cutting absolutely accurately or of achieving that elusive ¼” seam.  The ability to count and sew on a straight line are the main skills needed for this technique!  It is especially useful for piecing unusual or awkward shapes and achieves crisp, clean lines.  Sewing machine and limited skills with a rotary cutter required

Hand Quilting*

Wednesday 4th July 2018 10am to 1pm

Price £20

Julia

Quilting by hand can be one of the most relaxing and rewarding aspects of quilt making.  If you have never tried it before or if you would like to brush up on your hand skills, then Julia will help you with techniques and tips to achieve a pleasing and enjoyable quilting experience.

Hexagon Magic**

Saturday 7^th July

Julia

£30

Hexagons are always appealing but quite daunting for a bed-sized quilt.  But not any more!  Using this method you will have those hexagons flying together in double quick time.  Rotary cutting and pieced in strips.  Another one of those patterns that calls for a stash raid!  Rotary cutting and machine piecing.

*English Paper Piecing

Wednesday 22^nd August

10am – 1pm

Gwen

Price:  £20

This is an introduction to the very addictive pastime of English paper piecing. This form of patchwork is amongst the most portable of sewing projects and Gwen will show you a variety of different shapes, to include hexagons, diamonds, apple core and coffins.  Hand sewing, paper templates required.

Diamondeze

Saturday 18^th August

Gwen

Price: £30

A rectangular take on the traditional nine-patch block with an interesting setting to form staggered diamonds.  Not quite as straight forward as you may think as half squared rectangles have their own little needs!  Finished off with a piped-border to add just a flash of colour.

**Cream Weave

Wednesday 15^th August

10am to 1pm

Gwen

£20

This is a half day class will test your ability to rotary cut and sew accurate straight lines.   Gwen has made this little quilt in a variety of neutrals but it would look equally good in contrasting hues.

Friendship Quilt – stash buster!

Wednesday 8^th August

Gwen

Price £30

The only reason I can think that this quilt is called Friendship is that it is a very easy one to do with friends!  Lots and lots of scraps, (fat quarters are ideal!) and cut and sew.  Adding in as many fabrics as you like gives this quilt appeal.

Scrappy Mountains**

Saturday 4^th August

Gwen

£30

A really fat quarter friendly quilt, that looks challenging but is deceptively quick and easy to make!  This finished design has a pineapple look about it but with none of the problems.  Simple rotary cutting and machine piecing techniques.

Double Wedding Ring***

Wednesday 1^st August

Gwen

£30

This is such a well-known quilt design but rarely seen!  Hand sewing these blocks gives the greatest chance of getting them accurate!  There are a lot of pieces, all set on a curve.  By combining traditional and more modern techniques it is possible to vastly simplify this design.  No need for costly templates for this very achievable quilt.

Needle-Turn Applique*

Wednesday 25^th July

10am – 1pm

Price: £20

Gwen

Let Gwen introduce you to the technique of needle-turn applique.  This traditional skill can produce some stunning results in the arsenal of traditional quilt makers.  By using a number of tried and tested methods, it is possible to achieve lovely results

Raw Edge Applique**

Wednesday 11^th  July

10am – 1pm

Gwen

Price £20

Adding applique to your quilts is a lovely way of lifting quite simple designs to something a bit more special.  Raw edge applique is a relatively quick and simple way of applying a design onto a base fabric and then securing them permanently with decorative stitching.  This method works equally well for simple designs as well as the more elaborate.  Sewing machine required.

Get to Know your Sewing Machine and Free Motion Quilting*

Wednesday 29^th August

Price: Whole day £30, Half day £20 morning or afternoon

Gwen

In the morning (10am – 12.30) we will explore every knob and dial on your sewing machine.  General maintenance and machine usage to ensure you can get the very best out of your machine.  We will look at the multitude of feet available and how they should be used, as well as any specific problems you may have.

In the afternoon (1.30pm – 4pm) we will concentrate on the basics of free-motion quilting.  You will learn how to set your machine up correctly, check your tension and the best ways of handling your quilt whilst you work on it.

You can either stay the whole day or you may choose to do only one of the sessions.

Key to necessary class experience

If in doubt please ask

*          Suitable for complete beginners (never touched patchwork!)

**        Suitable for a confident beginner (has rotary cut and machined pieced simple patchwork) and beyond.

***       For the more experienced or for those who want a bit of a challenge!

Workshops are held in our lovely bright and comfortable classroom with customised workstations. The shop opens at 9.30am and classes start at 10am until 3.30pm for day classes and 10am until 1.00pm for half-day classes unless otherwise advised.   Tea, coffee and biscuits are available throughout the day but you will need to bring a packed lunch with you or, alternatively, there are several pretty cafes and tearooms in the immediate vicinity that can supply a sandwich or salad lunch.

Class and course bookings can be made in the shop, over the telephone or by post and we would ask that class payment be made at the time of booking. For your security, if paying by credit/debit card, please either call in or phone us with your details.

At times it may be necessary for us to cancel a class and in this event we would give you 10 days notice and a full refund. If you need to cancel a class run by either Gwen or Julia, we would require 10 days notice for us to give you a refund in the form of a Credit Note (less £3 administration). Less than 10 days and I’m afraid there will be no refund. In the case of classes run by teachers other than ourselves the class fee will be unrefundable unless the teacher cancels the class.

The following workshops are ongoing throughout the year.