Monday 10 August 10.30-4.30pm

Tutor: Alison Abrahams

Level: Intermediate

Alison is Hometown’s expert at appliqué and custom makes appliqué quilts and cushions for all ages. In this workshop, she’ll teach you how to sew lifelike sea birds on a coastal background, based on one of her own quilt designs. You’ll learn the technique of modern appliqué using a fusible medium, to create detailed fabric pictures. No drawing skills are needed as you’ll be using Alison’s designs!

During the day students will start to sew the panel which can be finished in your own time at home and made into a wall quilt or cushion. Alison will also cover how to look at and use printed fabric patterns with an eye for appliqué pictures and how to enhance your appliqué with machine stitching. Machine sewn.

Coastal Appliqué is ideal for students who are competent at machine sewing and who would like to learn the art of appliqué. Please note you will not finish the panel during the workshop, so you should know how to finish a quilt or cushion by yourself at home. We have loved seeing the stunning results from our previous classes.

Equipment and material needed:

• Sewing machine. Remember the foot pedal, a standard foot for zig zag stitching, plus your straight sewing or ¼-in foot, free motion/embroidery foot, spare bobbins, instruction booklet etc. Put in a new needle before this workshop - it needs to be sharp!

• Basic sewing kit containing sharp fabric scissors, small scissors or snips, pencil, pins and a stitch ripper

• Fat Quarter of plain/plainish fabric in sand colour for the background

• Fat Quarter or 25cm of plain/plainish blue (sky) fabric and plain/plainish/patterned (sea) fabric

• Selection of fabrics (fat eighth or more plus scraps) in bird colours! Think white, black grey etc. Batiks, plains, small textures, smallish prints are all good. Plus small scraps in natural tones are good for pebbles, beach, bird details etc (if in doubt, pop it in your bag). We’ll also have our scrap basket that you can dive into for free!

• 75cm of Bondaweb fusible medium

• Cotton threads to coordinate with your fabrics (best to bring a selection of different neutral colours)

• 50x50cm of wadding

• If there is anything you’re missing, you can buy fabrics, threads and haberdashery etc from the store during the day. Refreshments will be provided at each workshop and lunch can be taken at the many coffee shops and tea rooms in the high street.

If you have any questions, please phone us on 01634 838880 before booking. Note: we do not send out reminder emails before a workshop, as all the information you need is here! For location and car parking info, please see our Contacts page.

Please check dates carefully before booking as workshops are non-refundable. For full booking terms, please read here.