Stitchtopia Festival

Quilt-As-You-Go Hexagons (Hand Stitching)

These folded and quilted hexagons are so good for stitching on the go and make a great portable project. The other advantage is that the hexagons can be made from fabric and wadding scraps, so they are great for scrap busting. Fabric and wadding hexagons are cut and then a prepared curved shape is folded over the hexagon and hand quilted through all layers. The quilted hexagons can then be stitched together to make a quilt. Lots of variations and tips and techniques will be given along the way.

Skill Level: Any

Kit Cost: £15

Requirements List: Thread for tacking, mid blue/navy coloured thread, paper and fabric scissors, marking pencil/pen that can be seen on dark, patterned and plain fabrics, general sewing kit including needle, pins, thimble if needed. Rotary cutter, ruler and mat.

Hawaiian Appliqué (Hand Stitching)

Hawaiian appliqué involves folding fabric into equal parts, and then cutting and stitching a design based on the fruits, flowers and plants of Hawaii. The design is hand appliquéd to background fabric and then quilted to finish. Students will begin this project in class which can be finished as a wall hanging or cushion at home.

Skill Level: Any

Kit Cost: £10

Requirements List: Scissors for cutting both paper and multiple fabric layers. Thread for tacking, needle, pins, thimble if needed.

Sewing Room Makes (Machine Stitching)

During the workshop, we will stitch some sewing room accessories from Janet’s book, Weekend Makes – Patchwork. The projects will include a fabric storage basket, a needle case and a pin cushion. The fabric storage baskets are very cute but also very handy, and are big enough for sewing supplies, stationery or cosmetics. They are quick and easy to construct and make great gifts. The matching patchwork needle case and pincushion finish the set perfectly.

Skill Level: Need to be confident using a sewing machine and stitching an accurate ¼ in seam.

Kit Cost: £10

Requirements List: Scissors, marking pen/pencil, general sewing kit including needle, pins, thimble if needed. Rotary cutter, ruler and cutting mat.

Envelope Quilt, Quilt As You Go (Machine Stitching)

Stitch these ingenious double-sided blocks (about 6in finished size) on the sewing machine then practice some machine quilting too (or quilt by hand). In class, you will have enough materials to stitch four blocks, to either start your quilt or use to complete a mini quilt. You can join the blocks by hand or machine to make a whole quilt.

Skill Level: Beginners and above

Kit Cost: £15

Requirements List: Basic sewing kit, fabric/batting scissors, pencil to mark quilting lines or Hera marker, point turner and seam creaser tools, fabric glue sticks, general sewing threads in neutral colours and needles, extra/alternative fabric squares and batting.

Manx Log Cabin Patchwork, Quilt As You Go (Hand Stitching)

Learn to stitch these textured patchwork blocks using the simplest of tools and only your hands as measurements. This is the traditional way of making cosy quilts originating from the Isle of Man. The individual blocks are then stitched together to create full size quilts. We will focus on four blocks for a mini quilt.

Skill Level: Beginners and above

Kit Cost: £15

Requirements List: Basic sewing kit and fabric scissors, mini seam roller or wooden iron (if you have one), general sewing threads in neutral colours and needles, extra/alternative fabric strips.

Chicken Scratch Embroidery Hexagon Coasters, Quilt As You Go (Hand Stitching)

We will learn the basic stitches for this form of embroidery on gingham, which was popular in the US during the 1930s. It has become popular all over the world, often known as Broderie Suisse. We will work on hexagons to create the embroidery which will then be backed and framed in a complementary fabric. The hexagons can be left as single coasters or joined to make a mini quilt, quilt-as-you-go fashion.

Skill Level: Beginners and above

Kit Cost: £15

Requirements List: Basic sewing kit and fabric scissors, general sewing thread in neutral colours and needles, extra/alternative stranded embroidery thread.

Exploring Texture and Structure (Knitting)

Knit an exclusive custom-designed project especially for this event: Peekaboo beaded textured arm warmers. You'll have two options: knitting these either flat or in the round using double-pointed needles. Whichever version you choose, you will also foray into the world of knitting cables and knitting with dazzling beads. With a choice of colours for both beads and your arm warmers, you will work in a lush Aran yarn and start work on a project that knits up in next to no time!

Skill Level: Intermediate

Kit Cost: £20.75

Requirements List: Pair of 4mm knitting needles, set of 4 or 5 4mm double-pointed needles, darning needle, cable needle. sharp scissors, stitch markers (optional), small stitch holder (optional), small sewing needle and thread (optional), pen and paper.

Learn to Crochet with Raffia

Pick up a hook for the very first time or refresh your skills with this workshop using raffia yarn, tackling crochet from the very beginning. Use your skills to start work on creating a shoulder bag using basic stitches in crochet.

Skill Level: Participants need never have attempted crochet before! This workshop is also open to those who fancy the project but are patient to allow those of us who are still learning to go through the fundamentals.

Kit Cost: £22.25

Requirements List: 3.25mm crochet hook, pen and paper, scissors, darning needle, sewing needle.

Flip It, Reverse It, Entrelac It (Knitting)

Not a fan of purl rows? Maybe it's time you thought about ditching them. Try knitting in reverse instead, a super-handy technique that kicks into gear for frequently flipped projects including bobbles, short-row shaping and entrelac. So, explore the latter with backwards knitting afficionado Frederica who will have you questioning your knitting direction in life for the full duration of the workshop and exploring applications of the technique.

Skill Level: Beginners to advanced. Participants need only have a grasp of basic knit and purl – a great workshop for total beginners and seasoned knitters alike.

Kit Cost: £17.50

Requirements List: 4mm straight knitting needles, scissors, darning needle, pen and paper.

Quick and Easy Flying Geese (Machine Stitching)

Work along with Pat to learn how to make the quickest and easiest ‘flying geese’ blocks – and better still, there is no waste! This technique is addictive and is a great way of using up scraps of fabric to bust the stash. By the end of the workshop, you will have made a number of blocks that can be combined into a cushion front or added to at home.

Skill Level: Keen beginners

Kit Cost: £25

Requirements List: Rotary cutter with a new blade fitted, self-healing mat and quilting ruler, sharp propelling pencil, and your usual hand sewing kit – needles, pins, scissors etc.

Oriental Blossoms Panel (Hand Stitching)

Work with Pat’s oriental templates to create a delightful cherry blossom design, accented with gently curving waves of Japanese quilting. The workshop will cover Bondaweb appliqué, sashiko style stitching, gilding and foiling, and how to add beautiful wavy borders to enhance your designs. These templates are sure to transform your work!

Skill Level: Keen beginners

Kit Cost: £25

Requirements List: Hand sewing embroidery needles that will take stranded cotton or fine perlé cotton, sharp scissors for threads, scissors that will cut fabric that is backed with fusible web, baking parchment – a piece approximately the width of the roll x 12” approximately, removable marking tool, e.g. frixion pen or chalk marker (chaco liner by Clover is ideal), fine mechanical pencil.

Kantha Stitched Jewellery or Gift Bag (Hand Stitching)

Enjoy the process of hand stitching in the style of Indian kantha work to create a little bag with either a bird or elephant design (or both). There will be an option of stitching a shi-sha mirror to enhance your design and add another traditional Gujarati influence into your work. You should have a finished project by the end of the session.

Skill Level: Keen beginners

Kit Cost: £15

Requirements List: Hand sewing embroidery needles that will take stranded cotton or fine perlé cotton and a machine thread, reel of machine thread in a neutral colour, sharp scissors for threads, removable marking tool, e.g. a frixion pen or chalk marker (chaco liner by Clover is ideal), fine mechanical pencil.

Prairie Braid Made Easy Quilt (Machine Stitching)

During the workshop, you will be using the Vlieseline ‘Stitch ‘n’ Tear as a foundation to create a perfect Prairie Braid design which we will incorporate into a small Strippy Patchwork. After layering the quilt, we will then do some wavy quilting using the walking foot, a break from the normal straight line quilting. The Stitch ‘n’ Tear will be included in the kit. Finished Size: 50 x 50cms.

Skill Level: Beginner upwards

Kit Cost: £25

Requirements List: Basic sewing kit, fabric scissors, pins, rotary cutter, cutting mat, ruler.

American Hand-Piecing Mini Quilt (Hand Stitching)

American Hand Piecing is a patchwork technique that involves cutting fabric shapes, drawing seam lines on fabric, and stitching the pieces by hand. It is a portable way to create patchwork blocks. In the workshop, we will create the mini quilt which could be used as a table topper, potholder or displayed as a wall hanging. Template plastic will be included in the kit. Finished Size: 24 x 24cms.

Skill Level: Beginner upwards

Kit Cost: £15

Requirements List: Basic sewing kit, fabric scissors, pins, marking pencil.

Falling Leaves Appliqué (Hand Stitching)

Fusible appliqué is arguably the easiest and quickest appliqué technique. If you can trace or draw, cut and press, then in 3 easy steps you can create a fusible appliqué block. During the class, we will create an appliqué design, with a little bit of hand stitching, that can be incorporated into a quilt, cushion bag or simply framed to hang on your wall. Vlieseline Bondaweb will be included in the kit.

Skill Level: Suitable for all from beginners to advanced

Kit Cost: £15

Requirements List: Basic sewing kit, fabric scissors, marking pencil.

Polka Dot Sample (Crochet)

This technique-based workshop guides you through the various stages to create a double layered, reversible textured polka dot sample. The stitch pattern is worked in pairs of rows using two contrasting colours on the same level to create a stunning dots in a trellis pattern. This reversible stitch pattern gives a polka dot pattern on one side with the dots appearing in the reverse colour on the other side. Once mastered, you will be able to create a beautiful blanket, scarf or cowl using any two yarns in contrasting colours. It works especially well for colourful yarn cakes matched with a plain single colour for the reverse side. You will never wonder what to do with a colourful ball of wool again! In addition to mastering this pattern, you will also be shown how to work a foundation double crochet (another game changer in the crochet world), as well as all manner of hints, tips and cheeky cheats that make crochet the joy that it is!

Skill Level: Intermediate/confident beginner (must be confident in treble crochet and following a written pattern).

Kit Cost: £10 (includes two balls of yarn in contrasting shades, full instructions and shawl pattern)

Requirements List: 4mm and 4.5 mm hooks, scissors and yarn needle.

Pin Cushion (Crochet)

The course begins with crocheting in the round to create the pin cushion base and sides. This will include learning to make a seamless invisible join together with a crab stitch border for the base. You will continue to make the pin cushion top working in the round using a variety of crochet stitches and changing colour every round. Once the crochet is completed, the real fun begins, as we play with creating different textures and finishes using a variety of simple embroidery stitches and techniques to embellish the pin cushion top and sides before joining and stuffing the finished piece. The joy of this project is there are no ends to sew in as they remain hidden within the cushion – hurrah!

Skill Level: Confident beginner. Can make a granny square and is confident in treble, half treble and double crochet.

Kit Cost: £10 (includes selection of colourful DK cotton, Gold Yan, toy stuffing and written pattern)

Requirements List: 3mm and 3.5mm crochet hooks, scissors and a yarn needle that can be used for embroidery with double knit cotton yarn.

Tunisian Crochet for Beginners

During this superb bite-size class, we will learn the basics of how to Tunisian Crochet in rows and rounds. We will practice the most important stitches, such as simple, purl, knit and more, as well as how to get those edges perfect and straight when crocheting in rows, how to change colour, and much more.

Skill Level: Suitable for participants who are comfortable with holding the yarn and hook and know how to work basic standard crochet stitches. Please note: this is not a beginner's crochet class, but a beginner's Tunisian crochet class.

Kit Cost: £0

Requirements List: 4 colours of DK or Aran yarn 5mm, 15cm in length double ended Tunisian crochet hook, scissors, stitch marker.

Strandtarsia (Knitting)

Strandtarsia is a type of colourwork knitting that combines stranded knitting and intarsia into one technique. It allows you to work intricate patterns without the need for lots of bobbins for each part. In Intarsia, to change colour, you just twist the yarns at the back and work in your new colour. You use bobbins to hold your strands of yarn and, for every colour change in your pattern, you need a separate bobbin of yarn. With Strandtarsia, you will strand the yarn not in use, as in the stranded technique, and anchor it a few stitches before and after your motif. This creates beautifully even work without open or stretched stitches that are created when colour change happens.

Skill Level: Participants need to be comfortable with knit and purl stitches.

Kit Cost: £0

Requirements List: Participant will need to bring 3 x colours of DK or Aran yarn and needles suitable for their yarn.

Shadow Knitting

Discover shadow knitting, where simple stitches create eye catching illusions! Make a panel with only two colours on a two row stripe repeat. This method reveals a subtle hidden image that appears and disappears depending on the angle of view. This technique uses basic knits and purls, showing that even the simplest stitches can create surprising effects.

Skill Level: Perfect for all skill levels

Kit Cost: Yarn and pattern will be supplied free of charge.

Requirements List: Knitting needles in sizes 3.5mm, 4mm, 4.5mm, 5mm, scissors, yarn needle, stitch markers, 12”/30cm ruler, pen/pencil, highlighter pen, notepad.

Reversible Knitting

An infinity scarf/cowl using the reversible/double knitted technique, where you create a two layered fabric at the same time. Using two colours, both sets of stitches on the same needle, both sides are right sides, one being a positive image, the other side a negative image. The two layers are attached and have no wrong side and no floats.

Skill Level: Easy to intermediate

Kit Cost: £22

Requirements List: 3.25mm straight knitting needles, scissors, stitch markers, yarn needle, pen, notepad.

Stained Glass Crochet

The kaleidoscope magic of stained glass crochet blends vivid colours and bold outlines with clever stitch techniques. Whether you’re experienced or just know the basics, this project invites you to turn your yarn into a glowing window of colour.

Skill Level: Perfect for all skill levels

Kit Cost: Yarn and pattern will be supplied free of charge.

Requirements List: Crochet hooks in sizes 3.5mm, 4mm, 4.5mm, 5mm, scissors, yarn needle, stitch markers, pen, notepad.