And so…. now that the holiday season is coming to an end, you may be ready to think about a new adventure. A workshop or a short course?
Please take a look below at the new courses we have planned for the autumn term at High Street Quilting.
Fingers crossed you’ll find something to interest you. And if you do, please call in to the shop or ring us to reserve a place. 0191 4100868
An Introduction to Free-Motion Quilting
In this 2 hour session you will learn all that you need to know to begin your free-motion quilting journey. 
1.30pm – 3.30pm
Tuesday 20th August 2024
OR
Tuesday 29th October 2024
£25 – all materials included.
Please bring your own sewing machine with a free-motion foot.
Design, Draw, & Stitch
Have you ever wanted to emulate the beautiful hand quilted, whole cloth quilts of old?
Kathryn Jones will lead two short sessions in which you will learn to draw your own pattern for a 20″ cushion and in the second session you will begin to hand quilt your design.
Wednesday afternoons
1.30pm-4pm
11th September 2024
25th September 2024
£50 – to include all fabrics and equipment
Stress-Free Sampler Quilt.
Begin your Patchwork and Quilting here and you’ll have a quilt in time for Christmas.
A weekly class running through the autumn term, beginning
Friday 20th September.
1.30pm – 4pm
£15/session
Jayne and Louise will gently teach you one block per week.
Bring along your sewing machine and you will learn to create a sampler quilt using lots of different techniques from start to finish.
Pop in or phone to reserve a place 0191 4100868
Mary’s Medallion Quilt.
A monthly class for the intermediate quilter. If you have done some patchwork and you have experience of both hand sewing and machine sewing – this may be the course for you. Mary Turner has a wealth of quilting experience and will guide you through all the processes involved in making this beautiful quilt.
The class will meet once each month on the 3rd Tuesday beginning…
Tuesday 17th September 2024
9.30am – 12.30 pm
£15/session.
“Inky Abstractions”
A Creative Textile Workshop with Deb Cooper
Saturday 28th September 2024
10am – 4pm
£50
Spend the morning mark making on fabric using ink and marking tools.
No drawing skill is required just be prepared to play!
Later in the day, using your personally created fabric, you will further explore mark making using traditional embroidery stitches and other embellishments.
The first part may get messy so please bring an apron and some gloves.
You will also need to bring a basic sewing kit, some black, stranded embroidery cotton and some masking tape.
All other materials will be provided.
Needleturn Hand Appliqué
A short course for beginners.
Jayne Kirkwood will teach this incredibly useful skill over three afternoons.
You will create a small piece of work that will involve sewing a number of different shapes.
3 Wednesday afternoons;
1.30pm – 3.30pm
23rd October 2024
6th November 2024
20th November 2024
£45
Zoe’s Taster Day
A workshop for anyone new to patchwork.
(you must have a sewing machine and be able to use it)
Saturday 26th October 2024
10am – 4pm
£60 to include all fabrics
Make a cushion using the pattern “Disappearing 9-Patch” with an envelope back.
You will have time to select your own fabrics from our vast stock.
During the day you will be taught and supported through the skills of patchwork, quilting and construction of a cushion.
This would be a great way to “have a go” at patchwork and quilting.
Ring or pop in to book a place. 0191 4100868
I’m on a “go slow”.
Why?
Because SLOW IS GOOD.
Have you been stuck in the roadworks recently?
Yes, of course you have. We all have been. But thank goodness we don’t live in London, near the M25. At least our roadworks and hold-ups will come to an end – sooner or later.
But, I’ve been intrigued by the roadworks. The planning must be amazing. I’d love to see how the sequence of work is planned and coordinated. And, most of all, I wish that I had a drone so that I could watch a time-lapse video of how all the changes have been implemented. It is a Herculean task, indeed.
And all the time (20 minutes max) that I’ve been stuck in the traffic, I have day dreamed about all these things and more. Daydreaming is great too.
The slow pace of the traffic also allows me to look at the incredible wild flowers that are now growing alongside most of our roads. They are beautiful. And they change throughout the year. Starting with primroses and daffodils to ox-eye daisies, and on to geraniums and rosebay-willow herb and cow parsley and very soon will come one of my favourites – wild parsnip. It is everywhere in Washington. Apparently it is a madly invasive weed but despite that it is a beautiful umbelliferous plant with the most wonderful lime florets. I’ll post a picture below so that you know what to look for. And then you can enjoy it too.
Here at High Street Quilting, we don’t rush about. Partly because we like to pace ourselves but more importantly because we want our customers to make wise choices. We want them to be creative and purposeful, to bring along fabrics or projects to match up or to discuss and debate their projects and problems.
Very occasionally we find that our customers are in a rush and they want our attention immediately – if that is you – please let us know and we will stop what we are doing and try our best to help you.
In a world of advertising and “BUY NOW” mantras. We prefer a more measured and considered pace.
Rome wasn’t built in a day.
The roadworks will take a few months more. and your creative project can take as long as it takes.
Let’s not be rushed and harassed. Let’s be cool, sophisticated and unfazed.
We’ll all get there in the end and, hopefully, we’ll all enjoy the journey.
With love,
Hilary x
