Bringing My Classes to You 

- Trace Design classes on the Road!

Would you like me to bring one of my workshops to you?  I would love to visit your group in its natural habitat and I have a variety of patchwork and quilting workshops ready to take on the road!

Or perhaps, if you have a small group you may prefer to come to my lovely bright studio at my home in East Cork, near Castlemartyr, where I have a maximum class size of six. 

Browse the menu below and contact me for more information, Bring Lists and to enquire about making a booking.

Free motion Quilting Mini Course
5 Part Class Series - Covers a family of designs each week

Would you like to improve your free motion quilting? With a little know-how and some practice, great quilting is achievable on your domestic sewing machine.

This short course aims to build your confidence by practising a different family of designs/shapes/techniques each week. It is designed to be as stress free as possible, giving students plenty of class-time to get to grips with the designs and giving space to practise between classes. 

I take you through the quilting process, demonstrating each design and variations in turn, and my own full instructions and diagrams with loads of hints and tips are provided. I have samples for you to look at, showing variations and different scales. At the end of each class you will have your own samples that you’ve worked on as well as my notes to take away with you. Over the course of the five weeks we will also take a look at wadding, thread, needles, notions, gadgets and so on.

I love to quilt and I really want you to love it too, so that you can finish your own beautiful patchwork with your own beautiful quilting. Have some fun and build your quilting confidence!

Course :

Week 1 : Getting Started – Loops, Meanders and More

Week 2 : Wavy Lines – Wavy Lines, Ribbons and Wishbones

Week 3 : Pebbles – Pebbles, Pearls and Peaches

Week 4 : Swirls and Curls – Swirls, Curls and Spirals

Week 5 : Feathers – Basic and Beyond

Suitable for all levels

*This class is designed as a 5 Part Series - five mornings over five weeks - to include 'homework' and practice at home

Free motion Quilting – A Whistlestop Tour!
One Day Workshop

I love to quilt and I really want you to love it too! With practice, great quilting is achievable on your domestic sewing machine. This Free Motion Quilting one day workshop aims to be a fun introduction to a range of designs and techniques from simple loops right through to a Basic Feather.

I will talk briefly about wadding and thread and I’ll then demonstrate each design, taking you through the process. I have samples showing variations and different scales. At the end of the class you will have your own samples that you’ve worked on and a booklet with notes, diagrams and instructions to take away with you. 

A great introduction - have fun, gain confidence and learn to love FMQ.

Suitable for all levels

Stitch n Flip FMQ Table Runner
Two-Day or One-day Workshop*

A really fun way to practise a number of FMQ designs on a small piece. 

- On Day 1 we put together a simple, banded Stitch n Flip table runner using either strips or wedges or a combination and in the afternoon we will talk about the quilting process, threads and materials and we’ll begin to quilt - strip by strip, design by design.

- On Day 2 I continue to demonstrate different quilting designs for you to work on your table runner.

Full pattern and instructions for the table runner, including how to finish it with a 2 and a 1/4" machine binding are included, as are thedesigns and instructions for the quilting - packed with diagrams and helpful hints and tips. In the class I will demonstrate each design, taking you through the process and guiding you as you work through each section. Designs include Swirls/Spirals, Pebbles, Ribbons and variations, Leaves and Berries and many more.

*This class can be worked as a One Day Workshop if students prepare the Stitch n Flip runner in advance.

Suitable for all levels

Free Motion Fillers – A Sampler
One-Day Workshop

Free Motion Quilting is one of my favourite things to do. It can be challenging but is always creative and can not only enhance a quilt but, when done well can take it to another level entirely.

‘Fillers’ is the term given to the very small quilting designs used to fill in the negative space between designs or motifs that we want to enhance in a quilt or wall-hanging. In this One-Day Workshop we will explore a host of edge -to-edge quilting designs, reducing the scale to a ‘filler’ size to work on a sampler. 

As well as demonstrating each design on the day, we will talk about thread and materials and how to get the best out of your quilting set up. Full instructions are provided with diagrams and helpful tips. I can’t wait to share my love of this beautiful technique with you!

Suitable for those who have some experience of FMQ and are looking to expand their repertoire and skills.

The Language of Flowers FMQ Mini Quilt*
One Day Workshop
Silk fabric and free motion stitching are a marriage made in heaven. In this workshop we work on a small scale, concentrating on a variety of simple flower shapes. I will teach you a kind of vocabulary - a "Language of Flowers" - and show you how to form an endless variety of fantasy flowers to create a stunning mini quilt, finishing at about 9”x9”. We will also practice a number of background filler designs

While achievable for the beginner quilter, this workshop also gives plenty of scope for more confident quilters to challenge themselves. Printed notes and instructions are provided and I demonstrate the techniques and talk students through the process. I also show you how to finish the quilt with a full faced backing.

Suitable for those who have some experience of FMQ and are looking to expand their repertoire and skills.

* A kit is provided for this class at a cost of €20 per student.

Kit comprises : one piece of dupion silk, one piece of cotton wadding, one piece of wool wadding, one piece of calico, one piece of backing fabric and one small spool of rayon or polyester thread.

Feathering the Nest - Free Motion Feathers
5 Part Class Series/ Two-Day Workshop
There is nothing quite like feather quilting, it really is the gold standard motif in FMQ. It seems that many quilters have a pathological fear of feathers but in the words of Douglas Adams DON’T PANIC!!! 
As with all skills, knowledge, strategies and practice are key and in this 5 Part Class Series I hope to demystify feather quilting and help you to gain the confidence to beautify your quilts by including them in your quilting repertoire.

In this workshop we will look at all kinds of feathers : heirloom feathers, continuous feathers, fancy feathers, single feathers as a feature design, feathers in irregular shapes and borders. This class is designed to be accessible to all quilters who have some experience of quilting (perfect for those who have already done one of my beginner classes) and should be achievable for the confident beginner, whilst giving plenty of scope for all students to challenge themselves.

Suitable for confident beginners and improvers who are looking to expand their repertoire and skills.

*This class is designed as a 5 Part Series - five mornings over five weeks - to include homework and practice at home but can also be offered as a Two-Day Workshop

Finishing School – Fabulous Finishes for Fantastic Quilts

One-Day Workshop

Are you dissatisfied with the finish of your quilts? Is the miter not quite square? Do you want to add a little pizzazz to your binding? In this One-Day Workshop we will work on making your finishes fabulous!

I will show you how to achieve crisp, square corners on your mitred bindings, create a perfect flange and a snazzy piped binding and make a clean, sharp, faced edge binding. We’ll also take a look at hanging sleeves and labels.    

Fully illustrated instructions are provided alongside demonstration and instruction on the day. You will create samples of each technique to go with the notes and instructions provided so that you will create your own reference library of finishing techniques to consult each time you’re ready to finish a quilt. Let’s make our quilts fabulous!

Suitable for all levels

Machine and Hand Appliqué with the Orange Peel Block

One Day Workshop

In this One Day Workshop we will look at a variety of machine and hand applique techniques to help you get the most out of your applique projects. Using the Orange Peel Block (also known as Pumpkin Seed, among other monickers) we will cover raw edge and turned applique, how best to use fusible web, machine and hand stitching to make a table topper or table runner. Full instructions, pattern and templates for the techniques and both projects are provided.

Machine stitchers should complete the top for a table centre or table runner in the day…..hand stitchers may take a little longer!

Suitable for all levels

Enchanted Garden - Applique by Hand and Machine 

Two-Day Workshop

In this workshop we will work towards a small piece, using a fantasy flower garden as our inspiration, which could be worked up as a wall-hanging or a cushion cover.

I will guide you through a number of applique techniques as I demonstrate how to achieve great results with raw edge and turned applique, covering how best to use fusible web, using bias bars, making perfect circles, machine stitching and hand stitching. We will also explore techniques to add texture and dimension to your piece.

 Fully illustrated instructions packed with helpful hints and tips are provided.

Suitable for all levels

Folded Log Cabin
One-day Workshop

If you like Log Cabin, you are going to LOVE Folded Log Cabin! You can create any pattern that an ordinary Log Cabin can, but this fun technique ramps up the ‘artsy factor’, creating gorgeous dimensional and tactile work.  As each block is five or six layers deep it’s not ideal for bed quilts as it gets heavy! But this technique is absolutely perfect for making smaller pieces such as table runners, cushion fronts and wall-hangings. The technique is also suitable for using fabrics not normally ideal for patchwork, such as wools, furnishing fabrics and silks, giving you lots of scope for creativity.

It is important to remember that this technique uses a lot of fabric as each individual 5” or 6" square block takes approximately one fat quarter of fabric to complete. You will also need backing fabric and fabric for the sashing. 

Fully illustrated instructions are provided. On the day I will have samples to show you and I will talk you through and demonstrate how to get the best out of this fab process.

Suitable for all levels