Workshops and lectures

Philippa teaches a wide range of classes ranging from Precision Piecing to Finishing Techniques. If you see it in her work she probably teaches it!

Classes range from half a day in length to a full five days. Below is an outline of Philippa’s most popular classes. Please email her directly for more information on longer workshops, for class supply lists and current workshop prices. Thank you.

Precision Piecing
Half Day - All Levels.
Extensive discussion and demonstrations on fabric selection, rotary cutting, accurate sewing and pressing enables students to make a perfectly sized ‘no points lost’ block and never be frustrated again! Patterns provided.

Precision Piecing
Full Day - All Levels.
A practical workshop to help you achieve prize winning accuracy. Masses of techniques, information and advice on every stage of the piecing process. Fabric selection, using the correct rotary cutting methods, sewing accurate seams, matching points and pressing are examined in detail with extensive demonstrations. Make a perfectly sized, ‘no points lost’ block, add double borders with beautiful mitred corners and never be frustrated again! Patterns provided.

Piping and Binding
Half Day - All Levels.
Add a final stylish flourish to your quilts. A practical class where you learn to finish the edges of your quilts using the techniques employed in award winning quilts. Contrasting fabric covered piping and double folded binding are attached by machine to give beautiful straight edges, perfect corners and invisible joins.

Finishing Techniques
Full Day - All levels
Learn award winning techniques to get the best possible finish to the edges of your quilts. In this practical workshop a variety of samples are made. These include beautiful mitred borders, contrasting fabric covered piping, the neatest double folded binding, how to make a hanging sleeve and so much more!

Introduction to Free-motion Machine Quilting
Half Day - Beginner And intermediate Levels.
A wealth of information on materials, equipment and personal techniques designed to help the beginner get comfortable with free-motion work. Produce a number of samples, exploring a variety of styles and leave class confident and inspired to continue developing your skills in this exciting method of machine quilting.

Free-Motion Machine Quilting. Beyond Beginning.
Half Day - Intermediate and advanced levels with some experience of free-motion work an advantage but not essential.
Further exploration of this wonderful technique with discussion of materials, equipment and working methods. Produce a range of samples (including flower, feather, clam shell and leaf designs) to begin a free-motion sample design resource. Leave class inspired and confident in your skills.

Free-Motion Machine Quilting. Beyond Beginning.
Full Day - Intermediate and advanced levels with some experience of free-motion work an advantage but not essential.
Further exploration of this wonderful technique with discussion of materials, equipment and working methods. Produce a wide range of reference samples (including flower, feather,clam shell, leaf and line designs) using a variety of threads. Leave class inspired and confident in your skills.

Fabulous Free-motion Machine Quilting With Trapunto
Full Day - All Levels.
Exploration of free-motion machine quilting begins with discussion of materials, equipment and the techniques Philippa employs in her work. After demonstrations students then produce a range of samples (stippling, contemporary feathers, leaf and line designs) to practice free-motion work, before moving on to a small trapunto sample piece which will illustrate how well trapunto adds sculptural dimension to a quilt. Students will leave class confident and inspired to continue developing their free-motion skills! Patterns are provided.

Trapunto
Full Day - All Levels.
Learn how easy and versatile machine trapunto can be, using regular straight stitch and free-motion techniques. A fabulous way of adding sculptural dimension to your work. Discuss material and equipment preferences, and gain insight into original and distinctive quilting patterns. After extensive demonstrations students produce a trapunto sample quilt using the techniques Philippa employs in her own work. Patterns are provided.

Free-motion Feathers For Everyone
Full Day - All Levels (with some experience of free-motion work an advantage though not essential).
Learn how to design and draft a variety of feathers from contemporary with no marking to custom drafted traditional. Try them all whilst learning which materials, equipment and sewing techniques give you the best results!Fantastic Free-Motion Machine Quilting

Fantastic Free-Motion Machine Quilting
Two Days - All Levels.
This workshop explores, in detail, a wide range of exciting free-motion machine quilting styles and techniques.
The first day begins with discussion on materials, equipment and the working methods I employ in my work. After demonstrations students sew a number of samples to practice techniques, get comfortable with their machines and start to compile a fabric reference book of ideas (including stippling, leaf, flower and clam shell designs).
The afternoon of the first day is devoted to trapunto (stuffed quilting) using an easy method which does not involve cutting the backing fabric. Following further demonstrations students are given patterns and then sew a small trapunto sample piece.
Day two begins with exploration of free-motion feathers beginning with contemporary feather designs that are stitched directly on to fabric with no prior marking. This is followed by a lesson on drafting tradition feather designs. Students transfer their designs to fabric and sew them using the techniques practised on day one.
The final technique to be covered is corded trapunto which uses soft woollen yarn to give sculptural raised lines in the quilting design.
The emphasis is on learning new skills in a relaxed but productive environment, working in a supportive group to discovering individual machine quilting personalities!

Machine Quilting Is The Tops
Three To Five Days - All levels.
Bring quilt tops from home and take this exciting opportunity to begin quilting them in new and creative ways.
Each day begins with a structured lesson, after which students work on their quilt tops using the ideas and techniques covered in class. We will look extensively at materials and equipment. Students then learn how to design an individual quilting pattern for their quilt(s). These may be contemporary with modern styling or traditional, perhaps with hand drafted feather designs. Students make a range of samples to practise a variety of techniques and to develop their own fabric design library. These samples will include free-motion work (stippling, flowers, informal feathers, leaf filler stitches to name but a few) and trapunto (stuffed quilting). Various threads are used to give inspiration as to how they might be employed in the quilt. Experimentation is the key. You don't have to be perfect with free-motion work to achieve wonderful effects with machine quilting. Aimed to inform and inspire students will gain confidence and creative skills, producing beautiful work in class and also in the quilts they go on to make in the future!

Machine Applique Masterclass
Full Day - All Levels.
A practical workshop exploring an exciting range of machine applique techniques. You will begin a small sample piece which employs raw-edged, satin stitch, turned edge and blind hem stitch applique. Learn how perfect satin stitch and turned under circles are sewn, how to make and apply bias cut stems and how to produce outstanding sharp points. All this and a wealth of information on materials, equipment and personal techniques too! Patterns are provided.

Contemporary Curved Piecing
Full Day - Suitable for confident intermediate and advanced level students who have good sewing machine skills.
Learn Philippa's unique award winning curved piecing method in this exciting new class. After extensive discussion of materials, equipment and working methods, students draft a master pattern for a small curved quilt and learn how to make templates the easy way. Detailed demonstrations illustrate how to cut curved shapes with a rotary cutter. After further demonstrations students sew their quilt top together using precise techniques sure to give wonderful results.
A great opportunity to learn an entirely different way of creating a beautifully crafted contemporary quilt top!T

The Best Little Quilt You’ve Ever Made
Three To Five Days - Beginner and Intermediate Levels.
A practical class for beginner quilters who want to find out how it is all done, and for intermediate students who want to bring their quilt making to award winning standards.
In this workshop students complete a small pieced quilt which will be the most technically accomplished they have ever produced!
We begin with discussion on the materials and equipment used for precise piecing. We look closely at the piecing process and outline areas where problems can arise and mistakes be made. Armed with this knowledge students cut and sew a blocks for their mini quilt (instructions supplied).
Demonstration of how to apply borders. Students sew borders on their mini quilts.
Introduction to machine quilting. After discussion of materials and quilting demonstrations the mini quilt is sandwiched with cotton batting and the students begin to machine quilt. Focus on perfect ‘in-the-ditch’ quilting and free-motion quilting techniques. Students learn how to finish off the thread ends invisibly.
Finishing techniques. Students learn how to pipe the edge of their quilt (single or double rows of piping) for that final splash of colour before applying the binding. They learn how to make and sew double folded binding with absolutely perfect mitred corners and invisibly joined ends. Finally sew on a neat, exhibition quality hanging sleeve.
To finish students stand back and admire their beautiful workmanship!

Studio Workshop
Three to Five Days - All Levels.
Studio students have the opportunity bring work in progress, come with a new project or even come with the desire to begin something even if they are not quite sure what it is! This applies not only to quilts but also to garments (my experience as a fully trained and time served clothing designer means I am able to assist with both technical and creative issues!).
Each morning students join me and the rest of the group for a short session which will touch on different areas of creative sewing. For example - the principles of design, inspiration for quilting a work, demonstration of free-motion techniques. Students are encouraged to get as much information out of the teacher as possible whether it is of a technical or design led nature! The rest of the day they will be free to work on their own projects at a rate which is comfortable for them. The teacher is always available to assist with technical and design lead questions, with the emphasis will on having the opportunity to work in a relaxed but productive environment. Students can immerse themselves totally in their work without the distractions of everyday life, and be sure that the activity around them will be both stimulating and exciting, leading to creative possibilities they had not imagined.

Lectures with power point presentation and quilt show

'The Good, The Bad And The Heat. Life, Quilting And Saudi Arabia'
Award winning quilt-maker tells all. . A light-hearted look at living in the desert and how enforced isolation from the quilting community gave one quilter the opportunity to overcome many obstacles and become quite good at sewing!"Ten Thousand Miles, Twelve Countries, One House And A Couple Of Quilts".

'Ten Thousand Miles, Twelve Countries, One House And A Couple Of Quilts'
Leaving Saudi Arabia in 2004, after having lived there for fifteen years, Philippa and family drove home across the Middle East and Europe to begin a new life in Yorkshire. This is the story of that journey, of an ongoing house renovation and finally finding time for a bit of quilting !