Workshops

I love to teach, so please inquire about scheduling workshops for your Quilt Guild, Quilt Store, or retreat. Please call or email for further information!

Fees for workshops

• 6 hour workshop: $500 plus transportation and lodging
• 3 hour workshop: $300 plus transportation and lodging
• 1 hour trunk show and lecture: $400

View Workshop Schedule »

Workshops

Sashiko Workshop

Sashiko is simple, fun, and can be mastered by anyone. This workshop encourages people of all ages and skill levels to design and make quilts in a friendly supportive atmosphere.
The stitches are big, easy to see and execute, making it a perfect medium for young children and seniors.

For inspiration, I provide a wide range of reference material; traditional sashiko designs, Polynesian designs, Japanese art books, and photographs.  Learn about sashiko techniques, sashiko supplies, design transfer, and indigo fabrics.

While living on Kauai, I taught Sashiko for the parents and children at nana’s House, a family Club in Waimea. Everyone helped and inspired each other, and students 7-80 years old created 14 diverse quilts they were genuinely proud of.

At the end of our 6 week series of classes, we hung all of the quilts in the Waimea Outdoor Quilt Festival. Each quilt was a unique art piece, yet shown together, reflected the unity and connection of Nana’s House.

General Sashiko and Applique Quilt Workshop

Learn about sashiko techniques, sashiko supplies, design transfer, and indigo fabrics.
Discover appliqué techniques; needle-turn Hawaiian style, English style paper piecing, and iron over Templar method.

Learn the invisible appliqué stitch, and how to make perfect curves and points.
The fine details of finishing quilts will be covered.

Quilt Design workshop:

This workshop will help you translate your ideas into an original quilt design.
No drawing experience needed! Learn how to simplify tropical flowers, birds, turtles, dolphins and fish into shapes that look realistic but are easy to appliqué. Discover how to “fussy cut” and choose fabric that brings dimension and life to your designs. Add innovative sashiko or traditional sashiko designs. Embellish your work with simple embroidery stitches.

Tahitian Tivaevae Quilt Workshop

Design a quilt inspired by Tahitian quilts and Cook Islands quilts. Learn how to draw, cut, and baste a four fold design and how to embellish your flowers with a few simple embroidery stitches. Discover how to make your appliqué stitches invisible. Add a curved border and echo quilting.

Butterflies with Sashiko (22" x 26")

This small wall quilt combines Japanese Sashiko stitching with hand applique. Learn Sashiko techniques to make a background design, and how to form precise applique shapes by ironing over heat resistant Templar plastic.

"Honu" Sea Turtle & Wave (19" x 22")

Make waves with fusible machine applique, outline them with Sashiko, and hand applique the turtle using Templar, paper pieced or needled turn techniques.

Heliconia "Sexy Pink" (21" x 38") or Heliconia (20" x 27")

Heliconias are very popular tropical exotics in Hawaii and their form is perfect for applique! Learn Sashiko techniques to make a bamboo background design and how to easily form your applique shapes with Templar, needle turning or paper-piecing. Discover how to perfect your invisible hand applique stitch. Two variations are offered; Heliconia, a small project in our book Asian Elegance, or "Sexy Pink", a larger, more complex pattern.

Linked Shapes (21" x 38")

Construct a small quilt using English paper-piecing to join hexagons and triangles made from big Hawaiian or Japanese prints. Embellish with Sashiko designs.

Plumeria floating on Water (22" x 33")

This small wall quilt combines Sashiko with hand applique. Plumeria petals are formed using Templar and are layered to give them dimensio. Learn the tricks of invisible applique.

Passion Flower "Lilikoi" (27" x 37")

This wall quilt combines hand applique with embroidery embellishment. Learn needle turn, paper pieced, and iron over Templar applique methods to form flowers, leaves, and buds. Flowers will be assembled and detailed with basic embroidery stitches before they are appliqued to background. Learn how to use silk thread for perfect invisible applique.

Sea-Grass & Fish (29" x 36")

The fish can be either machine or hand appliqued. Learn how to choose & "fussy cut" fabrics that give your fish dimension and movement. Use fusible machine and hand applique techniques: Templar, paper-pieced, and needle turned. Add a simple repeated Sashiko design.

Tropical Sashiko

Tropical Sashiko Sampler Workshop »

Previous Sashiko Workshop information and photos »