We start our month getting ready for Easter. There is a great tip from Tess Grace from The Indian Block Print Co for making cards. Then Gail Penberthy shows us how to make some fabulous wreaths. These can be hung inside or out. Plus, she has a great little idea for making Easter Boxes to hide the Easter chocs in (and you get to use up some wadding and fabric scraps).

Vendulka Battais gives us a very comprehensive workshop, showing us how to make the traditional cathedral window patchwork her way. There will be kits to buy as well so you can make a quick start.

Our knitting expert Daphne Morris shares with us the importance of blocking your knitting to get that perfect fit and finish and Nancy Adamek brings us Part 2 of her English Paper Piecing Tudor Rose Table runner series.

Kate Findlay is in the studio showing us how to make charming lavender bags. These include simple embroidery which the younger generation can also help with. Lorna Bateman will be demonstrating some Crazy patchwork embroidery on lovely pin-cushions.

Our technique Thursday for April features Jennie Rayment. She will show us how to use a Double Wedding Ring template from EZ quilting.

Valerie Nesbitt has a brand new workshop called Crossing Sashing. Here she creates lovely quilt designs using only 3 fabrics and some simple piecing. There is also a brand new video from Paula Doyle on upcycling and recycling.  It’s hot off the press and still in production as you watch this trailer
The Makers Studio
Finally we want to tell you about some brand new films we’ve made in collaboration with Janome. As the first series of “I Didn’t Like To Ask” videos proved so popular, we made 11 more!

All demonstrating how to use different stitches on your sewing machine to make beautiful effects, all designed to answer the questions we didn’t like to ask and hosted by Valerie Nesbitt & Jayne Brogan. AND we’re also launching a new, longer form video series this month: The Makers Studio.

Each episode of The Makers Studio will feature one of the UK’s leading textile artists who will walk us through how to make their specialist project, in our studio, with host Faye Hatcher and experts Valerie and Jayne.

Our first episode features textile artist, Dionne Swift. You’ll be riveted while watching Dionne demonstrate how she makes the sewing machine draw – her needle becomes the pen and the thread becomes the ink.

Click to learn more about Daphne Morris, Gail Penberthy, Jennie Rayment, Kate Findlay, Lorna Bateman, Nancy Adamek, Paula Doyle, Sallieann Harrison, Tess Grace, Valerie Nesbitt and Vendulka Battais.