Classes & Sew Days

The Guild runs classes for members throughout the year. Most workshops run on Saturdays, starting at 10am. The venue opens at 9:30am for setup, and classes usually finish around 4pm. Some classes require preparation beforehand, so please check any pre‑class instructions to ensure you’re ready for the day.

Fees

Class costs may vary depending on the tutor and materials, and are often subsidised by the Guild.
To book, please pay to the Guild account: 01‑1167‑0013764‑00 Include your name and the tutor’s name in the reference. A confirmation email will be sent once payment is received.

Booking Your Place

You’re welcome to submit an expression of interest, but your spot is only confirmed once payment is received.

First paid = first confirmed.

If you need to withdraw, refunds are only given if a replacement attendee can be found or if the committee determines a refund is appropriate.

Class Enquiries

Contact Fiona at fiona.vining@gmail.com for all class information.

Classes in 2026

Colour Class - Marge Hurst

Saturday 31st October @ 10am - 4pm

Waikanae Bridge Club

Marge Hurst has also kindly agreed to run a practical colour class which will be on Saturday 31 October. Some of you may have done the class at Nancy's Embroidery when it was taught as "Long, Hot summer".

This is a class for exploration and experimentation with colour and fabrics of all sorts of styles and designs are the key words for this class. Be prepared to go beyond your comfort zone in combining fabrics and you will make a dramatic quilt. There will be some sharing and swapping of fabrics and Marge will bring a few fabrics to share.

On the first half-day we will spend most of the time playing with fabric choices, you could wait to purchase all or most of your fabrics on the day if you wish. We will also discuss the block possibilities and some sewing hints.

The class will be $35 for the day. If you would like to enrol, please email fiona.vining@gmail

.com and pay the fee into the club bank account.

Please Note this class now has a waitlist so if you haven’t paid please pay as soon as you can or let Fiona know you are still interested.

Soup and Sew Day

Saturday 11th July @ 10am - 4pm

Waikanae Bridge Club

The committee will provide Soup and buns for lunch (if you have any special dietary needs you might need to bring your own lunch). You get to sew your own projects and if you need help there will be an experienced quilter on hand to help.

If you want to come along please sign up with Donna Jordan at donnajordan242@gmail.com

Catherine McDonald - Dying Play Date

Saturday, 9th May 2026 @10am -3pm

An introduction to dyeing, stamping, stenciling, and experimenting with different fabric treatments

Class fee: $55
Material fee: $65 This is paid on the Day to the tutor (includes 7 Fat Quarters plus all paints/dyes)

Please register your commitment with Fiona on fiona.vining@gmail.com and put your payment for $55 through via internet banking

Our Account No is: 01-1167-0013764-00.

Sew Day

Saturday 11th April @ 10am - 3pm

Waikanae Community Centre

This is a fun day where you can bring your own projects and meet other club members in a relaxed environment. Bring your machine if you like or hand stitch. Remember to bring your own lunch.

There is a $10 charge for the day to cover hall hire.

Please register with Fiona Duncan Email: fiona.vining@gmail.com

and put your payment of $10 through to the Club account 01-1167-0013764-00

Jo Dixey - Free Cut Houses

Saturday, 21st March 2026 @10am -3pm

A fun way to use up your small scraps of fabric. Spend the day stitching crazy houses. You will create a pile of houses during the day and I will talk you through ways to join them together to create a village.

$45 per person.

Please register your commitment with Fiona on fiona.vining@gmail.com and put your payment through via internet banking

Our Account No is: 01-1167-0013764-00.

Classes in 2025

New York Beauty Class

Sheryl Anicich

Saturday 15th February & 10th May

Struggling to start the beginning of my promotional piece for our first class of 2025, I decided to consult GPChat for advice. In seconds I was told: "A New York Beauty quilt is a traditional and intricate design featuring a distinctive pattern of curved, pointed, and often radiating sections. It typically includes a series of arcs and sharp points, resembling a sunburst or a stylized flower. The design is often created using a combination of piecing and appliqué techniques, and it can be made with a variety of colors, though historically, it was often seen in vibrant, contrasting shades.

The "New York Beauty" name likely stems from its association with quilts made in New York during the 19th century, though the precise origins are a bit murky. The pattern itself can be quite complex, often requiring a high level of skill, but the results are stunning and full of dynamic movement. Modern interpretations of New York Beauty quilts can be made with contemporary fabrics, but the essence of the design remains rooted in its historical tradition.

The pattern is sometimes broken up into different sections, and quilters often personalize it by adding borders or playing with the arrangement of the colors. It’s a beloved pattern for quilters who enjoy a challenge and are looking to create something visually striking."

GPChat finished with "Are you thinking of making a New York Beauty quilt, or just curious about it?" Well, dear newsletter reader, if you are thinking of making one, look no further! Sheryl Anicich will be taking us on a two day creating journey on Saturday 15th February and 10th May. There are places available and the 2 day course is $90. Sheryl assures me you can make the quilt from scrap material. The first day will focus on design.

You can check out a couple of Sheryl's award winning New York beauties on this site GNZQS 2021 Winners | Aotearoa Quilters. The latest quilt from 2023 Symposium (above) and recent 'in progress' panels (below).

To register for this amazing class please email Corrine at kcqclasses@gmail.com

Date to be Advised 2025 Class

– it’s a classic!

The Churn Dash block is a 9-Patch quilt block pattern, dating back to the early 19th century. It’s called churn dash because the triangle and rectangle perimeter of the block looks like a butter churn (from the top), with the centre square representing the stick (or “dash”) of churn. But it’s also known as Broken Plate, Double Monkey Wrench, Double T, Dragon's Head, Fisherman's Reel, Hens and Chickens, Hole in the Barn Door, Indian Hammer, Joan's Doll Quilt, Lincoln's Platform, Love Knot, Ludlow's Favorite, Old Mill Design, Picture Frame, Puss in the Corner, Quail's Nest, Sherman's March, Shoo Fly, and Wrench. Two hundred years ago, this block was one of the first patterns learned by young girls. Fast forward to 2025, and this could be a project you use to introduce a young person to quilting!

Di Barnden, our tutor, has designed a stunning project, using blocks of different sizes. The project lends itself to fussy cutting and is a great choice for expanding your machine quilting skills as the block lends itself to experimenting with intricate quilting designs.

This class has been cancelled and will be revisited later int the year. Please register your interest by emailing kcqclasses@gmail.com

Classes in 2024

End of Year Class -UFO DAY

Its Starting to Feel like Christmas

This will be a UFO sewing day

on Saturday 23rd November 2024

Time 10.00am till 3.00pm

Waikane Bridge Club

Elizabeth Street

Waikanae

This is a great opportunity to finish off your quilts or get your Christmas stocking

started and maybe finished.

Please register your interest with Corrine on kcqclasses@gmail.com

Previous Classes

Di Barnden - Circles and Squares Quilt

August 24th

THIS CLASS IS FULL

This is a quilt that combines piecing and applique and is an ideal project to show off themed fabrics that you have been collecting. Di made her quilt in African themed fabrics, in a color palette from nature using earthy shades. But you can use large and small florals, NZ themed fabrics, leaf fabrics, and different shades of one colour.

Needs list to follow

Contact Lesley on kcqclasses@gmail.com

Dianne Southey - Inktense Painting class.

June 15th

Dianne shared her knowledge of using Inktense pencils on fabric to create new and interesting fabrics and designs and how to add colour to existing fabric designs.

This was a fun Play day with everyone experimenting and making something different. Who knew there were so many creative artists in our club.

A sample of a students work.

Jane Bloxham - Visible Mending / Embellishment Workshop

April 13th.

Participants brought garments they would like to mend/embellish visibly in a creative way and Jane went through some of the techniques in the workshop.

Jane worked through the boro techniques of patching visibly and how denim can be worked as well as the basic sashiko running stitches used to hand stitch the garments.

These two techniques were not the pure Japanese methods as Jane had created a contemporary approach. Previous experience with sashiko was an advantage but not necessary."

Photo at right: Participants in the workshop show off their reworked garments

Photos below: Examples of Jane Bloxham's work.

Sat 28th October

Bag Class - Tutor - Donna Jordan

This class showed the basic things to do in assembling a bag. I do "by annie.com" bag patterns and once you have mastered the basics you can do any of her patterns. The pattern we use is Pocket Packers - a project bag to store your work etc in. The class will cover inserting zippers , using vinyl and mesh and doing bias bindings.

Donna Jordan

Images of Bags made at Donna's Class from Show and Tell

Wed August 16th - Jenny Hunter - Kawandi

Presbyterian Church Hall

Somer information about this technique:

Called kawandi, the quilts are made by women of the Siddi ethnic group, descendants of early African migrants to South Asia, including slaves brought by Portuguese colonists in the 16th century.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFd0xEfKeto

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mQdXT4pmEA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNAnxYnJGyM

Mary Jane Sneyd - Using Valuies and Shadows

Mary Jane is a self-taught textile artist. Her background is predominantly in science and medicine and until January 2022 she worked as a cancer researcher.

She is particularly interested in the portrayal of the human form and all parts of the human body. In 2014 after discovering Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) online, and retiring from viola playing, she began an exploration into portraiture and nudes. She creates realistic textile works, predominantly nudes, people and portraits, and sometimes incorporates social commentary based on the human form.

She is an artist member of the Otago Art Society, a member of Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA), Gondwana Textile Artists, and Aotearoa Quilters.

She currently has 4 fabric artworks touring in the USA and Australia/New Zealand, and 4 have recently returned from touring. Two artworks have been selected for a book about art inspired by birds to be published late 2023. She won the viewers’ choice award in the National Cleveland Art Awards in 2021 for ‘Bertie and Mac’, ‘Black Panther’ won an award in the Cat exhibition at the Otago Art Society in 2021, and she received a Special Commendation in the Hope and Sons exhibition, 2022 for ‘Sundown’. Her work is in private collections in France, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Hong Kong, China, the USA, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. Mary Jane won 1st place in the Members' Challenge "LINES" at Aotearoa Quilters Great New Zealand Quilt Show in Rotorua in May this year. Her quilt is shown on the right

Mary Jane says:

"For any of my classes YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE ABLE TO DRAW. I have never done art and I cannot draw to save myself.

I teach theory and techniques so in the future you can work in a realistic style. For this class I concentrate on teaching about using

fabric value (lightness or darkness) instead of colour to achieve realism. All techniques you will learn in this class can be applied

to other forms of art quilting or textile Using Values and Shadows.

Mary Jane's 1 day class was a technique and theory class. In it she teaches about value and how to apply it to fabric. It also includes an introduction to making shadows.

27 May - Suzanne Sage - Intermediate Free Motion Quilting - ferns and fauna

This was s a skill builder class focused on feathers and taking those basic feather skills and applying them to leaves and fauna. Feathers don’t have to take a traditional shape although we do work with the more traditional feather as well as many variations. We start out with non backtrack feathers… a good place to start to get the juices flowing, before moving on to continuous and heirloom (hump and bump) feathers. Along the way we will play with variations on each of those methods and applying our feathers to various shapes.