Description

Wildflowers Quilt Workshop with Janet Clare
1 -Day Workshop

Time: 10.00am – 4.00pm
Skill Level: All Levels, including Beginners

Janet Clare’s Wildflowers Quilt Workshop

One of the pleasures of walking the dog is stumbling across a little patch of vivid red poppies you weren’t expecting to see, or heading out on a winter walk and discovering the first snowdrops of the season. Janet Clare’s Wildflowers Quilt celebrates 12 beautiful wildflower species, combining intricately detailed appliqué with pretty Irish Chain blocks to create a charming little quilt to enjoy all year round.

Join Janet for a relaxed and inspiring day exploring the techniques behind this beautiful quilt. You’ll learn how to choose fabrics and create fusible appliqué, working step by step to make the flower blocks using the templates and diagrams in Janet’s book. Janet will also introduce her distinctive free-motion stitching technique, using your sewing machine to ‘draw’ details onto the appliqué and bring the flowers to life. No drawing skills are required!

You’ll explore embroidery techniques to add delicate details and stitch the names of the flowers, as well as learning how to make the Irish Chain blocks that complete the quilt setting. Janet will also talk through different options for finishing your quilt, including layering and quilting.

There is more to the Wildflowers quilt than can be completed in one day, but by the end of the workshop you’ll have learnt all the techniques you need to continue confidently at home. A copy of Janet Clare’s Wildflowers book is included in the course fee, giving you everything you need to refer back to as you complete your quilt.

What You’ll Learn

During the workshop, Janet will guide you through fabric selection, fusible appliqué, free-motion machine stitching and embroidery techniques. You’ll learn how to create the flower blocks, add character and detail with your sewing machine, make the Irish Chain blocks and explore different ways to layer and finish your quilt. Janet will share plenty of hints and tips from her own experience, helping you develop the confidence to create your own unique version of Wildflowers.

What to Bring (or purchase on the day)

Your sewing machine with foot pedal, power lead, regular ¼” foot and instruction manual. You’ll also need a free-motion/darning foot suitable for your machine. Please check your machine manual before the workshop to see how to lower the feed dogs or disengage them for free-motion stitching.

For free-motion practice, please bring a couple of 12″ x 12″ pieces of plain neutral fabric or calico, together with matching pieces of wadding.

For the Irish Chain blocks, you will need approximately 1¼ yards cream fabric, ½ yard green fabric and ½ yard slate blue/green fabric. Scraps can be used for the cream fabric, so don’t worry about having one continuous piece.

For the appliqué blocks, bring a selection of greens, yellows, purples, blues and pinks, with a dash of red and white. Scraps are perfect, and there is no need to bring huge pieces — the finished blocks are approximately 9″ square. You’ll also need approximately 1 yard of cream fabric for the appliqué backgrounds, scraps for the flowers, approximately 1 metre of fusible web, a selection of threads for free-motion stitching and embroidery threads for adding details and flower names.

For the binding, bring approximately ½ yard of green fabric.

Please also bring your usual sewing kit, including scissors, pins and anything else you normally like to have with you, plus a notebook and pen.

Please don’t feel you need to have everything cut out before the workshop. You’ll only work on one or two blocks during the day, and Janet will guide you through the fabric choices and techniques as you go.

Finished quilt measures 45 ½” x 45 ½”.

Know Your Sewing Machine

To get the most from your workshop, please make sure you are familiar with your sewing machine and bring your instruction manual. We’ll be using your machine for both regular piecing and free-motion stitching, so it’s important to know how to change the presser foot and adjust your machine for free-motion work.

Please arrive with your machine threaded and ready to sew where possible. A new needle is recommended for free-motion stitching. Janet recommends loading the machine with a dark polyester thread for practice, as polyester is strong and forgiving when free-motion stitching. Grey Gutermann Sew-All polyester, colour 702, is a good choice.

If you’re unsure how to set up your particular machine for free-motion stitching, please contact us before the class. We want you to spend your workshop time sewing rather than trying to work out your machine!

Additional Information

The workshop takes place at Lady Sew and Sew, Farm Road, Henley-on-Thames, and is suitable for sewers with some basic sewing machine experience. You don’t need previous free-motion or appliqué experience — Janet will demonstrate the techniques and guide you through them step by step.

Please bring a packed lunch with you. Tea and coffee will be provided during the day. There are also places nearby where you can buy lunch if preferred.

There is free parking at the warehouse. Please use the designated car park at the bottom of the building, keeping the warehouse access and disabled parking areas clear.

You’ll also have the opportunity to browse our Warehouse Shop before and after the workshop and during breaks.

Cancellation Policy

If Lady Sew and Sew needs to cancel a workshop in exceptional circumstances, we will offer an alternative date where possible. If the alternative date isn’t suitable, we will provide a full refund. We will give as much notice as possible, with cancellations made no later than 48 hours before the workshop.

If you need to cancel your place, 14 days’ notice or more allows you to request a refund, less a 10% administration fee, or transfer your booking to another available class. Unfortunately, with less than 14 days’ notice, we are unable to offer a refund or transfer.

Please note that we cannot reimburse travel, accommodation or other costs incurred independently.

We look forward to welcoming you for a wonderful day of stitching, appliqué, embroidery and wildflowers with Janet Clare!

About Janet Clare

Janet Clare is a British textile designer, author, and quilter best known for her fabric collections with Moda Fabrics and her engaging, skill-building workshops. With a background in textiles and fashion, she has spent over 25 years developing a distinctive style that blends appliqué, free-motion stitching, and hand-drawn illustration. Her work is often inspired by nature, storytelling, and everyday moments, reflected in her soft colour palettes and expressive designs. As an experienced teacher and speaker, Janet regularly leads workshops that focus on creativity, design process, and building confidence, encouraging makers of all levels to explore their own unique textile voice.

Location
Lady Sew and Sew
Farm Road
Henley on Thames
Oxfordshire
RG9 1EJ
UK

Tel: 01491 572 528

Fri. 29th Apr. 2027 Wildflowers Quilt Workshop (Janet Clare)