Upcoming Classes & Groups

Wednesdays are a Sit & Sew opportunity. Most Wednesdays throughout the year this group meets to catch up and enjoy their sewing home away from home. The only weeks we don’t meet are January and school holidays.

This is a great group, the regular girls have been meeting for many years, more than 12 now I think! The girls sew anything and everything and sometimes don’t sew at all. It’s not a formal class with tuition. Just a lovely relaxing sit and sew! A chance to concentrate on your work for a day or to chat and meet other happy quilters. Whilst there is a core group who come regularly they are very welcoming of newcomers to the area or occasional visitors to Berry. 

Maybe you are quilter on the road who would like to stop and sew with company for a day? The girls would love to hear about your adventures and see what you’re making! Maybe you’re a Shoalhaven local who would like some occasional company? Well you are very welcome to book in and join us.  If needed, we have machines to hire.  Machine hire is $10 per day and hirers must provide their own quality thread.

Cost is $20 per person per session. Includes morning tea and all day tea & coffee. Note: The groups has been pretty fulll since covid has reduced our classroom capacity. Please phone 4464 3387 to check on availability because there can be occasional spaces or we can add you to the waitlist. 

No group in School Holiday Dates: (7th & 14th April) (30th June & 7th July) (22nd & 29th Sept) Last meeting for year 15th Dec. 

A usual Wednesday suspect: Mardi our super finisher!

Another Regular: Lee-Anne finishing her 30 year old candle wicking project!

The Wednesday Core: Ready to welcome you!

All busy Sewing!

The Wednesday Women in the newly renovated classroom April 18

Mary Showing off a pieced quilt back.

Sue & Mardi enjoying a joke, probably at my expense…

Wednesday Women Xmas Parties in the old shop.

You must book in if this class sounds like it’s for you!

Well it’s not really therapy in a clinical sense!!! But there is definitely healing power in spending a day stitching in inspiring and creative company!!

Bookings for this class are made by phoning the store. ph 4464 3387. Scroll down to read more about the class and see images of the style of work made in class. 

Popular teacher Jennifer Corkish teaches all her techniques in two classes a month. These take place regularly on the first Saturday of each month and the Fourth Thursday of each month. Jennifer comes along to each class with new quilts and projects she has designed: from her own take on the popular Japanese Boro technique to fine applique, English paper piecing, wool applique and stitch embellishment and more…! If you can’t come regularly: see also the special days in our calendar dedicated to making the Something About Japan Quilt. 

Jennifer has been a teacher at Berry Quilt & Co. since we opened in 2016 and also taught for approximately six years at Berry Patchwork prior to that. Jennifer has built up a number of regular students who have been coming to her classes and making her quilts ever since she began teaching in Berry which is quite a recommendation! Jen is an experienced and encouraging teacher who over the years has helped many along their creative journey. She is able to help you work on projects designed to develop your skills or to extend your own creative ideas. Jen is such a valued member of the Berry Quilt & Co team and we are proud to say that she’s not currently teaching regularly at any other quilt store, so here in the Shoalhaven, we are very lucky to be benefiting from her experience, diverse creativity and interests! Please click through to her teacher profile to read more about Jennifer’s making and teaching experience.

What You Can Learn With Jennifer 

Casual or beginner participants in Jennifer’s classes often attend to learn Japanese Boro stitching. Pictured below, Boro is a traditional Japanese mending technique utilising layered scraps of material and sashiko style running stitches to hold it all together. Jennifer has devised a method of making boro fabric suitable for our modern fabrics and equipment for use in quilts, bags, table runners, clothing etc. You may learn this technique in one of Jens monthly classes or book in to a class in Sept 2021 to learn this technique specifically.  

Teaching applique using the ‘stay in’ Hugs ‘n Kisses Applique paper is also a specialty of Jennifer’s. Beginners can start with one of the blocks from Jennifer’s well known Flower’s & Urn Quilt, pictured below is an excellent place to start and this block has been made in so many different color combinations from bright, to Japanese to traditional and reproduction. Begin in one lesson with the starter block and turn it into a wall hanging or cushion OR go on to continue to make the whole quilt. The centre medallion from the Purity quilt is another good place to start an appliqué project and the 1930s Inspired Appliqué Sampler ‘Hoping for a Grandbaby’ could be as large or small a project as you’d like to make it. 

English paper piecing (EPP) has featured in many of Jennifer’s quilts over the years and you could begin a project making Jennifer’s fussy cut crosses quilt or a Jennifer’s strip hexagon quilt that gets you started with hexagons without you having to make the whole quilt top from hand made hexagons. There is also the new ‘Liquorice Allsorts’ hexagon EPP  project which is again customisable to a size that suits you. 

Working with stitch embellishment is also a forte of Jennifer’s. and the girls in all Jen’s classes enjoy the projects that have scope for hand stitching embellishment. Jen can help you begin a Japanese Sashiko stitching panel and turn it into a wallhanging or quilt or she can turn traditional appliquéd projects into unique appliquéd designs from using wool felt and lush coloured threads as well as cotton fabric, everything can be a vehicle for stitch embellishment. Have a look through the images below for ideas of where Jennifer’s class could lead you. 

Stitch embellished garments and covered Yazzi sewing storage bags have also been made in Jennifer’s classes. Waistcoats and jackets made from Japanese inspired boro stitching have been made with Jen’s assistance. You’d need to have a chat about what you’re thinking how it would come together before booking in but chat to us if you’re interested. Similarly woven and/or stitched or EPP coverings have been made for Yazzi sewing bags both large and small. Jen can help you with these projects.   

How Class is Structured:

The class has a loose relaxed structure where regular participants work on Jennifer’s original designs at their own pace and build up skills as they progress though the projects. Usually in class all the participants are working different projects and often on more than one project at once. Occasionally, after a number of projects have been completed, class members have requested that Jennifer help them design a unique project, which Jennifer is happy to work on with the student, making it a very personalised class. Sometimes a group evolves to work together and ‘demand’ from Jennifer certain styles of projects, which has happened to an extent with the Thursday group in 2020. The core girls here very much enjoy small stitch embellished projects such as bags, stitch diaries, album books and more. They are very creative and enjoy seeing and celebrating each others results.  

You will find plenty of helpful advice, skills and friendship in this lively class. Jennifer is very good at getting you started on a project and helping you with fabric selection and requirements. All of Jennifer’s students produce quite different and unique results. I’m always amazed at how differently the same quilts can turn out with different fabric choices. As a teacher Jennifer is very open to working with your fabric choices and helping you get the best results from what you begin with. She has also been in class support for beginning to end of complicated projects designed by others. For example: The Dear Jane Quilt by Jane A Stickle,  the Mrs Billings Coverlet by Karen Styles or the Towns and Trailblazers Quilt by Jennifer Wulff . If any of these quilts appeal to you and you wanted assistance to select a colour palette and get started you could start and continue to work on one of those projects in Jennifer’s class. (As long as you have purchased your own copy of the relevant pattern or book.)

Whilst most people book in to Jennifer’s class on a yearly basis (and access a generous Enrolled Class member discount) it is possible to book in for one or two casual classes (where vacancies exist) to explore a new technique or to begin an ongoing project. You can see if places are available at the end of this entry, where it will allow you to add the class to your cart if there is space. If you would like to book for more than one month, click through the class calendar to the next month and add that class to your cart as well.

Jennifer’s groups are very popular and are often booked out! Casual places, if available, may be booked by phoning the store. ph 4464 3387

2021 Thursday Dates:

28th January, 25th February, 25th March, 22nd April, 27th May, 24th June, 22nd July, 26th August , 23rd September, 28th October, 25th November, 16th Dec * (*One week earlier due to Xmas.)  

Images of the Projects:

This gallery shows the style of work that Jen is making and things that the girls have made in class over the years. Jen specialises in supporting you to personalise your project with her designs as. jumping off point. As you can see, they are all very different. We encourage you to come and visit on a class day, meet the girls and see the things they’re working on and have a chat about what you could undertake. 

Jennifer Corkish Quilt Teacher in Class at Berry with two of her projects. 

A great photo of Janice in class with Jennifer Corkish. This shot shows her applique block in progress, the sample Bright Block by Jennifer and larger quilt  by Mary Lawler on the wall behind. 

Jennifer Corkish ‘Purity’. A small quilt perfect for learning Jennifer’s Appliqué Techniques.

 

Judy’s soft and pretty Purity

Design Process for the Amber Palace applique Quilt

The new Amber Palace Quilt in progress. This one by Noelene. Inspired by wall motifs at an Indian place.

Girls in Jen’s Sat class working hard!

Rhonda’s Amber Palace Quilt in the classroom full of Jennifer’s samples including the original.

Melissa’s amazing bright felt embellished updated ‘Sarah Evans’ quilt designed by Jennifer

Ari’s ‘mini’ Garden Fantasy quilt designed by Jennifer

Garden Fantasy by Jennifer with Judges commendation at the Sydney Quilt Show

The Towns and Trailblazers Quilt by Jen Wulff with design assistance by Jen Corkish

Jennifer’s Birdbath Quilt in progress.

Rhonda with her just finished Birdbath Quilt. Another great version with a fresh china blue colour way.

A bright colourway of Flowers and Urns by Janice showing the Bright Block in centre.

Kerrie’s Japanese Inspired Flowers and Urns

Anne’s super elegant version of the Flowers and Urns Appliqué Quilt

The Bright Block, centre of the flowers and urns Quilt is a good stand alone starter project.

Jennifer Corkish Quilt Teacher in class with some of her Japanese inspired work.

The Japanese tile inspired table runner EPP project in two colour ways.

Jennifer’s 2021 Teaching Quilt Something About Japan. A memory album of a trip to Japan using neutral yarn dyes and indigos.

Faye’s stitch embellished version of Something about Japan. Isn’t it rich and exciting with a dark background!

Jen’s lovely appliqué sampler called Hoping for a Grandbaby. (Shhh! Don’t tell Nathan!) Done here with low volume backgrounds.

Debbie’s lovely version of Jen’s appliqué sampler Hoping for a Grandbaby. I love the coloured backgrounds.

The EPP project Quilt of the Crosses in Reproduction Colours. Lots of scope here for fun with fussy cutting.

A hexagon EPP project called Licorice Allsorts featuring Jen Kingwell’s Lollies fabric

 

Boro Table Runner by Jennifer Corkish as featured in Quilter’s Companion

 

Joanne’s amazingly detailed boro style quilt.

Jen with Jenny H’s happy version of the Japanese Tiles runner turned into a quilt.

Both Jens with Jen H’s lovely Japanesy version of the folded ‘pikelets’. A meditative, often hand done, quilt as you go project.

Mrs Billings Coverlet by class member Joanne Pollard

Joanne’s Amazing Dear Jane Quilt

Jen with Rhonda’s nearly done Strippy Hexagon quilt.

This class is for the Boxed up Quilt which appeared in the April issue of the Homespun magazine. It is a very elegant quilt when made from Japanese fabric and can be pretty, bright or soft depending on the fabric choices you make.

The quilt was named after the way you close the top of a cardboard box without tape. Have you ever done this? You tuck each flap under the other so they ‘swirl’ and don’t flip open. 

The magazine version is a single bed or couch throw size, however, Sharon can show you see ways to customise or re-size the quilt to suit your bed, stash or available fabric. The original quilt is made from three inch strips of Japanese fabric but can easily be adapted for Jelly Roll sided strips. 

In class you will earn to make the seemingly tricky ‘partially seamed’ blocks that seem to swirl around the centre of the block. Like many patchwork techniques they appear tricky until you are shown how. Make a few to learn the technique or make the whole quilt. In class, Sharon can help you choose fabrics from your stash if you’d like a scrappy version or visit the store before hand and collect a Japanese fabric Boxed Up Kit or pick up a Jelly Roll. 

The class is taken by Shop Owner Sharon Thomson who loves to see people learn new things and discover new skills.

The Boxed Up Quilt on show at Japan in Berry with Quilting by Maxine Sandry. Thanks Maxine!!

The top before quilting showing the partial seam construction.

An almost finished sample of a jelly roll friendly colourful version of Boxed Up.

The magazine spread for Boxed Up Quilt

The April Issue of Homespun Magazine

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A page from the magazine article.