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Trapunto Embroidered Pillow

October 24, 2025 @ 9:00 am

Free

Have you ever run your hand over a beautifully raised motif - the kind on a cushion that seems to have its own little heartbeat?

That’s Trapunto and in this 9am – 3pm full-day workshop, we’ll explore how machine trapunto can elevate your crafty life. Using modern tools and clever techniques, you’ll learn how to give fabric dimension, texture and rich visual drama.

Whether you’re crafting for joy, décor, or just wanting your textile work to turn heads – you’ll leave with a pillow, a fresh skillset and the confidence to trapunto like you always saw in inspiration photos.

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What You’ll Learn

1. Foundations & Tools: Knowing Your Materials

We’ll go through what really makes machine trapunto tick: types of batting (high loft vs lower loft), stabilizers, threads, marking tools and machines feet that make the work smoother. You’ll see why some fabrics show off the puffy effect better than others and how design choices (motif shape, fabric color & contrast) affect the outcome.

2. Step-by-Step Technique: Trapunto by Machine

Next up: hands-on process.

  • Marking and planning the motif (outline)
  • Layering the batting with stabilizer
  • Stitching the outline (temporary, sometimes with water-soluble thread) to hold everything together, following machine trapunto guides. 
  • Trimming the batting just around the stitched motif so the raised (puffed) portion shows clearly. 
  • Completing the background quilting or stitching to emphasize the raised part, adding contrast or texture.

3. Making a Pillow (Your First Project)

You’ll put the technique into action by making a trapunto pillow cover. It’s the perfect size for learning all the steps: planning, stitching, trimming, finishing. Once you’ve made a pillow (and seen how the raised motifs transform with quilting around them), you’ll have the confidence to scale up – bedspreads, wall-hangings, quilts, whatever your heart wishes.

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4. Tips, Traps & Flair

Because trapunto can be unforgiving if you don’t know the shortcuts: we’ll cover common pitfalls (thread tension, batting that compresses too much, trimming mistakes, shift of layers, marking tools showing through) and exactly how to avoid them. We’ll also explore how to make designs more expressive – playing with lace trims, raised satin stitches, contrasting quilting to make the raised areas “pop,” even faux-trapunto effects.

Why This Workshop Is for You

  • You get immediate, tangible results: finish a beautiful pillow you’ll love or give.
  • You’ll unlock a powerful decorative technique, with modern tools, so you don’t spend endless hours fighting with hand methods.
  • Relaxed atmosphere & friendly support – everyone learns at their pace, mistakes are just part of the fun!
  • This opens a door: once you learn this, you’ll apply it to bedspreads, quilts, jackets, and gifts. It’s a craft upgrade!

FAQ

Tools & Consumables

  • Your embroidery machine
  • Your machine embroidery kit
  • A 4×4″ up to 16×16″ size hoop & templates
  • 75/11 Embroidery needle
  • A USB stick
  • Adhesive spray

For the Trapunto

  • 1/2m plain linen fabric not less than 120cm in width (colour of your choice).
  • 1x spool of Marathon or Isacord thread (colour of your choice).
  • 1m cut-away stabilizer (soft, but strong)
  • 1x spool bobbin fill
  • 1x 2cm thick batting

This is designed any embroiderer from confident beginner to advanced. 

This workshop focuses on machine trapunto. All the major raising / quilting / trimming is done with machine work. Hand finishing (if any) will be minimal. The goal is to give you a fast, effective, beautiful result.

What if I’m slow or have difficulty trimming / handling the raised batting?

That’s normal – in fact, many of the techniques we teach (pulling batting tight, using sharp small scissors for trimming, pinning or stabilizing layers) are because of common trouble spots.

We’ll help you work through it step by step; also will show tips to make trimming safe, clean and quick without damaging stitches.

Once you’ve clicked the button to reserve your seat, you’ll receive an email confirming your reservation.

But please note: your spot is only temporarily held. To secure it, you’ll need to make payment using the link provided in the email.

Please visit our FAQ page for more information.

Details

Date:
October 24, 2025
Time:
9:00 am
Cost:
Free
Sewing Instructor:
Hester Engelbrecht
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