Hillside Quilting

The official catalog lists a four-course Skill Builder sequence. The first project is a table runner and mats, followed by Simple Circles, Feather Play Cushion, and Circles Rule. Descriptions connect the projects with ruler quilting, straight lines, circles, feathers, and designing a whole-cloth piece.

Tidy Tote is a separate project with three hours of video and PDF patterns. Those details should not be applied automatically to every Skill Builder class. The catalog’s specificity is useful: you can decide whether the project and template technique match your interests before choosing an individual course or the bundle.

The courses use on-demand video and downloadable pattern material, with individual enrollment links in the catalog. There is no verified live cohort schedule on the course page. A quilter can therefore plan the practical work around their own sewing setup, while checking the actual access period before purchase.

Three hours of video for Tidy Tote describes viewing material, not the time needed to finish the item. Preparing materials, setting up the machine, practicing the technique, and assembling the project are separate activities. The visible course descriptions do not establish a universal completion deadline or guaranteed finished-project time.

Anita Ellis describes herself as having accredited status from Bill and Leonie West of Westalee Designs. That is a statement about the instructor’s relationship with the template brand. It does not establish that students receive an accredited qualification after watching a course.

No academic award or assessed professional quilting credential is identified in the catalog. For a hobby quilter seeking help with a specific template set, that may not matter. If the goal is a formal textile qualification, compare the separate City & Guilds pathways at School of Stitched Textiles rather than treating brand-specific teacher accreditation as the same thing.

The four individual Skill Builder classes are shown at A$30 each, and Tidy Tote at A$65. On October 5, 2026, the four-course Skill Builder Set was displayed at A$100 against A$120. These are Australian-dollar amounts, so a US buyer should confirm the currency and final card charge rather than read the dollar sign as US currency.

The catalog page does not establish a refund window, installment plan, or free trial. Older, less specific plan prices are less useful than the clearly labeled current course prices and are not treated here as verified offers. Check whether any required templates or other supplies are included; the catalog alone does not prove that they are.

Hillside is best for a machine quilter who wants a concrete project and already has, or plans to obtain, the relevant Westalee tools. The individual-course format is useful if only one technique is needed. The bundle makes more sense when the learner intends to follow all four listed projects.

Skip it as a general introduction to all forms of sewing or an assessed textile career pathway. A learner who wants embroidery, garment construction, or a broad design curriculum should inspect another provider. Someone unsure about machine and template compatibility should resolve that issue before buying instruction built around those tools.

The project descriptions are a strength because they make the intended output visible. Named instruction by Anita Ellis and the connection with Westalee template techniques create a focused offer. Videos with PDF patterns, where specified, also connect demonstration with material that can be used at the machine.

The relatively low individual prices allow a smaller commitment than a long qualification course, and the published bundle provides a clear saving in Australian dollars. The drawbacks are the narrow equipment-related focus and the international currency for US shoppers. Commercial details such as refund rights and access duration also remain less visible than the basic course prices.

School of Stitched Textiles is the only other provider in our sewing category, with a much more sustained, staged learning model. Domestika offers an adjacent marketplace for browsing creative projects. Hillside’s narrower role is helping you use machine-quilting templates through particular projects, so neither alternative is a direct match for its catalog.

School of Stitched Textiles (City & Guilds Courses) provides distance learning in progressive skill stages, with courses lasting up to 1–2 years. Its City & Guilds accredited textile pathways appeal to serious makers seeking an internationally recognized qualification. Embroidery, crochet, patchwork and quilting, and stumpwork sit within a wider subject range. The UK school opens enrollment every 3–4 months to people who register interest, and its homepage does not publish tuition. Our textile-course comparison explores the difference between this assessed route and buying a specific quilting project.

Domestika Courses & Domestika Plus includes illustration, design, crafts, and photography taught by working artists for hobbyists and professionals. More than 100 self-paced video courses are added weekly, though depth and production vary by teacher. Plus supplies teacher-signed course certificates and advertises $13.79 per month with annual billing: $164.50 initially, renewing at $329. You can instead pay $33.90 monthly or purchase individual courses. Its broader creative range may be useful, but inspect the exact quilting content before treating it as an equipment-specific alternative.

Browse Sewing & Textiles for the specialist choices. Our review methodology explains how clearly defined projects, credibility, pricing, flexibility, and learner support shape an assessment like this one.

Choose the desired course’s Enroll link or the Skill Builder Set’s Buy Now route on the official catalog. Review the course description and required equipment before creating an account or paying. The page also provides Sign Up and Sign In links for the learning platform.

Confirm Australian-dollar billing, the exact included classes, access duration, and the refund policy. If buying Tidy Tote, check the video and pattern contents; if buying Skill Builder, check the template requirements for all four projects. Keep the product description so the bundle and any separately purchased supplies are clearly distinguished.