Karen Marshall (left), of Thread Maiden in Oamaru, Judith Bingham, of Oamaru, and Amanda Coldicott (right), of Christchurch, show off the penguin hussifs they are making at Enhance in Thames St during the Sustainable Skills Summer School 2016.
The festival of learning began its sixth year on Saturday and runs until February 7.
Mrs Coldicott travelled to Oamaru for the weekend with her husband after picking up a brochure at an organic co-operative in Riverton.
"I'm enjoying it immensely, I'm learning a lot,'' she said while stitching together her travel-size, penguin-shaped sewing kit.
(The term hussif is a derivation of ‘‘housewife'' and the small sewing kits were used by soldiers in World War 1.)
More than 60 courses are on offer including vertical gardening, crowdfunding, mindfulness, upcycling, DIY recording and bookbinding.
Course listings are available at www.sustainableoamaru.org.nz
