If you want to learn about Sweet Sixteens, landscape quilting, threads, and more .... one of the best people is Sue Patten who just happens to be one of the HQ National Educators!!!
Google will lead you to learn more about her.
As a FYI ... her blog is still up but ended a couple years ago.
She seems to be posting to FB more so now.
To answer your questions ... when I took a S16 class with her, that was one of the reasons why she loved the machine as it seemed to be impossible to stump it and had not shown any limitations. You wouldn't believe what all she had done with it .... and IRL projects, not just sample sandwiches. Alternative fabrics were endless. Any sort of thread. Of course, this requires the operator (or in your case the instructor) to know it intensely) and how to adjust the tension accordingly.
Sue is incredible, not just in knowledge, but her enthusiasm tops it all! She does a lot of shows all around the world, so I am hoping that she just may be leading your class.
Yes a S16 requires special needles and bobbins. However, I would hope that the workshop is providing those, as otherwise, what will you do with them after? (unless you purchase a machine!
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P.S. ... how are you coming with your January list?
delegated any more to your DH?
I hope that they have someone of Sue's calibre there with you, as t