2024 UK Retreats & Workshops
SEWING & QUILTING
Welcome to our 2024 Sewing & Quilting Weekend Craft Retreat section!
After careful consideration of a selection of key venues that might fulfil all our criteria, we're absolutely delighted to announce that our 2024 UK Weekend Crafting Retreat will take place at Rutland Hall Hotel, in the wonderfully picturesque county of Rutland (near Leicestershire, UK) over the weekend of Friday 27 September, Saturday 28 September and Sunday 29 September 2024 - please read on to learn all about our next exciting live event!...
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We'll be loading the FULL details of classes at the retreat in the coming days.
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27-29.09.24
Class times on
Saturday and Sunday
09.30-16.30 (BST)
(with lots of treats in-between!)
Weekend Craft Retreat!
Rutland Hall Hotel
near Oakham, Rutland
Sewing & Quilting with
Trudi Wood
Sarah Payne
Nicholas Ball
Sarah Hibbert
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2024 Rutland Hall Hotel Weekend Craft Retreat
Friday 27, Saturday 28 & Sunday 29 September 2024
Near Oakham, Rutland, LE15 8AB, United Kingdom
So, what do we have planned for you in 2024?!
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This exciting event will feature luminaries of the crafting world who will need little introduction to you - Trudi Wood, Sarah Payne (with her first aid class - read on), Nicholas Ball and Sarah Hibbert (to be announced soon!) - and you get to work with all of them!
Each tutor will also deliver a Trunk Show over the Friday & Saturday evenings! There will be a raffle and everyone will walk away with a little something!
Read on for more detail...(the video below on the left will show you your sewing room, it's not set up yet, but gives you a really great idea of space and light! The video on the right is an interview with the teachers!)
Join us in September 2024 in the beautiful county of Rutland for a truly fabulous weekend of crafting, trunk shows, relaxing spa-time, socialising, wonderful food and (perhaps most important of all) FUN!
On this fabulous CraftyMonkies 2024 Weekend Craft Retreat, not only will you have a re-invigorating, luxury break (the hotel even features a Spa!) away with like-minded 'crafty souls', but you will also work with FOUR of our fantastic CraftyMonkies tutors: Trudi Wood, Sarah Payne, Nicholas Ball and Sarah Hibbert...
The wonderful Rutland Hall Hotel in Rutland, very close to the equally lovely Leicestershire, is located just a few miles off the A1 (you need the A606 turn between Oakham and Stamford). The Weekend Craft Retreat ticket will see you welcomed by us with a drinks reception from 5.00pm on the evening of Friday 27th September 2024 , have a 9.30am start for craft classes on Saturday 28th September 2024 and Sunday 29th September 2024 to work with each of the four CraftyMonkies tutors for a morning and afternoon session, a two-night stay in a luxurious room within Rutland Hall Hotel - did we also mention you'll also have use of the beautiful Rutland Hall Hotel pool should you so desire?! - have a three-course dinner on the Saturday night, a cooked breakfast on both Saturday & Sunday mornings (lighter options are also available, as are meals for those with special dietary requirements, if needed) and be entertained with a couple of Trunk Shows in between! Lunch & light refreshments will be served on both days (again, all dietary requirements can be catered for) and you will walk away with some goodies too!
Rutland Hall Hotel fits within our CraftyMonkies Weekend Craft Retreat ethos: luxury, quality, attentive service, beautiful views and a stunning environment in which to learn, focus, relax, make friends, enjoy terrific food, (including cake!), and learn new invaluable skills. Did we mention a pool and spa visit is included in the price? Yes it is, but please note that any treatments in the newly refurbished Rutland Hall Hotel Spa are payable in addition to our core course fees and payment for such must be made direct to the hotel. Please also note that any treatments would also have to be pre-booked directly with the hotel prior to you arriving on the course.
Nicholas Ball - Saturday 28 September 2024
"When I began quilting I would often hear others say that binding the raw edges of the quilt was their least favourite part of the process. I couldn’t disagree more, even after the countless quilts I’ve bound since then! I love binding and it often surprises people when I tell them that enthusiastically. For me, the finishing of the quilt’s edge is a culmination of all the hard work that has gone into making it. I love each step, from choosing the fabric to hand stitching it down. I enjoy deciding on an edge treatment that suits the style of quilt and love to share all the other alternatives to double fold binding.
In this workshop we’ll explore several different options you can use to Finish the Edges of Your Quilted Projects. We’ll start by looking at some examples of my favourite types of finish before working through my preferred technique for simple binding step-by-step. I have perfected the way I make and attach my binding and you maybe surprised by some of the extra steps I take to ensure a great finish. I’ll be showing you how I cut my strips, press, machine stitch and hand finish. After looking at binding a curved and angular edge, we’ll move on to facings, for both a straight and wonky edge, before finishing the workshop with a pillow case method."
Trudi Wood - Saturday 28 September 2024
"I am so excited about this retreat, partly because Nicholas will be there, and as many of you will know I quilt Nicholas's quilts for him so I can certainly answer any questions you may have about his quilts and our collaborations! I've decided in this class to talk about how you can design your quilting for your finished quilts. In the class, we will be learning some FMQ Techniques that I LOVE teaching, we will have so much fun! You will definitely be able to play with some free motion quilting stitches during class, but the main part of the class will be how we create the quilted designs that will work perfectly with your quilt. I'm going to bring some plastic templates with me to lay over your quilts (if you bring some with you) on which you can draw patterns, and then we can sew together. If you don't have a quilt, it doesn't matter, we can use some plain fabrics and still talk and learn design principles. You will have so many new and fresh ideas when you leave."
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Sarah Payne - Sunday 29th September 2024​
"As many of you may know, in 2023 I spent the majority of my time in the hospital with a broken leg and then a stroke, so I've decided to set up an A&E clinic in the hotel! Well, not really, but it is going to be Sarah's First-Aid Clinic where you can bring any UFOs from home and sew them in the beautiful location of the Rutland Hotel with me on hand to help you if you need any advice. Alternatively, you may want to work on the projects you learnt the day before with Trudi and Nicholas and this session would give you the opportunity to sit, relax and sew those pieces! I'll probably bring some sewing along too and we can all have a lovely morning or afternoon together. It gives you a chance to rest your mind from all that learning and just relax, but have me on hand for guidance if you need it."
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Sarah Hibbert - Sunday 29th September 2024
"My class is going to be about Optical Illusions. I'm going to help you create a circle made from a square. I know, how is that even possible? For many of you who were on the retreat last year, you might already have a clue, but if you weren't, don't worry, I'm going to take you step-by-step through the process teaching you different techniques than I did last year. So for anybody who wasn't with us last year, it doesn't matter as we are starting afresh, and for anybody who was with us last year, I'm going to be building on what you learnt and teaching you new lessons!"
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Here's what you will need for your CraftyMonkies Retreat weekend:-
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Your own fabric you would like to sew with (more details to follow but it will simply be from your own stash, no need to buy anything fancy!)
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Sewing machine in good working order – with manual, and standard sewing machine feet. If you are unfamiliar with your machine, please take a few minutes to practice stitching in a straight line. You will need no further skills than that!
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Sewing threads in neutral colours (cream, ecru, greys – bring what you have!) and coloured swing machine threads for embroidery stitches.
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Rotary Cutter (45mm rotary cutter is the best size) and mat (18” x 24 approx so a fat 1ÂŽ4 fits on it easily) – please check that the cutting blade is sharp. I will have some spare bits of equipment, but it means you may have to share!
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Rulers – Easy Rule 2 (long ruler) and any square rulers you have hidden away will be useful.
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General sewing kit (pins, scissors, stitch ripper, etc).
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Optional items – craft iron and ironing mat (so you don’t have to queue!). There is an ironing station planned with domestic irons, so only bring small irons and don’t worry if you don’t have one – it’s not vital.
Rachel and all our tutors really are the most warm, engaging of souls and our total focus is on ensuring that you have an experience to remember - trying anything new is always a wee bit scary but don't be put off; jump in - you're going to love it!!!...We've curated a selection of teachers who can all teach something quite different across the weekend, traditional quilting, improv quilting and some mixed media/art! We aim to inspire you and gve you a lot of fun at the same time!
Ticketing
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For the Rutland Hall Hotel Weekend Craft Retreat we are offering TWO ticket options:-
Single Occupancy - There are two bedrooms remaining.
For the all-inclusive price (please note that any Spa treatments are NOT included) of £645.00, you are guaranteed your own en-suite room within Rutland Hall Hotel.
Shared Occupancy - Regrettably, the Shared Occupancy option is now SOLD OUT!
For the all-inclusive price (please note that any Spa treatments are NOT included) of £545.00, you are guaranteed a SHARED en-suite room within Rutland Hall Hotel. If you decide on this option, once you have booked your place we will contact you via email to see whether you would like to share with a friend or family member who is also attending the Weekend Retreat or are happy to be placed with one of your fellow attendees who is not previously known to you.
IMPORTANT: Due to the nature of advance bookings & payments needed to secure the tutors, hotel, food and facilities we operate a strict Non-Refund Policy; you are however free to assign another person to take your place on the Retreat, should you be unable to attend for any unforeseen reason. All we ask in that instance is that you give us due advance notice of such an arrangement, should it be necessary.
Paying in Full
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For those of you wishing to pay in full, simply go to our Pay Online page, find the Rutland Hall Hotel Weekend Craft Retreat 2024 graphic and follow the prompts.
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Paying via Instalments
For those of you interested in paying via two monthly instalments, the first payment is a deposit of £200.00. Just click on the £200 deposit button in the ticket area and we'll be in touch to arrange the instalments via PayPal!
All being well, we've covered any questions/queries you might have about this exciting Rutland Hall Weekend Craft Retreat but if there is anything else you'd like to know, please don't hesitate to contact us via email: hello@craftymonkies.com.