Quilting Workshop Retreat
Join us for a four-night retreat run by the wonderful Cowslip Workshops. During your stay you’ll lose yourself in the beautiful task of creating a quilt under the watchful eye of Jo Colwill.
Suitable for people with all levels of experience, the retreat will see guests using machine piercing with hand applique and covering various techniques that will make each quilt individual.
Guests can use existing designs, keeping to the basic strip type of quilt or choose something more complex, or go freestyle and adapt designs as they choose.
Prices include dinner, bed and breakfast, scheduled coffee and tea breaks plus sessions with Jo in our function area. Price shown is based on two guests sharing a bedroom.4
Dates:
Sunday 19th to Thursday 23rd October 2025
Sunday 22nd to Thursday 26th March 2026
What to expect
“Because of the hotel’s location on the Helford my mind is immediately drawn to the sea, estuary and boats. I love the walks along the Helford and all the little views of houses through the trees, the boats lying on the beach or sailing, the gentle clink of the wire up the masts, birds etc, so there is so much scope for design.” Jo.
The week will start with a discussion about construction techniques, including rotary cutting and machine piecing. There will be sessions looking at the use of colour, how to choose your fabrics to create interest and texture, piecing and applique techniques and how to make perfect circles, stems and flowers.
Depending on the size of quilt guests decide to make it is not always possible to get into the final stages of quilting, but the week will include a demonstration of quilting by machine and hand. Students will need a sewing machine – read on for further kit requirements.
Inspo, Fabric & Kit
- Sewing machine in good working order with the manual, with a ¼” or 6mm patchwork foot if possible, most machine actually come with this.
- Rotary Cutting board, ruler, cutter.
- Basic sewing kit to include needles machine sewing thread in a basic colour a 50 weight gutterman cotton is good (a selection if you have it) small sharp scissors. Tape measure, pins, sewing machine needles.
- If you have available small gold eye number 12 applique needles, fine cotton threads.
- .50cms bondaweb if you have it.
- Drawing and colouring pencils and some plain paper and graph paper roll.
- Any books or photos for inspiration.
- The fabrics is the tricky one, but a good selection of cotton fabric, (not polyester) this can include recycled, even fine cord or shirts, jeans as long as still strong. Basically the more fabric you can bring if you have it available the better, it can always be in the car. There will be a scrap bag and all bits and bobs that you can use and borrow and a small collection of fat quarters for purchase. If wishing to make a big quilt this might add up to about 7m but to start on a small quilt 3m would be fine this could be 12 different fat quarters, (Fat quarters are ¼ m cut into a square by having 12 you can have all sorts of different size pattern and texture, big patterns little etc).
- If wishing to make some sort of sea view quilt, you might need approx. 1m of blues for the sky, these could be either stormy day colours or sunny summer etc. Then approx. 1m of sea coloured fabrics possibly with a stripe or line. Any fabrics for trees and houses, stylised boats or realistic.
- Please note: A minimum of 6 guests required for the retreat to go ahead. Standard t&c apply.