As the Spring Residential drew to a close on Saturday morning we waved goodbye and reflected on what was truly an enchanting week. New friends made, new skills learned and renewed vigour in our passion for needlework.
The Ryebeck Hotel served as our home from home for the week with exclusive use of the whole establishment and its grounds. The superb staff attended to our every need and all noted that the food was fantastic. They made the whole experience comfortable and set up an ideal learning environment for us.
The weather was kind, we had lovely fresh and crisp spring days with plenty of sunshine. Many enjoyed a trip out on the middle Wednesday for a very special visit to Dove cottage, William Wordsworth's marital home in nearby Grassmere.
The English Lake District really is at its best in March - Wordsworth's famous daffodils, delicate spring flowers, early nesting birds and two fawns delighted us in the breaks between our hours of embroidery.
This retreat was aimed at the more experienced embroiderer. In depth lectures, discovering and perfecting skills, new techniques, making wise stitch and design choices combined with lectures and restful visits to two contrasting properties made the learning experience informative and enjoyable for all.
Tutors Nicola Jarvis and Jenny Adin-Christie always develop brand new designs for our Retreats, a privilege which was not lost on us nor on our group of experienced stitchers. Jenny and Nikki are two of the most highly-regarded hand embroidery tutors in the world and they each spent over a year creating these incredible and immaculately presented projects. Both designs were pitched at intermediate/ advanced level and were perfect for taking our group of stitchers to the next stage of their stitching.
Read on to see what our New Talent Auburn Claire Lucas taught during the Retreat.
You can also read more about the Retreat from a students perspective on Jillian Dellit's blog.
