Retreats

Venue

DOLPHIN HOTEL FORE STREET BEER DEVON EX12 3EQ
Telephone: 01297 20068

South West Quilters hold their Retreat during the last week in January each year at the Dolphin Hotel in Beer in South Devon. It is a Grade II listed building and is a family run Hotel. The Workshop is held in the Function Room, which we hire for our use alone for the five days. The Retreat runs from Sunday afternoon through till the following Friday afternoon, and the cost includes Bed & Breakfast at the Hotel and the tuition during the five days.

For the evenings we also have use of a very pretty cottage situated opposite the hotel carpark where we gather after the workshop has finished for the day, around an open fire, and indulge in afternoon tea and homemade cake, and discuss where we will eat for that evening – sometimes a pub, sometimes a takeaway, sometimes a bistro. We then return to the cottage for a glass of wine and natter etc. before retiring.

Beer is a very pretty fishing village, and as part of the Jurassic coast, there are many walks along the cliffs in both directions, and deep sea fishing provides fresh fish regularly available for purchase (for when you leave) from the beach shop.

For more information go to www.dolphinhotelbeer.co.uk

RETREAT in Beer, Devon 2010
Bonded Impressions with Barbara Weeks

Fabulous, wonderful and just brilliant! 16 of us have just spent a super 5 days together, stitching and laughing in equal measures, plus the odd glass of wine in the evening!

Barbara was with us until Wednesday lunchtime, showing us how to experiment putting colour on paper then painting silk to our own colour scheme, including some batik, using hot wax on the silk before painting. We then started to create our pieces using the inspiration picture we had brought with us and the silk we had been painting the day before. By the Wednesday morning we had all made progress producing wonderful pieces of art, and Barbara demonstrated various ways of finishing the edges.

Barbara had a tough challenge keeping 16 of us in order, but she is a wonderful Tutor and rose to the occasion magnificently!

Wednesday afternoon was ‘time off’ but of course some of the ladies continued to stitch in the Workroom. Thursday was spent all day stitching/quilting our masterpieces – some were finished by the end of the day!

Friday we made little Treasure Boxes with a pattern from the Quilting Arts Magazine published in Winter 2005.

Hopefully the ladies will bring their finished pieces to the AGM in May to create a stunning Exhibition of their work, together with the little Treasure Boxes.

Finally, on a personal note, as my term as Retreat Co-ordinator comes to an end at the AGM, the ladies got together and during our last evening, presented me with the biggest bouquet of flowers I have ever seen, and a lovely card they had all signed.

Talk about tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat …..!

Next year we have Angela Madden as our Tutor. I don’t yet know what she will be doing, but I do know it will be great fun, and everyone will have a wonderful time. BOOK EARLY!

Val Thomas
Retreat Co-ordinator