We had the most amazing weekend sewing to our hearts content, sledging, eating cake, building snowmen, learning new techniques, laughing, walking, having fun, sharing our lives and making long lasting friendships. It truly was incredibly special and one that we will all hold dear for many years to come.
Friday arrived and the anticipation of a wonderful weekend was fuelling the excitement as handmade goodie bags were laid on to the beds at The Shippon (our luxurious accommodation), the cupboards and fridges were filling up with delicious food, tea was made, the hot tubs were warming and the sewing room was ready for hours of stitchy fun!
On arrival we had tea and cake, shared stories of our journeys and began to get to know each other. Prosecco and canapés were later served in the sitting room where the fire was blazing and the squishy sofas were calling us to snuggle up and relax and let all the cares of our week drain away. Supper was served at 7.30 where Rosemary Temple filled us up to over flowing with a scrumptious 3 course dinner after which we either drifted peacefully off to bed, did a spot of stargazing in the hot tubs or settled into a comfy sofa to have quiet conversations where we began sharing our hearts and lives with one another.
Saturday morning dawned and the sky was heavy with snow…we were all secretly hoping for a snowstorm that would see us stranded there for a few more days!! It wasn’t long before the snow began to fall, but, cosy and snug inside the house we made our way to the sewing room where, before long, the gentle hum of the sewing machines and excited chatter about our projects followed. The projects were many and included, blouses, lanterns, bags, patchwork, children clothes, a bra, dungarees, crochet, creative textiles, cushion covers and more…Each one helping the other if problems arose. The day was punctuated by coffee and cake, lunch, tea and cake and a talk about colour and style with a view to fabric and pattern choice for our figure type and colouring. The snow continued to gently fall all day and the surrounding hills slowly turned from green to white bringing with it a feeling of calm and peace.
The following morning was far more dramatic…more snow had fallen during the night and had now turned to blizzard conditions….no chance of escape!! We were cut off from the outside world..except for one intrepid visitor…the Milk Tray man (!!)…Simon and his trusty Landrover who brought us the most amazing cake from the lovely Lisa at Boho Cakes. Lisa had very wisely stuck the cake with lashing of buttercream to the container so that, should Simon have had to come to an abrupt stop or just slid all the way down the drive..at least the cake would be ok!!
Sewing continued all day with lessons on lampshade making and free motion embroidery…beautiful designs emerged and some wonderful lampshades and lanterns were produced. Ali from Temple Spa gave the most amazing relaxing hand massages and the sewing machines gently hummed their way through the day! As the view from the window grew increasingly whiter we all gathered together on the sofas in front of the fire for afternoon tea ( and yummy cake) served on beautiful vintage china…what a treat!
Trying the hot tub in the snow after supper was a definite must….wonderful once you’re in but getting back inside before your hair turned to icicles and your flip flopped toes had frostbite was interesting!!
Monday morning and we were all going nowhere. The cars were whiter than white…and so was the driveway…definitely no escape today…so with quiet excitement we all settled in for an extra day of sewing heaven. We took time out for a spot of sledging, snowman building and crispy walks in the winter wonderland. It was an enchanting day…we felt safe and cocooned by the snow as we continued to share our stories, stitch, create, play and have fun!
As Tuesday morning dawned and as the sun made its way over the horizon we were bathed in a warm golden glow. All too soon it was time to pack away the sewing machines, stow our newly created items, tuck the special memories away somewhere safe and to say our heartfelt ‘Goodbye’s’…there were tears, hugs, laughter and promises made to keep in touch.
I can’t promise you snow on the next retreat in October…but I can promise you time to relax and switch off, sewing for as many hours as you’d like, great food, good company, wonderful location and plenty of pampering!! To find out more and to book your place for October please click here
Come to sew, make new friends, relax and have fun!
Love Yvonne xx