2025 UK Retreats & Workshops
SEWING & QUILTING
Welcome to our 2025 Sewing & Quilting Weekend Craft Retreat page!
After it's proved to be so popular with attendees & tutors alike the past two years, we're absolutely delighted to announce that our 2025 UK Weekend Crafting Retreat will take place once again at Rutland Hall Hotel, in the wonderfully picturesque county of Rutland (near Leicestershire, UK) over the weekend of Friday 26 September, Saturday 27 September and Sunday 28 September 2025 - please read on to learn all about our this exciting live event.
Places will be limited (at the time of writing we have ten places left!) so please be sure to book & reserve your place in plenty of time!...
26-28.09.25
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
Lucy Engels
Russell Barratt
Carl Brown
Gary Mills
2025 Rutland Hall Hotel Weekend Craft Retreat
Friday 26, Saturday 27 & Sunday 28 September 2025
Near Oakham, Rutland, LE15 8AB, United Kingdom
So, what do we have planned for you in 2025?!
The 2025 UK Weekend Craft Retreat will feature more luminaries of the crafting world who will need little introduction to you - Carl Brown (our first visiting American tutor!), Lucy Engels, Gary Mills and Russell Barratt - and you get to work directly with all of them!
We'll have a welcome drink, raffle and shop on the Friday evening and all your refreshments, overnight stay, lunches and delicious 3 course dinners (inc a glass of wine) are included for your WHOLE stay!
Read on for more detail...
The location for our UK Weekend Craft Retreat in September 2024, the wonderful Rutland Hall Hotel, has become our yearly go-to UK location as it's simply soooooo good we feel we just have to repeat it year on year!
So we very much hope you'll join us in September 2025 in the beautiful county of Rutland for a truly fabulous weekend of crafting, trunk shows, relaxing spa-time, socialising, scrumptious food and... FUN!
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 26th September 2025, have a 9.30am start for craft classes on Saturday 27th September 2025 and Sunday 28th September 2025 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 Friday AND Saturday night including a glass of wine each 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). 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/Midweek 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. (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)
Lucy Engels
Saturday 27 September 2025
"Hi! I’m Lucy Engels and I’m really excited about working with you and Rachel again. Rachel and I first worked together via Zoom during the pandemic and more recently we re-connected on Rachel's podcast, Breaking the Blocks. It was then that Rachel asked me if I would consider teaching at her yearly UK retreat in Rutland. I didn’t care where it was, I was up for it! Anything is possible if you really want to do it! I’m hoping some of my Scottish ladies and gents might make the trip with me and we can all come together!
Im an award winning contemporary quilter and artist with a love of unexpected colour and texture. I graduated in 2004 from Grays School of Art with a Ba(Hons) Fine Art Printmaking and have been meandering my way through the art world ever since. With a deep interest in colour relationships and the process of tactile art making, I create work that is graphic, vibrant and nuanced.
The Class!
I've decided to teach you a workshop incorporating the famous Manx Log Cabin Block but with a twist! We will be hand sewing and ripping up loads of fabric to make it. Strictly no scissors allowed, it's more fun this way. I wanted to introduce some hand sewing into the weekend for you as it's very meditative and quite different from what the other teachers are teaching you, but I really think you'll enjoy this technique.
Russell Barratt
Saturday 27 September 2025
"Hi there! I’m Russell, a self taught textile artist who is heavily into sustainability! I’m super excited to work with you and I’m loving the line up Rachel has put together, I think we all complement each other so well.
I use secondhand fabrics and repurposed used clothes to make quilted artworks that are colourful, bold and expressive. Recycling is key to my practice. And my work is often inspired by memories of childhood and domestic life. With a background in fashion and costume design, I’ve put my upcycle skills to work on many projects over the years including costumes for stage and screen (Matthew Herbert, Charlie XCX, ESKA, Little Mix), collaborations with fashion designers, art exhibitions and bespoke items for photo shoots ( The V&A Museum London, The Clothes Show Live, Channel 4/ T4) ."
The Class!
I love to use shirts in my quilts, there’s so many ways to include them. Not only is the fabric weight often ideal, but there are also so many interesting shapes to use and stories around the garment to be inspired by, either historical or personal narratives. You could be using a favourite shirt that’s passed its best or a shirt from a loved one or one found in a second-hand shop with a colour or print you liked. You could appliqué the whole or part of the garment and have a story behind it. You could unpick the seams and use parts of the pattern to add interesting and dynamic shapes to your work. We will consider all these stories in this workshop and work together to create a small quilt using our shirts. So in this workshop you will learn to use elements from a shirt - incorporate the architecture of the shirt pattern, build layers – pockets, sleeves, button plackets etc can all be used as focal points, the interesting shapes can help to create a unique and expressive piece of work. We will explore both machine sewing and simple hand stitching techniques to assemble the quilt top. The goal is to not only highlight the sustainability of repurposing clothing, but also encourage you to think about personal stories to express within the quilt making techniques, all based around a single garment! I’ll bring along examples of my own work and others to help get the creativity flowing!
"
Carl Brown
Sunday 28 September 2025
"Well hello there from sunny California! I’m Carl Brown and I can’t wait to fly across the pond and meet you! As a fiber artist I’ve been sewing and quilting for about 6 years. Starting with simple traditional quilt patterns and now creating more complex abstract and improvisational work utilizing my own designs. I have a tremendous fascination with color, shapes, and especially an appreciation with curve improvisation fiber work. My techniques include Improv quilting, applique and applipiecing, as well as both machine and long arm quilting. Perhaps one of my best skills is completing the Improv work at hand by fitting all those pieces into a final product.
I’ve studied with numerous well known quilting instructors to include Nancy Crow, Sheila Framton Cooper, Pat Pauly, and Irene Roderick. In my short history as a fiber artist, I’ve been fortunate to have had several quilts juried into national and international shows and I was named “Emerging New Artist” at Interpretations 2023 at the Visions Museum of Textile Art in San Diego. I’ve been juried into International Quilt Show, Road to California semi-finalist the last two years, QuiltCon, Mancuso’s QuiltFest shows, and numerous American Quilt Society shows as well. Internationally, I was also juried into Salon Pour l’Amour du Fil, in Nantes, France and I’ve also won awards for my fiber art.
can’t wait to meet you folks and see what your lovely country has to offer!"
The Class!
Typography is the art and technique of arranging print type to make written language legible, readable and appealing when displayed. In this Improv class that derives from Carl’s “Typography” Fiber Art series, we will use typography in our created quilts. The learner will be provided with a small amount of fabric that includes words, letters, numbers and symbols and will be asked to utilize the fabric to add interest, motion, and style to their specific composition.
Additionally, in this class, you will learn to make numerous Improv pieces that will eventually be lifted into a quilt. Those pieces will include checkerboards, curved pieces, lines of different sizes, and many other Improv pieces. A brief discussion of color and motion will be included as well as placing the created pieces into a composition. I will also discuss throughout the course some sewing tips and tricks which will help in the development of an Improv Quilt.
"
Gary Mills
Sunday 28 September 2025
"Hello CraftyMonkies fans! I just can’t wait to go back to Rutland to teach again, it was so much fun last time and thankfully the ladies (and gents) loved my class! I was super-excited when Rachel asked me to come back. As everyone loved the Highland Cow free motion embroidered and appliquéd piece I created, I’m going to teach a similar piece again, but I’ll be designing a new creature for you and will show you some new techniques along the way. But for those who don’t know me, I’m Gary, and I live and work in a beautiful part of the south-west of the UK on the edge of Exmoor. I think you could say I was born drawing, sewing and creating; I just cannot remember not being creative. From the moment I could hold a pair of scissors you would find me cutting into scraps of cloth and paper to make something. My passion and experience have grown with me, exploring all things ART, from mixed media, textiles to couture fashion. I have a BA (Hons) in Design Fashion, a Post Graduate qualification in Education and have worked as a freelance designer and also created my own fashion label! I took a career in academia and became Programme Leader for several degree programmes.
The Class!
To begin you will be introduced to the project (we will let you into a secret, it's a snail! The cutest snail you have ever seen!) and then Gary will guide you through each of the skills processes: You will learn how to transfer the image, how to cut and then bond onto fabric small pattern pieces to build the image. Prepare the fabric for free-motion embroidery and apply stitches to further secure but also add a defining line to the image which is then tinted with hand paints to add a unique hand-crafted finish to your work. It's such a fun class incorporating so many skills!
Here's what you will need for your CraftyMonkies 2025 Weekend Craft Retreat:-
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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 14 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
For the 2025 Rutland Hall Hotel Weekend Craft Retreat we are offering TWO ticket options:-
Single Occupancy
For the all-inclusive price (please note that any Spa treatments are NOT included) of £685.00, you are guaranteed your own en-suite room within Rutland Hall Hotel.
Shared Occupancy
For the all-inclusive price (please note that any Spa treatments are NOT included) of £585.00, 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
For those of you wishing to pay in full, simply go to our Pay Online page, find the Rutland Hall Hotel Weekend Craft Retreat 2025 graphic and follow the prompts.
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.
Looking for a birthday surprise, marking a special occasion or a treat for someone special? A timely reminder that CraftyMonkies Gift Vouchers, in a variety of denominations, are available all year round - could be just the ticket for your crafty loved one!...
