2026 UK Retreats & Workshops
SEWING & QUILTING
Welcome to our 2026 Sewing & Quilting Weekend Craft Retreat page!
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An increasing amount of people tell us they are wanting to 'book ahead' regardless of the final line-up of craft experts who'll be teaching in September 2026, so we're absolutely delighted to announce that our 2026 UK Weekend Crafting Retreat at Rutland Hall Hotel - taking place over the weekend of Friday 25 September, Saturday 26 September and Sunday 27 September 2026 - is now available to book. after all, there's nothing like getting in early!...
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Places will be limited so please be sure to book & reserve your 2026 place in plenty of time!...
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25-27.09.26
Class times on
Saturday 26 and Sunday 27
09.30-16.30 (BST)
(with lots of treats in-between!)
Weekend Craft Retreat!
Rutland Hall Hotel
near Oakham, Rutland
Sewing & Quilting with
Nicholas Ball
Miesje Chafer
Sarah Spencer
Craft Expert 4 of 4
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2026
2026 Rutland Hall Hotel Weekend Craft Retreat
Friday 25, Saturday 26 & Sunday 27 September 2026
Near Oakham, Rutland, LE15 8AB, United Kingdom
So, what do we have planned for you in 2026?!
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The 2026 UK Rutland Hall Hotel Weekend Craft Retreat will feature more luminaries of the crafting world who will need little introduction to you. At the time of writing, long-standing CraftyMonkies fan-fave Nicholas Ball is a definite confirmed tutor as are two new talents to the CraftyMonkies stable, Miesje Chafer & Sarah Spencer, and very soon we'll be announcing one more crafting expert who'll be teaching over the weekend! And don't forget that you get to work directly with each of the four celebrated tutors!
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...
We very much hope you'll join us in September 2026 at the sumptuous Rutland Hall Hotel in the beautiful county of Rutland for a truly fabulous weekend of crafting, trunk shows, relaxing spa-time, socialising, scrumptious food and... lots of 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 25 September 2026, have a 9.30am start for craft classes on Saturday 26 September 2026 and Sunday 27 September 2026 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)
Nicholas Ball
Saturday 26/Sunday 27 September 2026
"Hi! I’m Nicholas Ball and I’m really excited about working with you and alongside Rachel once again in 2026 - it sounds like a long way off right now, as I write this, but believe me 2025 will soon be a distant memory and we'll be fast-tracking through 2026. Rachel and I first worked together back in 2020, not long after she launched CraftyMonkies, and it's fair to say that we've enjoyed a fabulous collaboration ever since where I've taught a host of classes to her varied and ever-expanding client base. Whether collaborating on a three-hour Zoom class or being one of the tutors in a live, in-person Craft Retreat (our first American collaboration in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA in June 2026 was simply fabulous!), our mutual commitment & passion to deliver the best event possible makes us a winning combo!"​
​The Class!
Full details of what Nicholas will be teaching in 2026 will appear here by the end of this year.
Miesje Chafer
Saturday 26/Sunday 27 September 2026
Just as soon as we've confirmed availability with our tutors for the 2026 UK Rutland Hall Hotel Weekend Craft Retreat, we'll be populating this area with some background to the artist in question and their introduction to themselves, their work and what they intend to teach you in 2026!
​The Class!​
Full details of what Miesje will be teaching in 2026 will appear here by the end of this year.
Sarah Spencer
Saturday 26/Sunday 27 September 2026
Just as soon as we've confirmed availability with our tutors for the 2026 UK Rutland Hall Hotel Weekend Craft Retreat, we'll be populating this area with some background to the artist in question and their introduction to themselves, their work and what they intend to teach you in 2026!
​The Class!​
Full details of what Sarah will be teaching in 2026 will appear here by the end of this year.
Expert Tutor 4 of 4
Saturday 26/Sunday 27 September 2026
Just as soon as we've confirmed availability with our tutors for the 2026 UK Rutland Hall Hotel Weekend Craft Retreat, we'll be populating this area with some background to the artist in question and their introduction to themselves, their work and what they intend to teach you in 2026!
​The Class!​
Full details of what Miesje will be teaching in 2026 will appear here by the end of this year.
Here's what you will need for your CraftyMonkies 2026 UK Rutland Hall Hotel 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 1ÂŽ4 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
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For the 2026 UK 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 £695.00, 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 £595.00, 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
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For those of you wishing to pay in full, simply go to our Pay Online page, find the Rutland Hall Hotel Weekend Craft Retreat 2026 graphic and follow the prompts.
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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 2026 UK 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.
For those of you who have enquired recently, we do still have a few places left on our 2025 UK Weekend Craft Retreat at Rutland Hall Hotel between Friday 26 - Sunday 28 September 2025!
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Lucy Engels, Carl Brown, Gary Mills and Russell Barratt will all be in attendance to share their wealth of crafting expertise: click below for more details and be sure to book soon!...
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!...
