Summer’s End Stitching Retreat
Something truly special is on the horizon. Five talented embroiderers, five inspiring days and one unforgettable experience. We would like to invite you to the Summer’s End Stitching Retreat. Our retreat is an opportunity for you to leave all of your cares and responsibilities at home and, in the company of a fabulous group of like-minded creative souls and an exciting roster of brilliant tutors, coming together in the spirit of friendship under The Five Threads Collective, immerse yourself in five days of embroidery, creativity, laughter and quite a lot of cake.
Sumer’s End Stitching Retreat
Monday 7th to Friday 11th September 2026
Fobbles Needlecraft Barn, Gubbergill, Cumbria, CA19 1YQ
Our greatest hope is that the Summer’s End Stitching Retreat gives all our guests the opportunity to really step away from the commitments of everyday life, whatever they look like - work, school runs, caring for grandchildren or family members, and running the home - and lose themselves in five full days of guided stitching classes. Each day will be hosted by a different embroidery tutor, and you will be working on a new project created by them specifically for their day of the retreat. Your tutors will be there to guide you while you begin working on your pieces, to help and advise, or to just have a good gossip with. The retreat commences at 10am each day and will finish at 4pm each afternoon, and throughout the day you will be provided with refreshments and snacks, as well as a light lunch to keep your energy levels up.
Your Hosts and Tutors
Deborah and Susan will be co-hosting the retreat and will be present each day to answer any general questions. We also have an amazing roster of teachers hosting the Summer’s End Stitching Retreat, all equally passionate about their own work and that of the rest of the Collective.
Susan Oliver, founder of Soukie Soo & The Sew Sisters
Deborah Mather, The Needleworkers Barn
Vicki Cannings, founder of The Beautiful Stitch
Magda Rose Skilleter, founder of M.R.S. Embroidery
Tanya Haines, founder of The Common Thread
And myself, Rachel Noden, founder of What Florence Did Next
Additional Information
What about the venue?
Our retreat is taking place at Fobbles Needlecraft (fobbles.co.uk), a specialist patchwork and needlework shop based on a working farm in Gubbergill on the western edge of the Lake District. The dedicated workshop space, within a converted barn, is perfect for retreats. It is a bright and fully-accessible, with plenty of parking on site and a fabulous store where you can stock up on all of your sewing and embroidery supplies while you are with us. Our tutors will also be offering their own products during class, including embroidery kits, hand dyed fabrics, threads and silk ribbons.
What about any accessibility concerns?
We are committed to making our workshop inclusive and accessible to all participants. Fobbles and their workshop barn both provide step-free access, and there are disability-accessible bathroom facilities on site. As part of the booking process, we ask all guests to complete our accessibility form so that we can do our best to meet any individual needs and make any necessary adjustments to ensure our guests can participate fully.
How do I get there?
For any guests coming in from overseas, the Lake District is in the North West of England.
It is most easily reached by road, but if your preference is to travel by train, the closest station to Fobbles is Ravenglass (also referred to Ravenglass for Eskdale). We will be providing our guests with a list of possible accommodation options you may wish to book, many of which are located in Ravenglass itself.
What does it cost?
The full price of the five day retreat is £895. This cost covers your attendance on the retreat, including five days of workshops, five projects designed by our tutors, a light lunch each day as well as drinks and a selection of snacks throughout the day.
The retreat does not include the costs of your accommodation or your travel expenses.
How do I sign up?
To secure your place, please telephone Susan on 07799 142 268 (0044 7799 142 268 for international applicants) between the hours of 09:00 - 17:00hrs GMT, Monday to Friday. A non refundable deposit of £100 is required to secure your place and spaces at the retreat will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. This does mean we would recommend a prompt confirmation and transfer of deposit if you are keen to attend.
Please make sure your deposit payment includes the reference number I have provided with this email, so that we can easily identify your payment.
What happens next?
Once I receive your deposit, you will receive an email confirming your place on our retreat, along with a copy of our Accessibility form that we ask all guests to complete.
In due course, we will be sending out a booklet of additional information that may be useful for you in your planning for the retreat. This will include a list of possible accommodation options that you may wish to explore for your stay in Cumbria. The Lake District is a National Park with an exhaustive selection of residence types - bed and breakfasts, hotels, castles, holiday cottages, home stays and even glamping (for the bold!). With schools back in session when our retreat takes place there will be lots of options to suit every pocket and we hope this will allow all of our guests to budget according to their preference.
We will also be arranging a dedicated WhatsApp group for our retreat guests, tutors and hosts, so that you can ask any questions you might have, connect with your fellow stitchers, discuss what you are packing, show what you are stitching on, and generally make connections, so that when you finally meet in person, you are already firm friends.
The group will also be a great place if anyone wants to make plans for car-pooling or to see where everyone is staying (if you would like to be at the same place as fellow retreaters).
The WhatsApp group is entirely optional and you will be asked if you would like to join before being added.
When is the balance of the payment due?
The balance of £795 will be due by the 1st May 2026. Should any balance payments not be settled within 14 days of that date, your space will be released to those on the waitlist.
Final notes and reminders
The Five Threads Collective is a descriptive name for the five embroiderers collaborating on this event, not a seperate legal entity.
The organisers (hosts and tutors) cannot be held responsible for any changes (including cancellations) that may occur to any travel or accommodation arrangements you make. We highly recommend you secure suitable travel insurance to cover all eventualities in relation to your trip.
Any other questions?
I hope this helps answer any questions you might have but please do contact me if you would like to know anything else.
Deborah and I, as well as all of the tutors, can’t wait to welcome everyone to Cumbria in September 2026. This has been a real labour of love to get together but with such a fantastic group of teachers and an amazing venue, the Summer’s End Stitching Retreat is going to be a truly wonderful occasion.
We hope you will want to join us.
