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North East Quilting Retreat
8 days from £1,515pp
Your Tour Includes
- 7 nights bed and breakfast accommodation
- 4 evening meals
- 2 full days of hand-sewing workshops with your expert, kit included
- Entrance fees and excursions
- Services of an experienced Tour Manager
Experts
Holiday Overview
From hand-sewing workshops with your Mandy Shaw (July) or Janet Goddard (October) to shopping in the area's many quilt shops, this holiday combines the best that the local area has to offer. The museums are all excellent, Durham Cathedral is spectacular, and the Northumberland landscape that we pass on our way to the amazing Alnwick Castle is simply beautiful. This is a real discovery for anyone who has never been to this part of England,
Image Gallery
Itinerary
Mandy Shaw's Workshops: The project will be a hand quilted purse / case or small cushion. Suitable for all skill levels including beginners, we will be using chunky stitches and thread on linen but with traditional North Country style patterns to create a piece of textile that we can make into a variety of useful objects. Pattern will include instructions for all three projects and we will cover hand quilting, inserting a zip and hand finishing techniques for cushions.
Janet Goddard's Workshops: During the workshops we will work on a hand stitched folded patchwork project incorporating quilt as you go. A kit will be provided to get you started on a small quilt in a blue/white/cream colour way. Techniques covered will include folded patchwork, hand quilting, corded quilting, EPP and a little applique. Motifs and inspirations gained on our visits can be incorporated into the project as we go along.
Meet Mandy Shaw (July) or Janet Goddard (October) and your tour manager at the Durham Marriott Hotel Royal Country this afternoon. Relax and enjoy dinner with your fellow stitchers this evening.
Included Meals
- Dinner
Enjoy a full-day hand-sewing workshop with your Mandy Shaw (July) or Janet Goddard (October).
Included Meals
- Breakfast
Highlights
- Hand-Sewing Workshop
Beamish Open-Air Museum tells the story of life in North East England from 1820s to 1950s. We will spend a full day exploring the site, but one of the highlights is sure to be the 1820s quilters cottage, where you can learn the fascinating story of quilter Joseph Hedley.
Included Meals
- Breakfast
- Dinner
Highlights
- Beamish Open-Air Museum
The Bowes Museum is a treasure hidden in the heart of beautiful Teesdale. Purpose built in the 1920s by John and Josephine Bowes, the museum houses one of the largest and most significant European textile collections in Britain, representing all textile techniques and European centres of production, from the 15th to 19th centuries. We will enjoy a guided tour of the collection.
Included Meals
- Breakfast
Highlights
- Bowes Museum
Alnwick Castle was built in the 11th century to control and protect the border with Scotland. Alnwick Castle underwent several renovations in its first five centuries, the most major of which was commissioned by Henry Percy, the First Baron Percy of Alnwick. The Percy family still live in the castle today. In fact, Alnwick Castle is the second largest inhabited castle in England, second only to Windsor Castle. The grounds surrounding the castle were landscaped by Lancelot “Capability” Brown. As well as being the residence for the current Duke of Northumberland, Alnwick Castle has been used as a filming location for many movies and TV shows including Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter & The Philosopher’s Stone, as well as Downton Abbey.
The brainchild of The Duchess of Northumberland, The Alnwick Garden is a multi-award-winning visitor attraction. The 12 acres of magnificent gardens are home to the world’s largest Tai Haku Cherry Orchard, the Grand Cascade comprising 120 water jets and the world's largest Treehouse Restaurant. The garden is also a charity, any surplus is re-invested into improving and developing The Alnwick Garden for the future through one of their charity programmes. We will enjoy a guided tour with a garden volunteer, including the Poison Garden.
Included Meals
- Breakfast
- Dinner
Highlights
- Alnwick Castle
The Community of Cuthbert arrived in Durham from Lindisfarne in 995 and built an Anglo-Saxon cathedral. In 1083, following the Norman Conquest, a community of Benedictine monks was established in Durham. Construction of the Cathedral as we know it today was started in 1093 by Bishop William of St Calais. It is a Christian Church of the Anglican Communion and the seat of the Bishop of Durham.
Durham Cathedral houses some of the best church needlework from the past 11 centuries. We will enjoy an embroidery and textile tour, highlights of which will include a 10th century Stole, Maniple and Girdle, recorded as being given to the shrine of St Cuthbert by King Athelstan when he visited Chester-Le-Street in 934. These are some of the finest surviving examples of Anglo-Saxon embroidery in England and the only ones to be found which depict human figures. The collection also includes four late medieval velvet copes.
Kim Suleman will welcome us to the community hub in North Shields for a short demo and talk. Kim is probably best known for her website Six Penny Memories and for her appearances on Create & Craft TV.
Included Meals
- Breakfast
Highlights
- Durham Cathedral
Enjoy a second full-day hand-sewing workshop with Mandy Shaw (July) or Janet Goddard (October).
Included Meals
- Breakfast
- Dinner
Highlights
- Hand-Sewing Workshop
Check out by midday with fond memories of a week with like-minded friends.
Included Meals
- Breakfast
You will need to have a reasonable level of fitness to get the most out of this holiday. On excursion days you will need to walk a short distance from the hotel to the coach and you should be able to board the coach unaided. On arrival at the excursion destination, you should be able to alight the coach unaided and there may be a walk between the coach drop off point and the excursion venue. By their nature, walking tours, museum visits etc involve being on your feet for a significant amount of time. Whilst our excursions are taken at a leisurely pace, for the enjoyment of everyone in the group you should be able to keep up with your fellow travellers. Please note the itinerary may operate in a different order than described.
Single Room Supplement from £339.00 (8 days).
Accommodation
You will stay for seven nights at the Durham Marriott Hotel Royal County.
Durham Marriott Hotel Royal County
Immerse yourself in historic Durham with a stay at the Delta Hotels by Marriott Durham Royal County. Dating back to 1815, this 4-star hotel stands proudly by the castle and cathedral of the city, as well as offering a close location to the River Wear. With the prime central location, you can explore the wonders of Durham with ease. The modern and refurbished bedrooms provide everything you need and more, with premium bedding, a flat-screen TV and Wi-Fi, whilst the delicious dishes served at the Cast Iron Bar & Grill promise to leave you wanting more. Guests can also enjoy artisan coffee at the bright and vibrant coffee shop, Paddy and Scott’s.
Hotel Facilities
- Guest Lounge
- Restaurant
- Lift
- Disabled Rooms Available
- Ground Floor Rooms on Request
- Free WiFi (Public Areas)
- Sauna or Steam Room
- Gym
Room Facilities
- TV
- Tea and Coffee Making Facilities
- Hairdryer
- Safe Box
- Air Conditioning
Single Room Supplement from £339.00
