Winter recap and link to apply for Summer!
I’m still on a bit of a high from the recent Winter Stitching in the Mountains retreat! Held at the beautiful historic guesthouse Glenella, in the wintry Blue Mountains, NSW. We were blessed with gorgeous weather all weekend – the stitching room light and bright in the wintry sun, while still being cool enough to curl up and stitch by the fire in the lovely main room.
We were joined by a mix of old and new faces, and spent 3 days stitching, creating, relaxing and enjoying each other’s company. I’m so grateful to everyone who came for contributing to such a wonderful atmosphere.
Lisa from Paddock Lane Designs (my partner in running these retreats) is a queen of organisation, running the admin, as well as games for those who want to participate, as well as running her own shop AND holding classes. Phew! Attendees were lucky enough to get 2 of Lisa’s designs as full kits in our goody bags, as well as a full kit from me, as well as bespoke and sustainability-focused goodies in the retreat bags that I curate. I love being able to source unique items to commemorate our time together.
I run classes too – and give attendees early access to designs that will be coming out a little later down the track. And it’s such an honour to see the finishes that people bring in to show, as well as donate to our overflowing freebie tables.
Speaking of donations, we run a charity raffle every retreat, to benefit the Older Women’s Network NSW, and their important work supporting older women in our community, both in terms of rights and access, and practically, in terms of meeting the housing crisis. Attendees buy and earn raffle tickets throughout the weekend, and bid on a range of items donated. Many attendees very generously donated items, as did many generous makers I know – special thanks to Cottage Garden Threads for their continued support, and to Andrea Caffrey, who donated two of her amazing stitching portfolios (Andrea can be found on Instagram @philand69 and CGT on Insta @cottagegardenthreads).
My father donated one of his recycled wood birdhouses, and my mum some of her textile art, among many others – including retreat attendees. Together, we raised $740 for OWN, and all who participated have my sincere thanks and appreciation.
A new addition this time was a visit from Vital Being Massage Leura, who made upper-body massages available to participants, as well as some important tips for keeping healthy during marathon stitching sessions! We’d like to thanks them for bringing some extra relaxation to our retreat.
A special thank you also to our retreat helpers – Michelle, Alix, Helen and Heather. I know for a fact that I couldn’t manage without them – thank you!
Our stitching room was buzzing, stitchers enjoyed the bounty of local restaurants, cafes and shops, and quiet moments were taken getting to know new friends. We love how the small numbers ensure a relaxed, informal atmosphere, where everyone is greeted as a friend. Again, my thanks to everyone for joining us…
Our next retreat (Stitching in the Mountains Summer 2025) will be held Friday 5th December 2025 to Sunday 7th December 2025 at our new location, the gorgeous Metropole Guesthouse in Katoomba. This new location allows more attendees to stay on site, and gives us more accessibility and more stitching room, while also providing the vintage vibe we love so much. Our theme for the retreat is “A New Chapter” and we hope you’ll join us to explore this new chapter together. CLICK HERE to fill out the Expressions of Interest Form, and we’ll be in touch re further information and booking. We’d love to see you there!
Mojo Stitches 