Last weekend was the inaugural Thistle Patch Retreat up at Inchree near Fort William. 15 intrepid stitchers, 3 even more intrepid husbands, and 2 frankly amazing children, plus my 2 glamorous assistants and me made up our merry little band, and we spent a raucous and hilarious 4 days sewing, eating and drinking (although not necessarily in that order). Some even did exercise in the form of morning jogs or hikes up to waterfalls, while others lay in ‘the most comfortable beds in the world’ until 11ish! No matter, a good time was had by all.
Here’s some photos below from Instagram to give you a flavour of the weekend (check out #thistlepatchretreats to read the comments, which in some cases were funnier than the photos)
Some packed carefully:
While others emptied their entire stash into their cars (don’t ask about the oil, her husband was apparently worried there would be a shortage in Scotland. Maybe he thought the North Sea would run out?!):
Some surveyed the proceedings soberly:
While others were anything but (actually I think at this point they hadn’t quite hit the gin for the day yet):
And the rest just built up a bar:
We really did sew though, don’t they all look studious here:
And people even finished things, isn’t this Glam Clam top by Anna amazing?
And this stitch sketching from our class – Margie used an Urban Threads pattern to work off:
Sheila W was busy finishing one of the pouches from the zippy class:
QN editor Katy was a bit of a dynamo on Sunday, this was her second finish!
There was secret sistering going on too throughout the weekend, which showed some seriously good stalking skills. Lynne nailed Anna’s love of Tula and gin (we missed you Lynne!):
And then Phyliss thought Hannah needed more flamingos in her life:
Just in case you ever wondered how many people it takes to blow up a flamingo…
And finally some people did enjoy the outdoors too – this is the view from the chalets down Loch Linnhe early on the Sunday morning:
Sheila D was one of many to find the local waterfalls:
Anna’s husband and kids were marched up and down a glen by my dad (the fresh air and exercise wore out the adults, but not the kids):
If any or all of that appeals to you and you want to join us next year, there is a newsletter sign up over there on the right hand side where you’ll get advanced notice of when tickets go on sale.
Looks like so much fun! I wish I could have joined in.
Looks like the retreat was a tremendous success, which does not surprise me in the least. How could if be anything but? Although I do have to wonder how any actual sewing was getting done with so much in the surrounding area to distract. That and the gin would have made short order for most of us getting anything done outside of giggling and the likes.
What fun! Glad it went well!
Looks like a lovely time was had by all. I’d be in for next year, but the airfare would really eat into the fabric budget.
Speaking as chief bottle washer and mountain guide, I think it went very well indeed, though next year you’ll need to be more enthusiastic with the cakes and biscuits! We’re still eating the rest of the flapjacks (gluten free), mincemeat squares (vegetarian) and ginger cake. A shame really, though someone has to do it. ?It was a special treat for me to take Leslie, Jack and Adam up to the waterfall in Glen Nevis. I’ve never seen a 7 year old with so much energy, and big brother wasn’t so far short. Next time we must cross that bridge (just making sure Mum is nowhere in sight).
And you must of course make mention of how wonderfully we were all fed by your “catering department”. xx