Fiber Arts Retreat 2011
Email or call us to request a PDF brochure of all the information for the retreat, including the reservation form.
Come try your hand at some fun new adventures in knitting, felting, designing, embellishing, and spinning! Our retreat will take place October 21, 22, and 23rd, 2011 at Union Pier, Michigan.
The retreat will be held at Warren Woods Inn, found here at www.warrenwoodsinn.com. The house is located just 500 yards from Lake Michigan, and is an 1853 cottage that has been recently renovated. We will have the entire house to use for the weekend. Many rooms are part of suites you can book with friends! There is plenty of open area, including a great deck and hot tub to use if the weather permits!
The retreat includes your choice of 6 of our class offerings:
- Carding,
Blending, and Spinning Fibers:
Try your hand at taking the fiber from a fleece to your needles. Learn how to custom card and blend colors to get a unique fiber. You'll get to try a spinning wheel, and knit with what you make! Bring a dog comb or brush if you have one.
- Cast Ons
& Bind Offs:
Learn 5 different COs and 3 BOs to use on your next project. They will make your pieces more professional looking. Bring a light-colored, worsted weight yarn, knitting needles, a crochet hook, and a stitch holder.
- Drop
Spindling:
Try spinning your own yarns with something as simple as a drop spindle. A top or bottom whorl spindle can be used for a portable project.
- Make Your Own
Stitch Markers:
We'll make stitch markers that you'll love to use! Make them out of beads, felt balls, polymer clay, or even Shrinky Dinks.
- Embroidery
& Duplicate Stitch:
Learn how to embellish your designs with accents of ribbon, yarn, or beads. Design your own logos to duplicate stitch on your work. Please bring a tapestry & embroidery needle, a crochet hook, and worsted weight yarns in at least 2 colors.
- Dry Felting,
3D Felting, & Silk Felting:
Try working with roving in a new way. Needle felt plat shapes, or create your own ideas in 3D. We'll also felt onto silk and create unique scarves.
- Hand Dye Your
Own Yarn:
Design your own yarn colors, using both Acid and Kool Aid dyes. It sets quickly, but will be wet when you take it home. Please bring any white goods you'd like to dye.
- I-Cord
Embellishments:
Decorate your work to the max! Use custom fringes, applique designs, flowers, etc. to add a great look to your work. Learn how to make Bristol buttons to match your design. Please bring worsted weight yarn, double pointed needles, and a tapestry needle.
Schedule
Some classes have kits with the class materials that will be distributed during the retreat. Kit prices are listed below. Some classes may have homework to be completed before you arrive. Instructions will be issued well in advance of the retreat weekend for any pre-work to be done.
Arrive any time after 3pm on Friday night to wander the town, visit Lake Michigan, or just lounge around the hot tub! Dinner will be at 7pm and will be a potluck meal. For our evening activities we will be preparing a raw fleece to get it ready to spin and blend on Saturday. Wet felt some fleece balls for stitch markers or embellishments.
Saturday classes will be held from 9am to 5:30pm. Dinner will be provided at 7pm. Bring your own alcoholic beverages if you desire any. Our evening activity will be a yarn tasting of different fiber blends. We will also hold a fashion show so you can see the latest designs from some of our companies and the finished pieces of some of our attendees!
On Sunday, enjoy a brunch and classes from 10am to 2pm. Check out will be at 3pm.
Pricing
The bedrooms in the Inn are priced individually. Some have multiple beds and are perfect for sharing with friends and family. The price listed is for the bedroom only, and it is up to occupants of the room to divide up the price accordingly. Please look at the floor plans at www.warrenwoodsinn.com for more information about the accommodations.
- Garden Suite: 2 queen bedrooms, 1 bath, sleeper sofa, sitting room, & dinette. $260 each bedroom, $175 queen sleeper.
- Master Suite, Lower Level: 2 bedrooms each with 1 queen, & 1 twin bed, 1 bath, kitchenette. $360 each bedroom.
- Master Suite, 2nd Floor: King bedroom with loft space, bathroom, & fireplace. $375.
- Ivy: Queen with fireplace, bath. $280.
- Camelia: Queen with fireplace, bath. $280.
- Evergreen: Queen with bath. $260.
- Sunflower: Queen with bath. $260.
- Oak: 2 queens with shower, fireplace. $420.
- Rose: King with Jacuzzi, fireplace. $320.
The retreat fee is $200 for the entire weekend. This includes 6 classes, breakfast, lunch, & dinner on Saturday, Sunday brunch, a yarn tasting, fashion show, Friday evening instruction, supplies for the Friday evening project, and continued instruction and lots of encouragement! Class Kits for your choice of classes:
- Carding, Blending, & Spinning, $20.
- Embroidery & Duplicate Stitch, $10.
- Stitch Markers, $10
- Hand Dye, $20
- Dry Felting, $20
- Drop Spindle, $20
A 50% deposit of the total amount is due before August 20, 2011. Payment in full is due by September 20, 2011. Deposits are not refundable. Please call 708.352.1789 to check availability of the rooms, and make all checks out to Idea Studio.
