Virtual Retreats
GillyMac Designs Spring 2021 Virtual Retreat is sold out. The next Virtual Retreat will take place in October 2021. In the meantime why not try one of our classes – available in the shop.
GillyMac Designs is delighted to announce the Spring 2021 Virtual Retreat will open for bookings at 10am on Friday 29th January.
Spring 2021 Virtual Retreat
The next wonderful Virtual Retreat will take place from Friday, March 26th to Sunday, March 28th. Once again, the Retreat will happen from the comfort of your sewing table
The project for this Retreat is the Summertime Table Runner and Placemats. You could make the placemats or the runner over the weekend, but you will have the full pattern and video tutorial for both items. The Summertime Runner’s design comprises a log cabin block background onto which I have sewn modern flowers. I have chosen to make my log cabin blocks in an improv style, but the pattern also includes a regular log cabin block option. The edges of the runner and placements are curvy, which looks great!

What is a Virtual Retreat hosted by GillyMac Designs?
Over the past two years, the Retreats have become a regular Spring and Autumn feature in the GillyMac Calendar.
The Retreat is a weekend of sewing and laughter with 16 hours of mixed live tuition and personal sewing. There is a quiz and a highlight of the weekend is always our Bingo game! The event runs over Zoom with a supportive private Facebook group. The Facebook group opens ahead of the Retreat to allow participants to share photos of their fabric choices and stays open after it for final projects to be shared between the group.
During the weekend, Gill will be doing the project with you, demonstrating every stage in full. Furthermore, the pattern comes with fully illustrated notes, and there is a pre-recorded video tutorial for the project.

Retreat Box & Saturday Night Bonus Project!
Gill will send the carefully curated Retreat Boxes to you ahead of time.
On Friday evening, we try to kick the Retreat off by opening the Boxes. The Boxes contain a mixture of quality sewing supplies and mini gifts to get you buzzing from the very start.
It is one of Gill’s favourite jobs to build the box contents in the months leading up to the Retreat.
Each Retreat Box also contains a complete kit for the Saturday night project which you can either sew along with Gill that evening, or you can save it to complete at another time.
The Spring Saturday Night project is a set of stitched greetings cards or afternoon tea invite cards!
What are the logistics of the 2021 Spring Virtual Retreat ?
The Spring Retreat will run from:
7pm on Friday, March 26th to
3pm on Sunday, March 28th.
The Facebook group will open to participants a week before the Retreat and will be available for a further six months after the Retreat is over.
The instructional videos will be yours to access from my website forever.
The Retreat Box will arrive by registered post in the week before the event.
Busy cutting/sewing/creative time will be from:
7pm – 9pm on Friday,
10am – 7pm on Saturday and
10am – 3pm on Sunday.
What’s included in the price of the Virtual Retreat?
- 16 hours of mixed live tuition and personal sewing over two days and one evening
- GillyMac Summertime Runner and Placemats Pattern
- Bonus Pattern & Kit for the greetings cards
- A Bespoke Retreat Box, full of quality goodies delivered to you for the weekend’s enjoyment.
- GillyMac Bingo & prizes.
- Instructional videos for all aspects of making and quilting the Summertime Runner and Placemats and the stitched greetings cards – These videos are available forever. or the gift bag project available forever.
What happens if I get stuck with the sewing, who will help me ?
There will be live instructional Zoom sessions and pre-recorded Video Tutorials covering all aspects of making the Summertime Runner & Placemats and the greetings cards throughout the weekend. Additionally, Gill will be online, answering your questions and cheerleading your progress. Gill and her small team will help you get the very most from experience.
What happens if I can’t be available for the whole weekend or miss a part of the retreat?
All the instructions video tutorials will be available in Gill’s website members for you to replay at your convenience. So there is no chance of you missing out on the tuition. If you need to pop out or do something else for a short time, you will be able to catch up with all the teaching when you get back. Just don’t miss the Bingo!
What you'll need for the weekend
- An internet connection, access to Zoom (you do not need a Zoom account) and Facebook account, if you would like to join the Retreat Group.
- Fabric – Gill will send you the requirements shortly after booking.
- Sewing machine, Sewing kit, rotary cutting equipment and enthusiasm.
How much is this Virtual Retreat and how do I book it ?
The price of the GillyMac Virtual Retreat is £135 and places are limited.
An early-bird discount rate of £120 for the retreat is available for bookings taken from 29th January to 14th February.
Will fabric kits be available to purchase?
This project is suited to using up your stash of fabric. However, we all like to buy fabric, and Gill will send details of fabric packs and their availability along with the requirements.
What Past Retreat Participants are Saying…
It’s always great to receive feedback on my classes




Sign up for classes
You can sign up for classes on our website by emailing, by filling in the form or calling us using the details below.
We require full payment at the time of booking in order to reserve your spot.
Contact
07818 551232
mail@gillymacdesigns.com
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