Virtual Retreats
GillyMac Designs is delighted to announce the Winter 2023 Virtual Retreat will open for bookings at 10am on Monday 24th July.
Winter 2023 Virtual Retreat
The next wonderful Virtual Retreat will take place on the weekend of 14th & 15th of October 2023. Once again, the Retreat will happen from the comfort of your sewing table
The project for this Retreat will be announced in early July and will be just as beautiful as the Snowy Days Quilt (from the 2021 Virtual Retreat) pictured on this page.

What is a Virtual Retreat hosted by GillyMac Designs?
Over the past two years, the Retreats have become a regular feature in the GillyMac Calendar.
The Retreat is a weekend of sewing and laughter with two days 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.
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 a small project which you can either sew along with Gill on the Saturday evening of the Retreat or you can save it to complete at another time.
The Winter 2021 Virtual Retreat Saturday Night project was working with felt and cork to create unique coasters or stands.
What are the logistics of a Virtual Retreat ?
Gill’s Virtual Retreats are always great fun and run over two full days.
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
The Retreat Box will arrive by registered post the week before the event.
What’s included in the price of the Virtual Retreat?
- Two days of mixed live tuition and personal sewing over two days and one evening
- GillyMac 2023 Virtual Retreat Quilt Pattern which will be fully illustrated.
- Two different quilting plans for the Quilt
- Table Runner annexe to the pattern to use the blocks in a table runner
- Bonus Pattern & Kit for the Saturday Night Project
- 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 the Retreat Quilt (including step by step guidance through the quilting), an ad on video for the table runner and another video tutorial for the small project
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 Retreat Quilt and the small project 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 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 £125 for the retreat is available for bookings taken from 24th – 28th July.
Will fabric kits be available to purchase?
Possibly!
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 directly on our website. If you have any questions, we would be pleased to answer them. Questions can be emailed to the address below or by filling in the form below.
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Contact
07818 551232
mail@gillymacdesigns.com