People & Places: Discover the Programme for Our 2027 Online Retreat

The Quilters’ Guild Online Retreat 2027, People & Places, takes place on 23–24 January, bringing members together online for two days of quilting history, creative techniques, practical demonstrations and shared activities.

Taking place on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 January, the retreat brings together speakers, makers and contributors to share their knowledge, experiences and creative practices. From the history of hand quilting and the stories preserved in The Quilt Collection to three-dimensional textile techniques and practical sewing demonstrations, the programme offers a wide range of subjects to explore.

Members can join online from wherever they are, with recordings available for 28 days after the event.

Quilts can tell us a great deal about the people who made them, the communities they belonged to and the times in which they lived. Several sessions in this year's programme explore these connections.

Heather Audin – People and Places: Stories from The Quilt Collection

Heather will explore the stories held within The Quilt Collection, looking at the makers behind historic textiles, where they lived and worked, and what inspired their creations. Drawing on objects spanning three centuries, the talk examines the domestic and social histories preserved through patchwork and quilting.

Jacqui Cotterill – The Surprisingly Long Deep History of Hand Quilting

How far back does hand quilting go, and what influenced the patterns we recognise today? Jacqui will explore connections between quilting, the Mongol Empire, medieval church graffiti and the historical importance of sewing for protection and survival. Her presentation uses a washing line and some well-dressed teddy bears to help illustrate the story.

Katherine Gough – Sarah Marion Davies: Abertridwr Rural Industries Bureau Quilter

Katherine will share her research into her grandmother, who worked as one of the Rural Industries Quilters in the South Wales Valleys during the 1930s. Drawing on inherited designs, photographs, templates, quilting equipment and a quilted dressing gown, she will explore the work of the Abertridwr quilters and the family history behind her research, supported by a British Quilt Study Group bursary.

The retreat also includes sessions exploring techniques, construction methods and practical approaches that participants can take back to their own sewing spaces.

Matt Wilding – Introduction to 3D Quilting

Matt will demonstrate how a simple polygon can become a three-dimensional quilted object. Having won the Quilt Creations category in 2026 with his giant quilted ball, he will be working on a smaller scale for this workshop, introducing participants to the possibilities of dimensional quilting.

Janet Bevan – Florence: A Travelling Sewing Caddy

Janet will introduce Florence, a travelling sewing caddy, with a session focused on making this practical sewing accessory.

Carolyn Forster – Manx Log Cabin Patchwork: Traditional and Modern Approaches

Carolyn will explore the traditional quilt-as-you-go method of making Manx Log Cabin blocks from the Isle of Man, before demonstrating how the process can be adapted using contemporary sewing techniques, fabrics and notions. The session includes visual demonstrations and an opportunity to stitch along.

Liz Coleman – Hanging Sleeves and Quilt Labels and Why They REALLY Matter

Liz will demonstrate the importance of a well-made hanging sleeve when presenting quilts at exhibitions. She will also discuss the value of quilt labels and the different forms they can take.

Jennie Rayment – Hexie Boxes for All

Using techniques inspired by origami, Jennie will explore how folding, rolling and manipulating fabric can create textured three-dimensional boxes. She will also look at how these techniques can be developed for bowls and other embellishments.

Barnyarns – The Mysteries of Interfacing Revealed

Barnyarns will contribute a session exploring interfacing, adding another practical subject to the weekend's programme.

Alongside traditional quilting techniques, People & Places includes sessions that explore individual artistic journeys and the use of textiles to communicate personal and shared experiences.

Helen Creasey – My Quilting Journey: From Architecture to Artist, with Stops Along the Way

Helen will share the development of her quilting practice, including the journey behind her award-winning quilts Reaching and Blooming Mandala. Through examples from her earlier work, she will reflect on the experiences, influences and decisions that have shaped her approach as a textile artist.

Dr Vanessa Marr – The Domestic Dusters Project

Artist and academic Dr Vanessa Marr will introduce Domestic Dusters, her ongoing collaborative textile project inviting women to embroider their experiences of domesticity onto yellow dusters.

Vanessa will discuss the project's origins and share stories behind some of the hundreds of embroidered dusters contributed by women around the world. Participants will also be guided through prompts to begin their own embroidered duster, with the option of contributing it to the touring collection.

The session welcomes all sewing skill levels.

The Online Retreat includes opportunities to participate in activities alongside the talks and demonstrations.

Julia Langley – Let's Play Stitch Bingo!

Julia, of Sewing Box Somerset, will explore the decorative stitches and functions available on sewing machines through Stitch Bingo. Participants will discover ways to combine stitches into their own small textile artwork, experimenting with features they may not regularly use.

Gregor Thomas – Physio for Sewers

Gregor will contribute a session on physiotherapy for sewers as part of the weekend's programme.

Quilts for Care Leavers – Sew a Block

The programme also includes an opportunity to sew a block for Quilts for Care Leavers, bringing a participatory element to the retreat.

The programme features a range of speakers and contributors, including:

• Helen Creasey

• Vanessa Marr

• Maggie Lloyd-Jones

• Janet Bevan

• Heather Audin

• Julia Langley

• Gregor Thomas

• Jacqui Cotterill

• Matt Wilding

• Barnyarns

• Rebecca Feakes

• Carolyn Forster

• Katherine Gough

• Liz Coleman

• Jennie Rayment

and more...

Together, the sessions cover historical research, traditional techniques, contemporary textile practice, practical sewing skills and shared activities.

One advantage of the Online Retreat is the flexibility to join from your home or sewing space.

The programme runs over two days, with sessions between 10am and 7pm on both Saturday and Sunday.

If you can't attend every session live, recordings will be available for 28 days afterwards, allowing members to revisit sessions or catch up on those they missed.

Whether your interests lie in quilting history, learning techniques, discovering contemporary textile work or taking part in creative activities, People & Places brings these subjects together across one weekend.

Event: The Quilters’ Guild Online Retreat – People & Places 2027

Dates: Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 January 2027

Time: 10am–7pm each day

Location: Online

Tickets: £55

Eligibility: Quilters’ Guild members only

Recordings: Available for 28 days after the retreat

Join us in January to explore the people, places and stories behind the stitches.

Find out more and book your place through The Quilters’ Guild.