Join modern quilter and and instructor Carolina Oneto as she returns to Atelier Clos Mirabel in South West France for a week of playful experimentation combining design, piercing techniques and colour theory.
About this course:
In this 5-day retreat, we will explore colour in motion — creating our own fabrics that transition through hue, value, and saturation across the full chromatic sphere. These colour transitions will form the foundation for expressive, abstract flowers. Once our blooms are complete, we’ll design and piece improvisational backgrounds that bring rhythm, depth, and harmony to each composition.
Carolina Oneto will guide you through colour exploration, fabric creation, and composition development, helping you craft a vibrant, personal quilt where colour and form flow together naturally.
Quilting Workshop Retreat with Carolina Oneto:
Saturday
4.00 – Check-in time from 4pm onwards. Guests arrive, settle in and explore Atelier Clos Mirabel.
6.00 – Welcome drinks and dinner
Sunday – The Language of Colour
Focus: Understanding hue, value, and saturation transitions
We begin by exploring the chromatic circle and discovering how gradual shifts in hue, value, and saturation can bring colour to life. Through guided exercises, you’ll create fabric transitions that will later form the foundation of your flowers.
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet breakfast of local and regional produce
10.00 – 12.00 Morning workshop
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch at Clos Mirabel
2.00 – 5.00 Afternoon workshop
6.00 – Aperitifs before 4-course dinner in the Manor House or on the terrace
Monday – Growing the Flowers
Focus: Creating organic floral forms
Using the fabrics created on Day 1, you’ll design and piece your own abstract flowers. Carolina will demonstrate curved piecing and improvisational shaping techniques that allow each piece to bloom naturally, reflecting movement and rhythm.
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet breakfast of local and regional produce
10.00 – 12.00 Morning workshop
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch at Clos Mirabel
2.00 – 5.00 Afternoon workshop
6.00 – Aperitifs before 4-course dinner in the Manor House or on the terrace
Tuesday – Composing the Garden
Focus: Design and spatial relationships
With your flowers complete, you’ll begin designing your overall composition. Together we’ll discuss focal points, balance, and harmony — and how to use contrast and repetition to guide the viewer’s eye. By the end of the day, your design wall will bloom with possibilities.
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet breakfast of local and regional produce
10.00 – 12.00 Morning workshop
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch at Clos Mirabel
2.00 – 5.00 Afternoon workshop
6.00 – Aperitifs before 4-course dinner in the Manor House or on the terrace
Wednesday – Free Day
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet breakfast of local and regional produce
We suggest wine tasting in a local vineyard, explore Pau or beyond
6.00 – Aperitifs before 4-course dinner in the Manor House or on the terrace
Thursday – Building the Background
Focus: Improvisational background construction
Now it’s time to bring your flowers to life within their environment. Using fabrics in one dark colour family (blue, green, or blue-green recommended), you’ll create an improvisational background that adds depth and contrast to your composition.
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet breakfast of local and regional produce
10.00 – 12.00 Morning workshop
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch at Clos Mirabel
2.00 – 5.00 Afternoon workshop
6.00 – Aperitifs before 4-course dinner in the Manor House or on the terrace
Friday – Harmony and Refinement
Focus: Integration and completion
You’ll finalize your quilt top, refining the relationships between colour and form. Carolina will guide you through options for quilting and texture, offering ways to enhance your finished piece. The retreat closes with a joyful group sharing of each participant’s unique Improvisational Garden.
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet breakfast of local and regional produce
10.00 – 12.00 Morning workshop
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch at Clos Maribel
2.00 – 5.00 Afternoon workshop
6.00 – Evening exhibition in the art studio with aperitifs
7.00 – 4 course dinner in the Manor House or on the terrace
Saturday
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet Breakfast and departure (Check-out 11am)
The Art Studio, offers a spacious open plan layout of 75 m2. It is available at all times during your stay. Click here for more information.
Non-participating guests: we are more than happy to welcome non-workshop guests, accompanying partners, family or friends. There are plenty of activities to experience around Clos Mirabel, that will make your holiday unforgettable Click here for more information.
Click here for supply list for students and general tools. PDF to be added shortly
