Get ready to dive into a world of colour, technique, and small quilt studies in this 5-day workshop with Tara Faughnan at Clos Mirabel in Pau, SW France.
About this course:
Small studies are not just about making beautiful pieces. They’re a way to explore ideas, loosen up your approach, and develop designs that can grow into larger quilts.
Set at the foothills of the Pyrénées Atlantiques, we’ll be surrounded by a rich landscape of colour and shape. You will be using what you see as inspiration and translating it into fabric as you work.
Tara will guide you through a process of sketching with textiles, focusing on colour interaction, the role of value in creating movement, and how shape can carry a composition. Through a series of exercises, you’ll create multiple small studies, each rooted in observation and inspired by the landscape around us.
By the end of the week, you’ll have a collection of studies – and a clearer way of seeing colour and shape – that you can carry forward into your own work, whether that becomes a full-size quilt or something entirely new.
Quilting Retreat – Programme Outline
Saturday
4.00 – Check-in time from 4pm onwards. Guests arrive, settle in and explore Clos Mirabel
6.00 – Welcome drinks and dinner
Sunday
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet breakfast of local and regional produce
10.00 – 12.00 Introductions and morning presentation. Setting the tone for the week.
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch at Clos Mirabel
2.00 – 5.00 Live demos and diving into colour
6.00 – Aperitifs before 4 course dinner in the Manor House or on the terrace
Monday
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet breakfast of local and regional produce
10.00 – 12.00 Morning presentation and demos on shape and line
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch at Clos Mirabel
2.00 – 5.00 Exploring shape, line and putting colours to use. Individual check ins.
6.00 – Aperitifs before 4 course dinner in the Manor House or on the terrace
Tuesday
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet breakfast of local and regional produce
10.00 – 12.00 Morning presentation on more advanced piecing techniques and demos
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch at Clos Mirabel
2.00 – 5.00 Exploring shape, line and putting colours to use. Individual check ins continue.
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 local vineyard, explore Pau or beyond
6.00 – Aperitifs before 4 course dinner in the Manor House or on the terrace
Thursday
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet breakfast of local and regional produce
10.00 – 12.00 Continuing study and midweek check ins. Sharing our work for feedback
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch at Clos Mirabel
2.00 – 5.00 Continuing study. Individual check ins continue.
6.00 – Aperitifs before 4 course dinner in the Manor House or on the terrace
Friday
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet breakfast of local and regional produce
10.00 – 12.00 Continuing study and checking in
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch at Clos Mirabel
2.00 – 5.00 Wrap up, final thoughts and questions for taking the work forward.
6.00 – Evening exhibition in the art studio of Atelier Clos Mirabel with Aperitifs
7.00 – Farewell 4 course dinner in the Manor House
Saturday
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet Breakfast and departure (Check-out 11am)
Equipment & Supplies:
Equipment & Supplies in Detail
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.
