Come stitch with me at Making Zen online retreat this May!

If you love small stitches, slow sewing, and thoughtful little details, join me this May for a beautiful week of online creative inspiration.

I’m one of the guest artists in this year’s Making Zen Online Retreat, a five-day online event for textile lovers and makers running from 4 to 8 May 2026. Over the week, 40 artists will be sharing workshops designed to inspire creativity, build skills, and encourage more intentional making. Each day’s workshops are available to watch for free for 24 hours, so you can join in from home and learn at your own pace.

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My workshop, Small Stitches, Big Impact: Simple Handwork Upgrades, will be available on Friday, 8 May 2026, 11am Eastern Time/12pm Atlantic - LINK for timezone converter. In it, I’ll be sharing some of my favourite simple handwork techniques that can add texture, charm, and personality to your sewing without needing a huge time commitment or complicated prep. It is very much in my wheelhouse and very much for makers who love thoughtful little details.

In my workshop, I’ll be sharing handwork favourites like yo-yos (with and without a Clover maker), folded hexagons, English paper-pieced hexagon shapes with glue and thread-basted options, big-stitch quilting, and running-stitch variations, including whipped running stitch. These are simple, satisfying techniques that can bring extra character to quilts, pillows, ornaments, wall hangings, and small patchwork projects.

Watch my interview with the Creator of Making Zen, Kate Ward, you may need captions on for my fast speaking - or slow down the video. If you'd prefer to read, download the video transcript. READ

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What I think makes Making Zen especially appealing is that it is designed for real life. You do not have to travel, you do not need to clear an entire week, and you can choose the sessions that suit your interests. If you grab a free ticket, access details are sent to your inbox. If you are new to Making Zen, you may need to confirm your email address first, so it is worth checking your spam or promotions folder too. With the free ticket, you can watch the pre-recorded workshops during the event week from 4 to 8 May.

For many of you, the VIP Pass is where this becomes much more relaxed and useful. VIP includes lifetime access to all 40 retreat workshops, so there is no pressure to squeeze everything into a 24-hour window. The Making Zen fast action page also highlights additional VIP inclusions, including premium gifts from the artists, live Sip and Stitch gatherings, a private podcast of artist interviews, edited transcripts for every workshop, and a Making Zen resource eBook that collects all resources in one place. For VIP’s, I’m including my Florafield Pillow pattern that uses all of the techniques shared in the video!

That matters because if you are anything like me, you probably do not learn best in a rush. You might want to revisit a technique later, pause and actually sew along, or come back when the timing is better. VIP gives you that breathing room. It also means you can gather ideas from artists beyond quilting and patchwork, then revisit them whenever you need a fresh creative nudge. The site describes it beautifully: creativity deserves space to breathe.

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The VIP Pass includes over USD $4,000 (AUD$5,800 approx) worth of workshops, gifts, guides, extended workshops, and resources, plus over USD $1,500 (AUD$2,100 approx) of premium VIP gifts from artists. Workshop access for VIPs begins on 21 April, so VIP holders can start exploring before retreat week begins.

And from my little corner of the retreat, I’m contributing the Florafield pattern as a VIP gift, so there is a bit of extra Craftapalooza goodness in there too.

I can’t wait to watch fellow Aussie, Barbie Mitchell’s Soulful Quilt Making workshop as well as the following artists:

• Vintage Collage Accordion Book - Liz Kettle
• Freeform Florals - Jen Strauser
• Claimed Scraps - DeeDee Catron
• Make a Japanese Rice Bag Komebukuro - Pattie Klimek
• Textile Vessels - Ellie Beck
• Wishing Houses - Claire Voelkel-Sedlmeir
• Make a Slow Stitched Dish Towel Wall Hanging - Emma Freeman

If this sounds like your kind of retreat, you can grab a free ticket and come stitch along with me in May. My workshop, Small Stitches, Big Impact: Simple Handwork Upgrades, goes live on Friday, 8 May, and I’d love to have you there. Whether you join for free or decide VIP is the better fit for your schedule, Making Zen looks like a beautiful opportunity to refill your creative cup and learn from a wonderful range of artists.

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I may earn a small commission if you purchase through this link, at no extra cost to you.