Cloth Stories
Join Ali Ferguson for four lovely days of nostalgia, sharing stories and ‘slow’ hand-stitching where you will be gently guided through a making process with stories and a deep appreciation of materials at its heart.
Throughout this time, you’ll work on up to three gorgeous projects inspired by home and the people who are important to you.
What’s Included?
Accommodation in a stunning medieval manor (1300sAD) or adjoining Tudor Manor house (1500sAD)- the opportunity to stay in a beautifully renovated country house, steeped in history
Fully catered, chef prepared meals: breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner with selected wines
Daily guided minfulness sessions and low key yoga! (optional)
Inspiring and engaging talk about relevant History of Art
Flower Picking and Arranging in our beautiful flower garden
Fulfilling conversation with likeminded individuals
A visit from a textile trader who will bring mouthwatering textiles from her travels in France to purchase.
Trips to Brunels suspension bridge and the nearby Clevedon Pier : the prettiest pier in England” and a local art Exhibition.
plenty of opportunity to potter to the shops, the Marina and to walk to the nearby estuary to see the amazing sunsets.
What will you learn?
Ali will share her relaxed approach to creating her gorgeously scrappy ‘Story Collages’ using words, motifs and meaningful materials. Fabrics are ripped and layered, printed words are highlighted, and personal words are hand stitched. You’ll use vintage table linens, cottons from old patchwork quilts and perhaps even papers from vintage magazines. You’ll be encouraged throughout the retreat to jot down memories, thoughts & stories that come to mind as you are working, and we’ll find ways to incorporate some of these into your pieces.
You’ll create your own meaningful fabric by printing pieces of handwritten text onto calico with an inkjet printer. This is a wonderful way to work with your own family stories - perhaps handwritten recipes, old postcards & letters, knitting patterns, dressmaking notes or even old school jotters. You’ll get more details of what to bring in advance of the retreat.
These fabrics will become the inspiration and starting point for your Cloth Story collage. Ali will show you how to add more personal words and a stitched ‘motif’ or two – all adding to your personal story. Time is given to every part of the process, from choosing the materials, to laying out your designs, slowly & deliberately – this takes so much longer than you think!
During the week you’ll also work on a Wonky Patchwork Portrait inspired by old patchwork quilts and someone who is special to you. The centre square of many traditional log cabin quilts was red, to represent the fireplace as the heart of the home but you’ll use a photograph printed onto fabric at the heart of your piece (this will be printed for you in advance of the retreat).
You’ll have the opportunity to work on a third project if you wish, starting a collection of ‘love tokens’ using special words and the tiniest scraps of fabric. Ali started making these during lockdown, something to keep her fingers busy when her head was too full to think and when she was desperately missing family and friends. The words were taken from a small collection of intimate letters written by a young husband and wife during the last three years of WWII. This will be a lovely project to capture some of the memories and stories that have surfaced during the week.
The retreat will be a celebration of slow hand-stitching. Don’t worry if you’re not an experienced stitcher, you’ll be shown everything you need to know.
You won’t finish everything during the retreat – hand stitching is slow! However, you will leave with a little collection of pieces that you feel excited by, personally connected to and inspired to continue working on at home. Ali takes the view that ‘slow stitching’ should be exactly that - something that is added to, day by day, where the pleasure of creating is as significant as the desire to have a finished piece.
Suitable for all levels of experience.
A little about Court House Farm…
Which isn’t really a working farm at all! It’s more of a lovely cluster of charming historic buildings, the site originally dating from pre doomsday. The remaining Manor and smaller Manor are medieval and Tudor, dating from 1350, with some characterful outbuildings. (you may be making things in the cowshed- but no cows and clean!) we have 4 acres of land around the buildings with a little flower farm, and we are right in the heart of a small estuary sea-side town of Portishead in Somerset ( with a lovely little high street, Marina and stunning coastal walks and the most fabulous setting suns ). Do look at more information on the website and for photographs of the interiors and exteriors. During your stay, we will have some additional fun interludes and entertainment ( we must show you our neighbouring little seaside town called Clevedon- with the prettiest Pier in England ) and of course plenty of flowers!
FURTHER DETAILS
This is a 5-night residential retreat. ( 5 nights accommodation and full board ).
The price is £2550 for single occupancy, own room with ensuite, £2350 for single occupancy own room sharing a bathroom, £2150 shared room (both attending the retreat booked together. Contact us if you would like a non-participating partner to attend).
If you are local and would like to attend the retreat on a day only basis the cost is £1,250. This includes all materials, delicious chef cooked lunch and early evening meal, plus wine, talks and visits. Please contact Helen for further details or to book at: at.courthousefarm@gmail.com
The booking deposit is £500. ( please get in touch for other currency )
The balance will be due 8 weeks prior to the retreat. Payments can be made by Paypal or Bank Transfer ( although we do charge for the PayPal fee)
The Course Fees are non-refundable once paid, but of course, if we cancel for any reason all payments will be refunded, or mutually agreeable alternative dates offered.
If you are coming from abroad or feel you may want to spend a day or more on either side of the retreat for rest and relaxation, do, please discuss this with us.
If you have a question or need further details please contact us using the button below.
“My name is Anat and I am from Jerusalem Israel I like doing embroidery and other textile arts.
I would like to recommend “Court House Farm” in Portishead, West England for its art retreats. It takes place in a charming historic house, with gardens and wonderful flowers. The lovely couple that lives there provide excellent embroidery workshops, comfortable vintage style accommodations, and gourmet meals. It’s the perfect place to immerse yourself in embroidery while enjoying the beauty of the estate.
During my stay there I had the opportunity to participate in two amazing workshops. The first one led by the accomplished textile artist Mandy Pattullo. I so much liked the place that I came back for another workshop hosted by the lovely artist Ali Ferguson. In both retreats I enjoyed doing art and met nice people. We also had some visits to places nearby and had a lecture by an art historian.
All in all these were delightful retreat experiences that both enhanced my skills and provided me memorable moments. If I have the opportunity I will definitely go back.”
More About Ali Ferguson
Ali describes herself as a bit of a ‘home bird’. Her home and family are the most important things in her world and. It’s no surprise then that this is also where her passions lie with her artwork
She draws inspiration from the every-day. Everyday people and everyday things and is endlessly fascinated by people and their stories, particularly their memories of ordinary home and working lives.
Wherever possible she works with old and used materials. Seeking out fragments of old clothing, household linens and the everyday bits & pieces that are to be found hidden away in the bottom of drawers. She loves the thought that an old piece of clothing is implanted with stories of the wearer or that a piece of washed and worn table linen holds the secrets of a household. She layers and patches these fragments together, combining them with hand stitch – offering a glimpse into lives all but forgotten or overlooked.
‘There’s something so personal & special about leaving your mark with needle and thread.’
While spending most of her time working from her studio ‘The Purple Thread Shed’ in the garden of her home near Edinburgh, she also teaches in other gorgeous venues around the UK and overseas.
