Slow Stitching and Printing in the Dordogne with Karen Lewis

SLOW STITCHING AND PRINTING IN THE DORDOGNE

Tutor Karen Lewis

Karen Lewis is a screen printer, fabric designer and quilt designer. Her love for all these along with her background in teaching makes her a passionate and adept tutor. Karen loves the slow mindful creative process of handwork and it is these techniques that she particularly enjoys doing and sharing with others.

Dates
26 June – 2 July 2027

Number of Places
10

Location

Based at the Walnut Barn, St Cybranet, Dordogne

Overview
A mindful week of hand printing and hand stitching in the beautiful French countryside. We will make a sampler piece using the techniques we will encounter, taking inspiration from our surroundings.

Who Is It For / Skill Level
All skill levels

What You Will Learn
We will be exploring a transportable screen printing technique as well as hand stitching techniques including hand piecing, English paper piecing, needle turn appliqué, couch stitching and a variety of decorative stitches.

What to Expect / Course Structure

Saturday 26 June – Arrival & Welcome
Guests arrive mid-afternoon and settle into their accommodation. Welcome apéritifs at the Walnut Barn and a chance to get to know each other, followed by dinner at the Barn and an overview of the week ahead.

Sunday 27 June
Relaxed breakfast in the Barn, followed by a morning visit to Domme to orient everyone visually with its dramatic river valley views, pretty shops and decorative shutters. Return to the Barn for lunch and an afternoon studio session. Dinner at the Barn.

Monday 28 June
Breakfast, followed by a visit to Castelnaud for relaxed stitching.

Riverside picnic lunch (weather permitting), followed by an afternoon studio session. Dinner.

Tuesday 29 June
Breakfast and morning tuition at the Barn, consolidating and continuing work from the first two days. Lunch, then an afternoon visit to the stunning village of La Roque-Gageac. Late afternoon sewing session. Dinner.

Wednesday 30 June
Breakfast and a visit to Sarlat market in the morning, where guests can choose their own restaurant for lunch. Return to the Barn around 2pm, with optional studio time later in the afternoon. Dinner.

Thursday 1 July
Breakfast followed by a relaxed morning workshop session. Lunch at the Barn, followed by optional riverside time in the afternoon – swimming, kayaking or simply unwinding – before a final dinner together and a gallery of the group’s work.

Friday 2 July – Departures
A late brunch and transfers to Bergerac Airport, Gourdon station and/or Sarlat station.

Included
All workshops and tuition, all transport for workshops and excursions, all meals and refreshments as listed (except your Sarlat day lunch), pickup or drop off at Slow Village for guests staying there, and airport/train station transfers to and from Bergerac Airport, Gourdon station and Sarlat station.

Included for Non-Participants
Non-participants are welcome to join the group for all excursions, shared meals and local transport throughout the week. They enjoy the same catering package (breakfasts, lunches except the Sarlat day lunch, drinks and evening meals with local wines) and the same agreed transfers. Workshop and course sessions are reserved for registered participants, allowing everyone to have the best experience.

Not Included
Flights, accommodation, travel insurance, off-site lunch and materials to bring for the course as detailed below.

Materials to Bring
CLICK to Download materials list

Materials Provided at Venue
Lightweight foldable chairs for riverside sessions, basic paper crafting supplies including scrap paper, pens, pencils, scissors, paints and work mats.

Local Resident Workshops
Not discussed.

Accommodation

Once you have secured your place on the retreat, please book and pay for your accommodation separately. We are happy to recommend either our limited on-site rooms adjacent to the Barn or our preferred accommodation partner, Slow Village, in nearby St Cybranet, allowing you to choose the option that best suits your budget and preferences. More information about each accommodation option is provided below.

On-Site Shared Gîte
We have two private bedrooms available in our on-site gîte, located just a few steps from the Barn. Guests have their own bedroom while sharing a kitchen and shower room with one other retreat participant. These rooms are limited and are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Slow Village, St Cybranet
Our preferred accommodation partner is Slow Village, a beautiful riverside holiday site in St Cybranet, approximately a 10-minute walk from the Barn. Slow Village offers a range of accommodation options in a peaceful setting beside the Dordogne River.

Bookings are made directly with Slow Village. Their reservations for the following season usually open during the winter months. If you are booking your retreat place before their online reservations open, we recommend contacting Slow Village directly by email. They are familiar with our retreats and will take advance bookings and offer our preferential retreat rates.

Although Slow Village is within easy walking distance, we also operate a shuttle service between the Barn and Slow Village throughout the retreat, so you will always be able to travel easily between your accommodation and retreat activities.

Important Travel Information

Getting Here
The Walnut Barn, 66 Alle du Forgeron, Saint Cybranet, 24250, France

Arrival Day – Saturday
Bergerac Airport is just over an hour from us. We provide one scheduled transfer from Bergerac on Saturday afternoon and a return transfer on Friday morning. We will organise timings around flight schedules once these are released.

From the UK
The most straightforward option is a direct Ryanair flight from London Stansted to Bergerac Dordogne Périgord Airport. Flights typically operate several times per week during the summer season and often align well with our Saturday arrival and Friday departure transfers.

Additional UK routes to Bergerac may operate seasonally from airports such as Bristol, East Midlands and Liverpool.

Travelling from Further Afield
If you are travelling from the USA or elsewhere internationally, you may wish to fly into Paris and continue your journey by rail.

Direct trains run from Paris Austerlitz to Gourdon several times a day, with journey times of around 5½–6 hours. Gourdon is approximately 30 minutes from the Walnut Barn venue.

Alternatively, you can travel via Bordeaux. Guests can take a direct train from Bordeaux Saint-Jean station to Sarlat-la-Canéda, approximately 20 minutes from the Walnut Barn venue. Journey times are typically around 2½–3 hours.

Travelling via Toulouse
Toulouse Matabiau station has regular direct services to Gourdon, with journey times of approximately 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours, making Toulouse another convenient gateway to the region.

Train Travel Within France
Gourdon and Sarlat are the nearest railway stations and are approximately 30 minutes and 20 minutes respectively from the retreat venue. Complimentary transfers from Bergerac Airport, Gourdon station and Sarlat station are included in your retreat package, making rail travel a simple and stress-free way to reach us.

Driving
Driving from the UK is straightforward via Eurotunnel or ferry routes such as Calais, St Malo or Santander. The journey from Calais is approximately 9–10 hours, mostly motorway, with parking available on site.

Guests making their own travel arrangements and not requiring a transfer receive a €60 reduction.

Guests can choose to combine their retreat with a few days in Paris, Bordeaux or Toulouse, turning their visit into part of a longer French adventure.

Please Note
Travel and Slow Village accommodation are booked independently. We strongly recommend comprehensive travel insurance, including cover for event cancellation. Please read our Terms and Conditions before booking.