Making Zen: Celebrating 5 Years

What a special time of year it is: the time to prepare for Making Zen. And this time, it's extra special, as we plan to celebrate five whole years of Making Zen with our 10th event!

When I created Making Zen back at the end of 2021, I didn't dare to dream it would ever come this far. That first event had a grand total of 16 workshops and 7 special gifts for VIPs, and at the time, it felt like such an incredible accomplishment - and it was, especially considering that back then I was organizing it all by myself! 

We've certainly come a long way over the years, with our more recent retreats including more than thirty artists per event, each providing both a workshop for the free retreat and a special gift for our VIPs. Luckily, I've also got a wonderful, small team of women who help pull it all together! 

Truly, this milestone feels like something to savour. What started out as a simple idea to bring textile artists and makers together in a warm and inviting space has evolved into a twice-annual event that welcomes tens of thousands of makers each year. It gives me goosebumps to think of all of those people finding inspiration, play, and connection in these retreats.

Of course, with a milestone like this, we've got to make it a super special event! We are welcoming more artists than ever before, each bringing their own unique perspective, materials, and guidance. The result is a tapestry of workshops that invite you to explore, experiment, and reconnect with your creativity in a way that feels good for you.

A Glimpse Into This Event’s Workshops

It's worth noting that watching and making along to 40 workshops in one week might not be realistic for everyone. Rather than rushing through everything on offer, I invite you to wander a little and take note of the workshops that really call to you. I find it can help to make a "must watch" list and add the dates for those workshops into my calendar, so that I don't miss out on something I really wanted to see. And of course, there's always the VIP Pass if you want to have unlimited access to everything, and watch at your leisure.

It can be tough to sort through all those workshops on your own, so we've broken them down into a number of themes to help you find the ones that speak to you.

Home & Gift Projects

Handmade projects have a special place in my heart, and my home! There’s something deeply grounding about creating objects that can be held, used, and gifted. In this collection of workshops, you’ll stitch pieces that are both beautiful and practical, whether they are something you'd like to hold onto and use in your day-to-day, or gift to someone precious.

• Yunomi Pincushion with Blair Stocker of Wisecraft Handmade
• Cathedral Square Pendant with Megan Levacy
• Fabric Scrap Owl Sachet with Ann Smith
• Spiral Stitch Basket with Ruth Woods
• Broderie Anglaise Scalloped Coasters with Agy Lee
• Sashiko-Style Coin Pouch with Kate Ward
• Folded Treasure Pouch with Selina Ben
• Japanese Rice Bag (Komebukuro) with Pattie Klimek
• The Stitcher’s Pocket Companion with Giovanna Zara
• Embroidered Bug Bookmarks with Betz White

Reflections

These workshops invite you inward, whether it's reflecting on your day, your spirituality, or your intentions. Through stitching, journaling, and gentle creative rituals, you’ll explore memory, emotion, and presence, using your practice as a way of noticing and recording.

• The Living Line: Marking Days with Dots with Jeri Bellini
• Art Journaling: Bouquet of Emotion with Casey Turner
• Spiritual Practices for Makers with Liza Laird
• The Sacred Stitch Workshop with Suiko McCall
• Wishing Houses with Claire Voelkel-Sedlmeir

Technique Explorations

Curiosity is one of the many treasured parts of creativity! If you’re open to exploration, this is where you can deepen your skills and expand your creative toolkit with workshops that focus on specific techniques, while still leaving room for play and personal expression:

• Exploring Negative Space in Design with Meredith Woolnough
• Embroidering Urchins and Shells with the Ribbed Spiderweb Stitch with Mirjam Gielen
• Darning with Style: Learn to Weave a Graded-Square Patch with Erin Eggenburg
• The Gilded Quatrefoil: Painting a Medieval Treasure with Lucy Thomasin Morrish
• Small Stitches, Big Impact: Simple Handwork Upgrades with Nic Vaughan

Low Waste Projects

You may know that some of my favourite supplies are the ones I already have on hand! There's no reason that creativity and sustainability can't go hand in hand, and I love that these workshops embrace resourcefulness, inviting you to transform scraps and overlooked materials into something meaningful.

• Vintage Collage Accordion Book with Liz Kettle
• Layers of Light: Transforming Fabric Scraps into a Stitched Fabric Collage with Debasree Dey
• Claimed Scraps with DeeDee Catron
• Sew a Jersey Knit Top, Using a Tessellating Pattern with Liz Haywood
• Textile Vessels with Ellie Beck of Petalplum

Mark Making

Many of us are used to making marks on fabric with stitch, but have you ever tried it with paints or dyes? It's so rewarding to create a beautiful base layer that you can stitch into, and these workshops encourage you to explore some of the many ways that we can manipulate fabrics and paper.

• Make Your Own Botanical Ink From Flowers with Rebecca Desnos
• The Art of Noticing: Turning Everyday Patterns into Your Own Designs with Ali Baecker
• Water and Line: Watercolour and Stitch with Ozden Dora Clow
• Paint & Stitch Your Summer Scene with Helen Moyes
• Naturally Dyeing Wool with Victoria Martinez Azaro

Intuitive Stitching

There are few things more enjoyable than making just for the fun of it. I love how these workshops encourage you to let go of a "perfect" end vision, and instead invite you to trust your instinct and your own creative voice.

• Freeform Florals with Jen Strauser
• Soulful Quilt Making with Barbie Mitchell
• Stitching with Colour with Saima Kaur
• Mini Floral Hand Appliqué Wall Hanging with Yasmeen Branton
• Slow Stitched Dish Towel Wall Hanging with Emma Freeman

Handmade Companions

And finally, what could be more magical than a little companion imbued with your own creative spirit? These workshops will walk you through projects from practical to traditional, and at the end of each you'll have your own handmade friend.

• Pigleta, Guardian Angela of Needles with Trixi Symonds
• Little Wanderer with Tiffany Goff Smith
• Motanka Doll: A Mindful Ukrainian Textile Ritual with Natalia Olefirenko from Embroidery Art by Nat
• The Inner Goddess Mandala with Rakefet Hadar

More Than Workshops

While the workshops themselves are diverse and full of inspiration, what makes Making Zen truly special is a little harder to describe... It's that feeling of stitching in community, even when we're scattered across the globe; the permission to slow down and tune into your creative self; the sense that you are part of something shared.

Whether you join us for one workshop or many, whether you follow every step or simply let the ideas inspire your own path, you are welcome here. This year’s retreat will take place from 4-8 May 2026, and we would love for you to be part of it. 

As we get closer to the event, we'll be publishing chats with the participating artists so that you can learn a little more about them and get excited for the retreat. You can find that playlist on Youtube here!

And of course, if you haven't registered yet for the event, then be sure to get your free ticket here so you don't miss out. There will be a special offer to upgrade to a VIP Pass once you sign up!