Six Day Embroidery Courses

Mark and Vicki invite you to a very special holiday at their Seventeenth Century Corn Mill, which is situated in the Conservation village of Borrowby on the edge of the North York Moors, and five miles from Thirsk and Northallerton. We hope to encourage people who have always wanted to embroider as a hobby but have not known where to start, as well as those who have embroidered for a number of years and wish to learn a new technique.

Vicki Padfield is an accomplished needlewoman and artist, having worked for several needlework magazines. Specialising in Crewelwork and Silk shading, we also teach Hardanger, Blackwork, Pulled and Drawnthread, and more recently Raised Embroidery and Stumpwork. Goldwork can be offered and this can be arranged when you book. There will be a charge for materials on this. We have run the courses for the last 20 years, with many of our guests returning year after year.

The aim of the course is to combine the natural beauty of North Yorkshire with the simple pleasure of embroidering together in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

Each course is limited to four pupils to ensure that each may have every chance of making good progress. Courses are to be held in March, April, May, June, August, September, October and November.

You are invited to arrive on Sunday for afternoon tea at 3 o’clock to meet with Vicki and the other students. Dinner is served at 7.30pm. Should you wish to arrive on the Saturday afternoon/evening we offer a special Bed & Breakfast rate of £37.50. If you are coming by train, we will arrange to pick you up at Northallerton Station, which is on the main East Coast Line, or from Thirsk train/bus Station. Embroidery sessions begin on Sunday after tea.

Monday would be a full tutorial day, with students commencing their projects, breaking for lunch at 1pm and working onuntil tea time at 4.30pm, followed by free time ‘till dinner at 7pm.

Tuesday would be 10.00am – 1.00pm and 2.00 – 3.00pm – tea at 4.30pm, dinner at 7pm. The same routine would apply for Thursday and Friday. Wednesday, however, will be a free day for you to explore the area or if you would prefer, Mark and Vicki will accompany you on a small tour.

All material and threads are included for your project here. You will find that we have an extensive range of needlecraft books for you to enjoy. Should you wish to bring along any ideas of unfinished work that you might want some help with, please feel free to do so. Husbands/friends who may wish to accompany you can be accommodated also. There are walks, golf course nearly, a variety of places of interest and National Trust properties.

The Mill stands in its own grounds and is fully converted to a very high standard, all rooms having their own private facilities. There is a very comfortable drawing room with a large wood burner and our library for your use, having full access out to our gardens through French windows. This room also houses the workroom for the embroidery and you can retire here after dinner to do a little more sewing, or just relax.

Our food is prepared by Mark, who is a qualified Chef, using only whole food and farm fresh produce, which is sourced locally. Our meats come from well established butchers using only British meats. We are a small Country House Bed & Breakfast, catering for six guests only. Should you wish to spend a few days or longer with us at any time of year, please ask for our brochure/tariff.

Course Price inclusive of Full Board Tutorial & Materials for 6 days.
From Spring 2010 the cost is £550.00
Accompanying Friends/Husbands £70.00 per day

COURSE DATES 2010

March 21st – 27th April 11th – 17th, 25th April– 1st May May 9th – 15th, 23rd – 29th June 13th – 19th August 15th – 21st September 12th – 18th, 26th September – 2nd October October 10th – 16th, 24th – 30th November 7th – 13th

Payment for Course
A booking fee of £90.00 is required and the balance 4 weeks in advance.

We strongly recommend that you insure the holiday as we are unable to refund the deposit and can only refund the balance if a replacement can be found.

We look forward to greeting you to a very special and rewarding holiday!