12th - 18th May 2027
KATIE ELLIOTT ARMITAGE
Stitch, Paper & Stories
This is Les Soeurs Anglaises' invitation to step away from the everyday for a few days and spend time making, looking and thinking alongside its directrice, Katie Elliott Armitage.
The studio will be stocked with vintage textiles, a sewing machine, timeworn papers and an eclectic collection of mixed-media materials, all waiting to be combined in unexpected ways. Rather than following a set project, you'll be free to explore layering, composition, colour and texture at your own pace, creating work that reflects your own ideas and curiosity.
There will be no rules and no formal teaching. Instead, Katie will be in the studio throughout the week, sharing techniques, demonstrating processes, encouraging experimentation and helping ideas take shape as they emerge. Sometimes all that's needed is another pair of eyes, or someone to suggest, "What if...?"
Whether this is your first creative break, or you have been making art for years, this is a chance to slow down, discover fresh inspiration and enjoy the company of people who understand the pleasure of creating with their hands. There'll be time to rummage through a local brocante, gather treasures, exchange ideas over long meals, listen to some live music and return to the studio with pockets full of possibilities.
About the CREATIVE BREAK
About KATIE ELLIOTT ARMITAGE
For almost twenty years, Katie has curated unique creative retreats at Les Soeurs Anglaises, welcoming many of the world's most inspiring textile artists, musicians, makers and designers to rural France. Through these collaborations, she has developed an instinctive understanding of colour, composition and creativity, gathering ideas and inspiration that continue to shape her own work.
A life immersed in arts and crafts, colours, textures and the quiet rhythms of the Dordogne countryside, and the restoration of her French home, have profoundly influenced her creative practice. This retreat will allow her to share these experiences, offering a thoughtful, supportive space in which to experiment, discover and enjoy the simple pleasure of making whilst immersed in Les Soeurs Anglaises’ uniquely welcoming ambience.
Have you been to one of our workshops previously? Let us know and we’d be happy to offer you as a discount!
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Day 1• Participants arrive during the afternoon, settle in and choose their workspace/table
• Welcome drinks and informal meet-and-greet supperDay 2
• Workshop begins (10:00–17:00)Day 3
• Full workshop day (10:00–17:00)Day 4
Morning:
• Morning visit to local brocantec
• Optional afternoon visit to local atelierDay 5
• Full workshop day (10:00–17:00)Live music evening and Evening Feast
Day 6
• Full workshop day (10:00–17:00)
• Possible “Show and Tell” session from 16:00, giving participants the opportunity to share workDay 7
• Farewell brunch
• Check-out is around 11:00 on the final morning.MATERIALS. Katie will have plenty of materials to demonstrate with and share in the studio. A full list of suggested items to bring will be sent on confirmation of booking.
About the retreat and what’s included
5 days Creative Retreat
6 nights accommodation at our farmhouse
3 meals a day: continental breakfast, salad lunch, three-course dinner
Welcome drinks on arrival
Plentiful tea, coffee and refreshments in the studio
Use of studio and all materials
Optional visit to traditional Marché or Brocante
Freedom to wander the gardens or take walks in the surrounding countryside
Check-in is from 15:00 on the first day. There will be a meet and greet with your fellow participants and tutors at around 18:00.
NOT INCLUDED:
Travel · travel insurance · personal purchases
Transport to and from the venue from local train station (40mins) or airport (80mins)
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Our Maison de Maître and studio, L’Espace, are places to be enjoyed and shared, full of beautiful fabrics and inspirational ideas. Spacious, light and cosy in equal measure, with generous living areas, a large studio and beautiful grounds for evenings and free time. The studio is situated at L’Espace, a spacious, light-filled creative hub with some of the accommodation attached. from the Maison de Maître, where guests gather for meals and shared moments, the studio offers both quiet independence and a sense of community, with some adjoining accommodation nearby. Designed for workshops, retreats and collaborative projects, the studio features long shared worktables that encourage creativity and exchange. A large hydraulic door opens directly onto a terrace with sweeping views across the surrounding countryside. In fine weather, the door remains open, seamlessly extending the studio outdoors and doubling the working space, allowing guests to create in the tranquillity of nature.
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The bedrooms are divided bewteen the more traditional Maison de Maître, and the modern, but equally stylish, L’Espace
Room A — Single occupancy, superior room
En suite double bed · own room · £1,750 / €2,360 / $2,045A generous, quietly elegant bedroom offering complete privacy throughout your stay. The superior rooms are furnished simply but with care — good beds, calm colours, and enough space to feel genuinely at home for the week. Natural light and views of the Dordogne countryside mean the room is as much a place to rest and restore as it is to sleep. The en suite bathroom is for your sole use, so mornings are entirely your own.
Room B — Shared occupancy, superior room
En suite with a double and single bed · shared with one other participant · £1,250 / €1,462 / $1,685One of the superior rooms, shared between two participants who already know each other or who are happy to be paired. The room is spacious enough for two to occupy comfortably without compromise and an en suite bathroom shared only between the two of you. Many guests find that sharing a room becomes one of the most companionable parts of the week.
Room C — Single occupancy, standard room in L’Espace
Twin bedroom · shared bathroom · own room · £1,250 / €1,462 / $1,685A comfortable, well-proportioned single room with a twin bed arrangement, situated off the studio to make the most of the light and quiet of the Dordogne setting. The bathroom is shared with two other rooms, but thoughtfully arranged to make the practicalities easy. This is a room for someone who values their own space for reading, resting and reflecting at the end of a long, creative day.
Room D — Shared occupancy, standard room
Twin bedroom · shared bathroom · shared with one other participant · £1,000 / €1,170/ $1350Two single beds in a room designed for companionable sharing, well-suited to friends booking together, or participants open to the easy sociability that often develops over a week of making. Light, simply furnished, and connected to a shared bathroom used by ttwo other bedrooms. Often the most convivial of the options, and the best value on the retreat.
All prices are per person for 5 days / 6 nights, fully inclusive of tuition and all meals. A €300 non-refundable deposit secures your place, with the balance due two months before your chosen workshop.
Transport to and from the venue from local train station (40mins) or airport (80mins) at designated time 50€ each way
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Travel to our property is not included in the price.
Deposits and balnces paid for our workshops are non-refundable unless we have a reserve list and we can fill your space. To that end, we do recommend that you take out the relevant insurance.
In the unlikely event that we have to cancel a retreat we will offer a transfer to a new date or a full refund. We will endeavour to give as much notice as possible and a minimum of 4 weeks.
If you have any queries about this retreat you can email katie@lessoeursanglaises.com
Suitable for enthusiastic beginners through to experienced makers.