FELT MAKING AND WELLBEING RETREATS
Debra has been running successful retreats for ten years where her clients return again and again.
As well as being a professional artist, Debra has a background in Psychology and is also a wellbeing practitioner. Debra has years of experience and a huge personal interest in wellbeing, using different modalities to reduce stress and anxiety in our fast paced lives. Debra believes in the power of nature, mindfulness and art therapy to facilitate healing and recuperation, resetting.
Join Debra for a fabulous slow crafting felting retreat in one of the beautiful locations below:
The LAKE DISTRICT UK ,SCOTTISH HEBRIDES , NORWAY, FRENCH ALPS or PORTUGAL
With optional meditation, yoga, wild swimming, hiking and forest bathing.
THE LAKE DISTRICT UK- October 2026
4 nights full board -Luxurious rural CREATIVE WELLBEING RETREAT
From-£900 glamping in luxury bell tents -£1650 in Own room 5 star luxury accommodation
Stunning 5 star luxury accommodation -3day , 4 night retreat in the North of England .
In house chef with stunning and healthy locally sourced home cooked fare, full board.
Morning yoga and yoga Nidra before bed, daily meditations
Wellbeing activities –
- forest bathing,
- cold water dipping,
- therapeutic art- intuitive easy watercolour.
- slow crafting alchemy -felt making for the soul.
Along with my beautiful friend Jaqui( artist/fully qualified yoga teacher/ massage therapist) we bring you therapeutic art and slow crafting -felt making for wellbeing
We use techniques to help reduce anxiety, both personal and work related.
My background is in Psychology and I am a wellbeing practitioner and I have a huge interest and experience of wellbeing and anxiety reduction.
please email me at [email protected] for more info ,
thanks for looking and have a lovely day .
THE SCOTTISH INNER HEBRIDES
Isle of Coll \2026
DATE TBC
– Isle of Coll, Inner Hebrides, Scotland
– Reviews “
“I would like to congratulate Debra and her support team for providing such a wonderful artistic, soul satisfying, total experience.
The location, the accommodation and the hospitality was a true value for money.
Like minded participants completed the whole environment towards a memorable, rewarding experience.
Thank you.” Jane
“I was on the felting retreat with Debra on the Hebridean island of Coll this April. Let me tell you about it. Coll itself is a lovely little island unspoilt by tourists but with enough infrastructure to make it sustainable. I got there by ferry but with hind sight wished I had flown there from Oban, bearing in mind the luggage weight restriction and got the ferry back – with all my felt pieces. The house is just lovely, very warm and very spacious with lots of modern minimalist features. Debra makes sure that the island also benefits from her retreats, we had lunch at the local cafe and diner one evening at the local, newly built small hotel. For these outings we used a taxi service which enabled us the find out more about the island from the taxi driver- who was also a shepherd. All the islanders have multi jobs. A local woman was employed to give us our lunches and evening meals. These were both delicious and varied. She catered for everyone’s idiosyncrasies. We also had time on the beaches- white sand, what’s not to like! To start the day Debra meditated with us in the lovely sitting room with views on three sides, how peaceful! I dont know Debra manages to keep so calm and even tempered. I was probably one of the worst asking her to look at my work all the time – just because I was so excited about it. We had access to so much material and did such a variety of felting projects. I think I could have done anything I wanted but Debra’s ideas eclipsed any I could possibly think of. I made slippers and a nuno felt scarf as well as lots of other felt art projects. The retreat will stay with me, every element was just lovely. I can highly recommend it to anyone interested in learning or furthering their felting skills. Thank you so much Debra.” Jaquie
The isle of Coll is a small Hebridean island situated some ten kilometres west of Mull.
It is a holiday destination for many, especially those seeking peace and quiet and who enjoy nature and the natural beauty of the Hebrides. It boasts the sunniest climate in the British Isles and has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The quality of the light, the ever-changing cloud and seascapes and the raw beauty make this an inspirational venue for any artist. With only 200 permanent inhabitants Coll is a true get-away-from-it destination.
I am offering a week of full board incorporating 4 varied felting workshops. We will be staying in a luxurious Hebridean hideaway surrounded by wild inspiration (click here to see the accommodation) plus daily meditations with an introduction into mindfulness. Simple Yoga sessions may also be a possibilty for those wishing to do so.
The week will include breakfast, lunch and evening meal (excluding last night and one lunch where we will dine out – price not including these meals) prepared freshly by an in-house chef. Those who like an alcoholic drink (or two) will be asked to contribute towards this.
I want your holiday to be a mix of inspiration, relaxation or motivation depending on what you want to gain from the experience.
DAY 1
Arrival on Monday morning on the early ferry from Oban (see Getting There below). You will be collected and driven to a stunning location near to one of an array of the most beautiful beaches in the world!
Welcome lunch while we get to know one another and you will be given a beautiful assortment of fibres wools and silks and a journal with pens / pencils etc. There will be an opportunity for a short walk to the beach, all weathers produce stunning light.
WORKSHOP 1 – – Wet felted Journal cover – (3pm- 5.30pm)
In our first felting session we will make a lovely journal cover. You will be encouraged to fill your journal with sketches, poems, private musings, sea shells, in fact anything at all inspired by your stay or that makes your heart sing!
We will have an optional meditation class at 6pm to introduce you to my mindful way of working which I hope will both ground and inspire you.
After aperitifs, dinner will be served around 7pm and there will be plenty of free time afterwards to unwind with new friends or there are plenty of warm snug spaces in the house in which to retreat .
DAY 2
Optional meditation at 8am followed by breakfast.
WORKSHOP 2 – WILD ABANDON Felt Art (10am-12.30pm lunch then 3pm-6pm)
Felt art – Isle of Rum
I will teach you how to nuno felt incorporating all kinds of delicious fibres, silks and wools into your felt. Your first piece will be abstract. This will then be used later in larger pieces of Felt landscapes hopefully inspired by the Island. A long lunch break will give you the opportunity for a walk (or swim!) or a good rest.
DAY 3
Optional meditation at 8am followed by breakfast.
WORKSHOP 3- NUNO FELTED SCARF/WRAP (10am-12.30 lunch then 3pm 6pm)
I will show you how to use nuno felting again to make clothing, in this case a scarf but she can advise for future clothing pieces. You will use finest Italian chiffons , sari silks and merino wool.
DAY 4
Optional meditation at 8am followed by breakfast.
A wonderful day of free time to discover the Island either on foot or we can go on a tour with lunch at a local restaurant.
An introduction into working with resists.
DAY 5
Optional meditation at 8am followed by breakfast.
WORKSHOP 4 either
FELT HANDBAG or slippers (10am-12.30 lunch then 3pm 6pm)
I will teach you how to use 3D resists with no sewing to make a strong but stunning shoulder bag which will be the envy of all your friends.
FELT SLIPPERS or hand bag choice (10am-12.30 lunch then 3pm-5pm)
DAY 6
Morning visit to the village and a craft fair , afternoon relaxing or finishing work.
Dinner at the only PUB on the Island where there is delicious sea food and often live traditional music.
DAY 7
Breakfast and departure for a midday ferry crossing.
PLEASE email me if you wish to know more – [email protected]
Prices
£1750 for single occupancy
£ 1200 for twin room share
A deposit of £250 will secure your place ( these are non refundable but, if you have illness and it is possible to fill your place I can transfer your place to another retreat)
Balance is due 30 days before departure.
PLEASE NOTE-
THIS IS ISLAND LIFE AND WEATHER DEPENDENT -HOLIDAY INSURANCE MUST BE TAKEN OUT FOR TRAVEL DISRUPTION IN CASE OF FERRY CANCELLATION WHICH MAY CAUSE A DELAY IN DEPARTURE FROM THE ISLAND. Warnings are ISSUED in advance and all precautions are taken, meaning we may have to leave a day earlier if your travel is dependant on connections – in the case of this happening any workshops missed will be carried out at Debra’s studio OR VIA SKYPE in the near future. – THIS IS RARE- DEBRA DOES NOT ACCEPT ANY LIABILITY FOR TRAVEL DISRUPTIONS AND EXTRA COSTS.———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
For more information please contact me directly and also please visit my wellbeing website www.theartofwellbeingretreats.com
- NON felting partners welcome POA
- 30% non refundable deposit (please take out holiday insurance to cover you for cancellation due to illness) If you have to cancel before 60 days to departure I will transfer your place to another course if I can fill the space. 70% balance due in May
bookings now being taken
LIMITED SPACES 6 – 8 people
In the evening we will dance to celebrate a fabulous week of co-creating !
NORWAY-
25th- 31st May 2025
full
£2250 full board including activities
This is an amazing retreat set in a 5 star luxurious modern house for 6 people, located on the side of a fjord close to the famous landmark and favourite hiking spot -Pulpit Rock near Stavanger, with incredible views from the house and a hot tub with fabulous sunsets ……https://abnb.me/y54BOiW4eMb
As well as the beautiful scenery and optional wellbeing activities (morning meditation, cold water swimming, and yoga with Jaqui our qualified yoga teacher and Thai massage therapist, evening yoga Nidra )there will be four Workshops;
Learn the art of felt-making – a traditional ancient slow craft using sustainable hand dyed wool and pure silks. You will have the opportunity to make :
- scarves,
- slippers,
- bags/ or vessels
- felt art……
Felt making is like alchemy for the soul where you can relax and reset, mindfully creating beautiful wares out of cosy natural wool and stunning silks, all hand dyed in an amazing array of colours to inspire you and fill you with delight.
The holiday is full board with continental self serve breakfasts, healthy lunches and sumptuous dinners. We will have an in house chef cooking home made local produce , creating fabulous dishes. On one of the days, we will have a day off doing gentle hiking (weather depending), we will eat out at a local traditional Norwegian restaurant and this is not included in the price.
Transfers to the house and return to the airport are included in the price.
Flights not included ( Fly to Stavanger)
For BOOKINGS please email Debra at [email protected]
THE FRENCH ALPS 2025
FELTMAKING/slow crafting and WELLBEING RETREAT
August 18th -24th
up to 10 people , places selling fast
2 places remaining
from £750 sharing or £1100 single occupancy.
This is a fabulous rustic retreat held in a spacious traditional Rustic French Alpine Chalet in the Beaufortain region .https://en.lessaises.com/offers/chalet-les-vernets-villard-sur-duron-en-4204589/
There are 8 bedrooms offering single and shared occupancy with 3 bathrooms. The chalet, although close to a quiet road in a village, is set in 7 acres with stunning waterfalls and surrounding forest. There will be plenty of opportunity to hang out in the forest, forest bathing , resting in the hammocks, cold water dipping, hiking around the area or sunbathing on the patio and also enjoying badminton in the field.
We will have daily yoga sessions run by the amazing Jaqui from Yoga Sapien, a fully qualified yoga and Thai massage therapist. There will also be daily meditation sessions run by myself , both activities are suitable for beginners and experts.
There will be 4 days of workshops and slow crafting – 10am-1pm with an afternoon break to do as you please and continuing the workshop at 5pm – 7pm.
Enjoy the ancient art of felt making where we will create small treasures and embellish them with embroidery.
Flights and transfers not included but transfers can be organised at a small extra cost by a local taxi as we are 20 minutes from the station in Albertville.
Clients have previously travelled by both train ( ALBERTVILLE station20 minutes away by car ) and flights (GENEVA airport)-2 hours away by train or taxi .
- All meals are provided- Continental breakfasts with fresh French pastries, Homecooked lunches , soups , salads , charcuterie etc, In house chef for delicious french cuisine dinners and wonderful patisserie.
- In the middle of the week you can enjoy the benefit of a beautiful local tour into nearby villages and the local town and also we will venture higher into the mountains to see the lakes. All accompanied by car but optional guided walks available.
Reviews
A joyful week in restful surroundings, which allowed for creative thinking, doing & being! Debra has a friendly approach & natural ability to share her felting skills at a pace to meet the needs of individual participants. The wild abandon out of the box thinking activity was an interesting experience that I enjoyed. The meals were wholesome & a lovely introduction to the local regional cuisine. My achievement of the week was leaving with a beautiful felted silk scarf and connecting with some inspiring & talented women. ??
What a wonderful week we had in the Alps, Debra is very friendly and easy to get along with, the course is well structured with lots of felting, meditation if you wish, a couple of hours free time in the afternoon and delicious meals. We had a day out at the local market and surrounding area and we went out for a meal one night. The Nordic tub at sunrise and sunset was popular too!! A lovely holiday.
A lovely venue high up in the Alps, good food, excellent tutor, learned many new techniques, Debra had moved the contents of her studio to France for the holiday and we had a very good choice of wool, sari silk and other items to make unique items. The pace over the week was good with some free time every afternoon and trips out to see the surrounding countryside The mindfulness sessions led by Debra for those who wished to attend each morning before breakfast were an added bonus