4th Annual Weaver’s Retreat
Cape Breton WeaveNet
The purpose of Cape Breton WeaveNet is to promote communication between weavers all over the island, to organize activities and educational opportunities, and to pass on fibre related information of interest to the group.
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Scholarships Available - download form or contact [email protected].
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4th Annual Weaver’s Retreat
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Spend a weekend relaxing with and learning from like-minded weavers.
Weave what you want, see what others are working on, test drive equipment you’re unfamiliar with,
or try the challenge topic!
Where: Gaelic College, St. Ann’s, Cape Breton, NS
When: 7pm Friday, April 17 to 2pm Sunday, April 19, 2026
Registration Deadline: March 31 - Register before March 15 and save $25!
When: 7pm Friday, April 17 to 2pm Sunday, April 19, 2026
Registration Deadline: March 31 - Register before March 15 and save $25!
Retreat Events
Friday Social (BYOB)
Meet and hang out with your fellow weavers! This is a chance to greet old friends and make brand new ones.
Munchies will be provided. Bring your own beverage.
Saturday Night Keynote Address
Kari Fell and Sandra Gillis took a week-long course in Margilan, Uzbekistan, learning traditional ikat dyeing techniques, then spent three more weeks touring the country with a guide well versed in Uzbek textiles and material culture. They came back inspired to take their own weaving in new directions!
After supper on Saturday, Kari and Sandra will present a display of the Uzbek textile treasures they brought home and a slideshow of their ikat dyeing workshop and highlights from the rest of their trip.
Weaving Displays
Put your best work forward! Bring projects you’ve woven that incorporate either the color of the year or the topic of the year and put them in our Challenge Displays for all to see.
We’ll vote for our favourites and prizes will be awarded in each challenge category.
The fine print:
Stash Sale
Do you have yarn, books, or equipment that you want to part with? Slap your name and a price on them and find them a new home!
Our annual stash sale is a great time to reduce or increase your stash. There’s no cost to participate, just make sure your name and a price (or “Free”) is on everything you bring and be prepared to manage your own sales.
Tables will be set up in a separate room and everyone will have all weekend to “shop”.
Items not rehomed must be taken home by the person who brought them.
Meet and hang out with your fellow weavers! This is a chance to greet old friends and make brand new ones.
Munchies will be provided. Bring your own beverage.
Saturday Night Keynote Address
Kari Fell and Sandra Gillis took a week-long course in Margilan, Uzbekistan, learning traditional ikat dyeing techniques, then spent three more weeks touring the country with a guide well versed in Uzbek textiles and material culture. They came back inspired to take their own weaving in new directions!
After supper on Saturday, Kari and Sandra will present a display of the Uzbek textile treasures they brought home and a slideshow of their ikat dyeing workshop and highlights from the rest of their trip.
Weaving Displays
Put your best work forward! Bring projects you’ve woven that incorporate either the color of the year or the topic of the year and put them in our Challenge Displays for all to see.
We’ll vote for our favourites and prizes will be awarded in each challenge category.
The fine print:
- There will be two prizes awarded, one for items woven in yellow or gold, and one for items woven on a painted warp.
- No more than three items per category, please.
- Items must be added to the display by lunchtime on Saturday.
Stash Sale
Do you have yarn, books, or equipment that you want to part with? Slap your name and a price on them and find them a new home!
Our annual stash sale is a great time to reduce or increase your stash. There’s no cost to participate, just make sure your name and a price (or “Free”) is on everything you bring and be prepared to manage your own sales.
Tables will be set up in a separate room and everyone will have all weekend to “shop”.
Items not rehomed must be taken home by the person who brought them.
Logistics
Looms
We have room for rigid heddle, inkle, backstrap, tablet, tapestry, table, or small floor looms no wider than 30” overall width and 30” overall depth. Please keep noise in mind when choosing equipment to bring: we’re all in a single room together so noise can be an issue. (Consider bringing noise cancelling headphones if you have auditory sensitivities.)
A limited number of 4 and 8 shaft table looms are available to borrow on a first come first served basis. Contact us for information.
Accommodations
All accommodations are in MacLeod House, which has only 5 single rooms and 8 twin rooms.
To maximize the number of people who can attend, preference is given to people willing to share the double rooms. After the 5 single rooms have been assigned (first come, first served), additional requests for single rooms can only be accommodated if there are still double rooms empty after the March 31st deadline.
If you’re willing to share a double room, we can assign you a roommate if you don’t have one already.
Be sure to register early if you plan to stay on campus!
Costs
You can choose to stay overnight on campus, to commute back and forth from other accommodations, or to come only during the day on Saturday.
Register before March 15 and save $25!
Package Price Includes:
Overnight, single $395 Registration & goody bag, all events, meals from breakfast on Saturday to lunch on Sunday
Overnight, double $320 Registration & goody bag, all events, meals from breakfast on Saturday to lunch on Sunday, twin bed in shared room
Commuter $220 Registration & goody bag, all events, lunch and dinner Saturday, lunch on Sunday. (No breakfasts!)
Saturday only $180 Registration & goody bag, Saturday events, Saturday lunch and dinner
Friday Dinner, 5pm $25 None of the above packages include dinner on Friday. Those who plan to arrive before 7 and want to eat need to pay for this meal separately.
Registration
Email [email protected] to let us know which package you want. Do not send payment until we confirm that space is available.
When we confirm your registration, we’ll include instructions to pay via e-transfer or cheque.
