I am beyond excited to announce a wonderful collaboration between Hannah Thiessen Howard (author of Slow Knitting and Seasonal Knitting) and myself this Summer here on the farm!! We hope you’ll consider joining us in July for a magical experience of connection, slow crafting and mindful living. Read more below, and full details can be found on the signup page!

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Capture the magic of high summer during a weekend retreat at Mindful Folk Farm in pastoral coastal Maine. Immerse yourself in nature with a handful of other passionate crafters ready to slow down and recapture the magic of a carefree childhood, filled with creativity and friendship. You’ll play with new materials and techniques under the guidance of natural dyer, herbalist and shepherd Hannah Welling, explore mending with a guest teacher, and lean into the peaceful rewards of slow crafting, watercolor painting and more with Slow Knitting author Hannah Thiessen Howard. Walk away renewed, energized and connected to the land and newly-discovered friends.

The Itinerary:

Arrive Friday afternoon and settle into your lodging (options here) or set up camp on Mindful Folk farm, then meet the group for a kick-off bonfire and welcoming ceremony, where you’ll receive your class kits and commemorative goodie bags, meet other attendees and get to know your instructors on a personal level.

The next morning, we’ll gather around coffee and tea, begin our day with a restful yoga flow, and then tour the project stations, allowing you to explore tea blending, natural dyeing, mending, fiber crafts and watercolor painting throughout the day. We’ll break for a farm-fresh lunch and then spend the afternoon in free-flowing session, allowing you to revisit the crafts most intriguing and exciting to you from that morning.

Sunday, we’ll do it again, with a fully free day where you can be guided by your own interests and dive deeper into specific projects you’d like to finish or begin. For lunch, we’ll hop over to a favorite local shop to pick up provisions for a picnic lunch at the site of America’s First Fiber Mill. If the weather permits, attendees will have the option to take a break for a dip in our secret swimming hole! Upon return to the farm, we’ll wrap up our projects and close out the evening with a celebration.

Freedom to explore:

Unlike traditional retreat and event setups, Mindful Maine gives you the option to chase what’s most exciting to you. Spend time in each of the craft sessions offered, or focus entirely on a project that has captured your imagination. This retreat includes several areas of focus for you to explore:

Tea Blending

Gather everything you need to make beautiful, hand-blended teas with the abundant herb and edible flower garden at the farm. Start your morning with something fresh and vibrant and bundle your own tea blends to take home. Provided in your class kits you’ll find our hand-written guide to herbs and flowers and compostable tea bags to prepare your concoctions.

Natural Dyeing

Hannah Welling has made a name for herself providing exquisite farm yarns dyed in an array of stunning natural color! Discover the secret world of plant pigment with a prepped selection of mordanted yarns and fabrics, ready for you to dip into cauldrons of color from foraged and collected botanicals. Each student will receive a set of mini skeins and fabric fat quarters to experiment with, and guidance from Hannah to achieve the best results.

Plein Air Watercolor

Before she was a fiber crafter and book author, Hannah Thiessen Howard was a painter, studying Fine Art throughout her most formative years. Students will receive a ready-to-go palette of watercolors made from natural dye sources, brushes and paper in their class kits. Hannah will guide students through watercolor painting techniques and tips, then you’ll be turned loose to capture the scenery of the farm and beyond.

Mending

Help your projects last a lifetime by learning mending techniques from our guest instructor Maggie Ruth Haaland. From simple stitches to stabilize and secure, to celebrating the art of patching and repair with embellishments and decorative detail, you’ll be ready to approach the art of mending with new eyes after this class! Students will be provided with all materials needed to learn the stitches and techniques.

Needle & Fiber Crafts

No retreat would be complete without time spent with fiber, especially a retreat at a fiber farm! Students may bring their own projects to make progress on, or can try their hands at something new: spinning, knitting, crochet, and quilting, using materials available for purchase from Mindful Folk Farm. Crafting time is anytime our attendees need down time, throughout the retreat.

Trip Details

Mindful Folk Farm is located in New Gloucester, Maine, approximately 35 minutes from Portland, ME and 45 minutes from Augusta, ME, where our closest airports are located. We will connect attendees in a small chat group prior to arrival, where you can coordinate car rentals if desired. We are unable to pick up or transport attendees to or from the airport or lodging: please consider your own transportation needs when planning to attend.

Lodging & Transportation

How you’d like to stay with us (or visit for the day) is up to you. The farm will have a grassy knoll prepared for on-site tent camping, or you can snuggle up at one of the nearby bed and breakfast or rental options. Lodging on-site (tent camping) is free to attendees; off-site lodging needs to be arranged separately. Attendees are responsible for their own transportation to and from the farm.

Meals

Mindful Folk will provide the following meals to attendees:

Morning coffee and tea bar.
Friday night, bonfire-ready eats like hot dogs and s’mores for our evening celebration.
Saturday lunch on the farm, including homemade egg salad, fresh veggies and more.

Attendees have the option to bring their own food for snacks, or can pick up items at Pineland Farms, a nearby market and deli with a great selection. On Sunday, we’ll also be visiting this same spot for our picnic lunches, which students will choose and purchase on their own.

Attend the Mindful Maine Retreat

Reserve your spot today–spaces are extremely limited to keep the intimate setting of this retreat and allow attendees the most time with instructors and materials.

Dates: July 26-28th, 2024

Location: Mindful Folk Farm, 288 Morse Rd, New Gloucester, ME 04260

Retreat Cost: $600 USD per student

Register here!