Thursday, Sept. 3 – Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026
Location: Green Gulch Farm Conference and Retreat Center, Marin County, CA
Enjoy a long weekend of quilting creativity and recreational relaxation in one of Northern California’s most unforgettable locations. This retreat provides a 4-day/3-night quilting workshop, while immersing yourself in the power of nature.
Register here with City Extension
LOCATION
Green Gulch Farm is located in a beautiful coastal valley, surrounded by hundreds of acres of National Parkland, that opens out onto the Pacific Ocean, just a short drive north of San Francisco. It’s organic farm and gardens provide a serene environment for workshops and breaks. The conference center offers delicious vegetarian meals in one of the Bay Area’s most inspiring natural settings. Muir Beach is just a 20-minute walk away, and the surrounding hills offer miles of trails up and down the coast and into nearby Muir Woods National Monument.
Muir Beach Sunset
Single guest rooms in the Lindisfarne Guest House, or the Wheelwright Center, are simple yet comfortably furnished with windows opening onto landscaped grounds.
QUILT RETREAT WORKSHOP
The retreat creative workshop, held at the spacious and lovely Wheelwright Center, will focus on Swirls, an improvisational piecing technique where you will explore free-form piecing and arrangement through your own imagination and creativity.
Swirls – by Lorraine Woodruff-Long
Materials List:
- Students must provide and know the basics of using their own working sewing machine.
- Approximately 2-3 yards total of various fabrics in a variety of hues and/or values (can be fat quarters and pieces). Students are encouraged to use repurposed materials including clothing, sheets, etc.
- Thread for machine
- Sharp fabric scissors/shears
- 45” or 60” Rotary cutter
- 3”x18” acrylic ruler
- Portable cutting mat
- Sewing pins/pincushion or magnetic pin catcher
- Sewing pins & needles
Students will learn techniques to complete a “flimsy” top for quilting. This workshop is best for students with some familiarity with quilting/sewing basics.
What’s included:
Lodging in a one of the historic Green Gulch Retreat Center houses, either Lindisfarne house or the Wheelwright center, vegetarian meals (Thursday night dinner through Sunday brunch), tea, snacks, quilting instruction, and time to relax and explore. You may also wander the grounds, stroll to Muir Beach, explore the garden/ farm, and more. Zen practitioners are in-residence at the retreat center, and if you’re an early riser, or curious some evening, you’re welcome to attend the Zen services in the Zendo. Dharma talks are open to the public on Sundays.
Lindisfarne Guest House Common Space with Skylight
Lindisfarne Guest House
Wheelwright Center
Meeting Room in Wheelwright Center (Room to be arranged as sewing space)
What’s not included:
Transportation to and from the retreat. Bring sturdy shoes/ boots for hiking if you’d like to explore the trails, and your towel and a swimsuit if you’d like to use the sauna.
Please reach out to us at ccsf.extension@ccsf.edu if you would like to set up a payment plan of two or three separate, equal payments.
Email ccsf.extension@ccsf.edu if you have registration or payment questions.
Refund and Cancelation Policy: If the workshop is canceled, a full refund will be issued.
Please send all refund requests via email to ccsf.extension@ccsf.edu
- Before July 1, 2026, 100% refund less a $250 non-refundable deposit
- July 1- August 1, 50% refund less a $250 non-refundable deposit
- After August 1st, no refund available for any reason, including illness, travel, or other personal circumstances. (*If you can find a replacement to fill your spot, we will issue a refund, minus $250.)
Instructor Bio:
Lorraine Woodruff-Long is a modern quilter with a primary focus on color, improvisation, and recycled/repurposed fabrics. Her work has been juried into shows at the de Young Museum/San Francisco, the California Heritage Museum/Santa Monica, the International Quilt Festival/Houston, QuiltCon, and the Sanchez Art Center/Pacifica, among others. You can find her work on Instagram @quiltinginthefog or on her website, QuiltingintheFog.com
SCHEDULE (Tentative)
- Thursday, 9/3/26 Check in as early as 1pm – After unloading your sewing gear at Wheelwright Center, enjoy exploring the Green Gulch Farm gardens or a 20-minute walk to Muir Beach on the Pacific Ocean. 6pm: Retreat begins! Gather at Wheelwright Center for dinner to meet the other quilters and share weekend plans. After dinner walk to Muir Beach to enjoy sunset or relax in your room or on the Green Gulch grounds.
- Friday, 9/4/26 8am-9am Breakfast. 9:30-noon: Quilting workshop. Introduce “Swirls” technique and begin sewing. Noon-1pm: Lunch. After lunch, resume sewing. 4pm: For those interested, we can have a late afternoon walk around the grounds before sunset. 6pm Dinner. After dinner, more sewing for those who wish. Also, for those interested, take a short walk just steps away from the residence to observe the night-sky stars over the Pacific.
- Saturday, 9/5/26 8am-9am Breakfast. 9:30-noon Show and tell. Share and gather ideas for how you can add to and evolve your own Swirl creations. Noon-1pm: Lunch. After lunch, resume sewing. 4pm: For those interested, we can have a late afternoon walk around the grounds before sunset. 6pm-7pm Dinner. After dinner, more sewing & share ideas on how to arrange/lay out blocks in progress. Take another nighttime stroll to see the stars.
- Sunday, 9/6/26 8am-9am Breakfast. 9:30am-11:30am Your choice! Sew and share or walk the grounds to take in a breath of fresh air before checkout at noon. Noon: After checkout, enjoy more time exploring Muir Woods or Muir Beach.
If you have questions about the workshop, email Lorraine@quiltinginthefog.com
