The 2026 Gathering

Bellwether Farm

The 4th Annual Gathering will take place once again at the beautiful Bellwether Farms in Wakeman, Ohio.

There is always something new at our yearly retreat, but a few things stay the same - lots of laughter, incredibly kind women, great speakers, and tons of stitching!

The mission of The Gathering is to create a beautiful, warm, welcoming space for women to gather and create beautiful things We connect on the universal ground of making and the makers journey.

The Gathering 2026

The Speakers

Kim Weitkamp

Kim is the founder of the Secret Stitching Society and the host for The Gathering weekend.
She is a writer, humorist, singer/songwriter and a maker.

Her focus is embroidery and pattern making with a side of knitting, painting and most importantly - creating spaces for women to connect and make something beautiful.

kimisfunny.com

Deb Strain

A life-long passion for art led Deb to teaching art before becoming a designer. Her artwork has been featured on many different products over the years – calendars, greeting cards, garden flags, books, framed prints and more.

She has designed fabric for MODA since 1996. She lives in Yellow Springs, Ohio with her husband,
www.debstrainmoda

Brenda Miklos

Brenda is the owner of Cast on Yarn Studio - a favorite of the Secret Stitching Society. Brenda's shop will be our POPUP! this year, so be prepared to take home some great fiber and tools.

Brenda will share the creative path that led her to love knitting - and sharing that love with her community.

castonyarnstudio.com

Photo Coming
soon!

Carola De Pascuale

Every year, our retreat participants ask to have Carola come and share her textile and handwork journey.

From the South China Seas, to Vietnam to Malaysia...Carola travels and collects knowledge and samples of textiles and stitch work from around the world.
Her embroidery work is glorious to look at. She is truly a master of stitching.

THE WORKSHOPS: More workshops to be announced soon!

Steeking for Newbies: Info coming soon. Your instructor will be Barb Adkins.

Sky Rockets At Night: This embroidery workshop is open to all levels of stitchers, but focuses on teaching many of the foundational stitches to help you jump into embroidery and embellishment. The kit includes an original pattern by Kim, all of your thread, needles, threader, hoop, tracing pen and fabric - plus, extra fabric squares to take home so you can practice when you are done with the class project.
Your instructor will be Kim Weitkamp.

THE ACTIVITIES

Morning Walk: Join Susan Crill Saturday and Sunday morning at 8am for a morning walk around the farm. Mist on the pond, golden morning light, the song of birds, and a gentle stillness will awaken your senses and tweak the muse.

Tour the Farm: This year we have added a guided tour of the farm with a Bellwether guide. We have arranged two options - walking tour or wagon tour. Visit the barn, pet the animals, learn about the work being done at the farm and see behind the scenes of this lovely facility.

PopUp! Shop: Every year we host a yarn shop or indie dyer and go shopping! You'll enjoy a discount and the opportunity to chat with our PopUp! host, ask questions, dig into ideas for your next project and take home some fab fiber and tools. This year our PopUp! host is Cast On Yarn Studios.

S'Mores and Music: Gather around the campfire during a lovely, early spring evening and enjoy an array of s'mores combinations, good conversation, and even a little music. Do you play an instrument or sing? It's open mic night at our evening campfire gathering, so bring your pipes or your instrument! Afterwards you can opt in to play a little late night BINGO and maybe win a prize!

Wine Down: Friday evening join us for an after hours Wine Down. Before you go to bed, join us for a glass of wine (or hot cocoa), freshly made cookies and a gentle mixer to get to know each other a little better and maybe even win a few prizes!

THE PRICING:
We work hard to make this retreat extremely affordable, educational, comfortable and a total blast. Our goal is to make The Gathering a homecoming for you each year, an event that you add to your calendar (with a permanent sharpie) long before registration opens. We pride ourselves on the fact that at our retreat there are no exclusive cliques. We celebrate the fact that we equally applaud the work of every maker, no matter the skill level or the medium used. We love that there is a ton of positive attitudes and kind women that gather during the retreat. We hope you will be one of them.
To see pricing and more info - or to register - click the yellow box above.