Create & Be

Creative Faith Retreats

Cease striving and know that I am God.
Psalms 46:7

STITCHING THREADS OF THOUGHT

January 16-19, 2026
Sea of Grace (Galveston, Texas)
$750 covers food and lodging; transportation not included

I was inspired by a book written by Ali Ferguson that wove together mind mapping and stitching. Talk about a creative English teacher’s dream! If you’re not familiar with the practice of mind mapping, it’s an easy way to brainstorm thoughts organically without worrying about order and structure. It allows you to visually structure your ideas to help you look at a lot of thoughts in a really easy manner. Using photographs, mementos and other collected items as inspiration, we’ll engage in mind mapping the thoughts that pour out when we look at our treasured items. You’ll be surprised at where your mind will take you. From there, we’ll turn our threads of thought into stitched cloth stories which you can revisit, reflect on, pray over, and remember. I love looking over my “visual thinking” and what I have stitched to see what God has brought my mind to focus on. My hope is that you’ll learn how to mine your personal sources of inspiration to bring meaning and purpose to your textile art. As my dear friend and stitching enthusiast, Stephanie Ackerman, encourages, “Let’s create with soul, stitch with intention and tell our story in fabric.” I’m looking forward to unlocking the stories we all have inside of us to give them a visual presence in our stitch work.

Mended

February 13- 16, 2026
Sea of Grace (Galveston, Texas)
$750 covers food and lodging; transportation not included

The concept of lovingly mending and being mended is both a fitting creative and spiritual reflection for a Valentine’s weekend. Our creative sessions will focus on taking fabric scraps, discarded clothing and household textiles that we’ve long since given up on, and infusing new purpose and life into them. You’ll be asked to gather textiles from your homes, closets, local thrift stores, clearance aisles, etc. and bring them on retreat. You will also learn how to make a huswif, a portable stitching case, from everyday placemats to use with all your mending projects. How does something go from ugly, untreasured and unwanted to beautiful, useful, treasured and desired? Join us on retreat and find out! As we create together, I pray that God would teach and show us how He is continually in the transformation business. Creating and mending are His trademarks.