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By Patricia Belyea
DOWNSVILLE WI I bet the closest we’ll ever get to Quilt Heaven is attending a workshop at Woodland Ridge. It may be out of the way but, once you arrive, it’s an impeccably appointed retreat center.
The powerhouse behind Woodland Ridge is Chris Daly. A quilter and hand-dyer herself, Chris has thought about every detail she wants her visitors to experience—including a fabulous fabric shop:
Let’s tour around Woodland Ridge. When you enter, there’s a welcoming foyer:
The space beyond the foyer is the dining area:
Here’s the entree and salad for the Welcome Dinner on Monday night:
I started each day with a 9am talk in the dining room. And sometimes there were lessons around the table:
There are two classrooms on different ends of Woodland Ridge. For my August workshop, the rooms were set up for six students each.
Check out the rooms before the onslaught of fabric stashes and creative messes:
Woodland Ridge was formerly a luxury boutique hotel. The rooms are LARGE. So large that some have three or four beds to accommodate groups of budget-minded quilters:
Wait, there’s more! The bathrooms are deluxe with sunken bathtubs and completely tiled shower rooms:
Three doors away lives the potter who made the 5,000 ceramic tiles for the retreat center. John Thomas of Dunn County Pottery took an interested group of students on a tour of his Japanese-style climbing kiln, studio, and charming shop:
Once you meet John, it’s hard to resist taking home some memories. Here’s my haul from this year’s visit:
I look forward to returning to Woodland Ridge in August of 2024. Who wouldn't want to be a regular guest at Quilt Heaven?
