Carolina Oneto
Improvisational Gardens
Five-Day Quilting Retreat
Sunday, September 26, 2027, 5:30 pm: Meet & Greet
September 27-October 1, 2027
$1,395
During this five-day retreat, you will master intentional color usage. You’ll explore the relationships between hue, value, and saturation to craft fabric strips that blend seamlessly through the color spectrum. You’ll use your color-changing fabrics as parts to create unique, expressive flowers constructed through curved piecing and improvisational techniques.
From there, students will learn composition. How to:
Arrange floral elements on a background
Create balance and focal points
Use contrast and negative space effectively
During the final days, you’ll focus on constructing an improvisational dark-value background and integrating all the elements into a cohesive quilt top.
Students will leave with a completed quilt top and practical skills in color theory, curved piecing, improvisational composition, and background construction.
Skill Level: Intermediate. Basic piecing experience and comfort with a sewing machine are required. No prior color theory or improvisational quilting experience needed.
Learning Objectives
The Improvisational Gardens Mixed-Media Retreat offers a comprehensive learning experience focused on intentional color usage. The key learning objectives for participants include:
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Analyze how gradual shifts in hue, value, and saturation operate across the full chromatic sphere.
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Plan, piece, and blend fabrics to build smooth, dynamic transitions that bring color to life.
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Execute curved piecing, inset shapes, and improvisational shaping techniques to create organic, abstract floral forms.
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Design a balanced, unified layout by evaluating spatial relationships, focal points, contrast, repetition, scale, and negative space.
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Construct a high-contrast background using a specific dark color family to add depth, variety, and an organic flow to the overall environment.
Plan and execute a cohesive construction layout that seamlessly connects the main floral shapes with the background.
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Finalize the quilt top by refining the harmony between color and form, and evaluate different options for quilting, texture, and finishing design.
What's Included In The Retreat
Meet and greet with hors d'oeuvres on Sunday, September 26th at 5:30 pm
Five days of instruction--Monday through Friday
Five lunches
Skill Level
Intermediate. Basic piecing experience and comfort with a sewing machine are required. No prior color theory or improvisational quilting experience needed.
Retreat Schedule
The daily schedule is subject to change based on many retreat factors.
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Meet & Greet
We kick off our retreat with hors d'oeuvres and an informal gathering to meet the instructor and your fellow participants.
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Monday, 9 am to 4 pm
Understanding hue, value, and saturation. Students explore the chromatic circle and create fabric color transitions through guided piecing exercises.
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Tuesday, 9 am to 4 pm
Using Day 1 fabrics, students design and piece abstract floral forms. Demonstrations cover curved piecing, inset shapes, and improvisational shaping.
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Wednesday, 9 am to 4 pm
Focus on design and spatial relationships: focal points, balance, harmony, contrast, and repetition. Students build their full composition on the design wall.
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Thursday, 9 am to 4 pm
Improvisational background construction in one dark color family. Students learn to integrate foreground and background with depth and flow.
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Friday, 9 am to 4 pm
Finalizing the quilt top, refining color and form relationships. Demonstrations cover quilting design and finishing. Closes with a group sharing of each participant’s Improvisational Garden.
Carolina Oneto
Modern Quilter, Quilt Instructor
Carolina Oneto is a Chilean-born modern quilting artist, educator, and entrepreneur based in Mexico City. Trained as an industrial engineer and rooted in the color theory tradition of Josef Albers, she brings a rare analytical-creative perspective to her teaching. She has taught internationally across the USA, Mexico, Brazil, the UK, France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, and Australia, and is a Janome ambassador and MQG member. Her work explores color, composition, and structured freedom — the belief that improvisation and intention are not opposites, but partners.
Carolina's website is carolinaoneto.com
Find her on Instagram @carolinaoneto
Supply List for Carolina Oneto Retreat
General Tools
Sewing machine in good working condition
You may rent a sewing machine. Click here for information.
Regular sewing foot, 1⁄4” piecing foot, zipper foot
Rotary cutter (new blade), mat, and ruler
Fabric scissors and thread snips
Pins
Fabric scissor with a fine point for cutting snips
Notebook, color pencils, and pencil for sketches and notes
Basic sewing kit (needles, seam ripper, etc.)
For your design wall bring a 50”x50” piece of batting or flannel.
Fabrics for the Flowers
Bring a variety of fabrics in different hues, values, and saturations, with each piece measuring at least 12” long and 2.5” wide.
You may include scraps, fat eighths, or jelly rolls.
Carolina will bring additional scraps to share, and students are encouraged to exchange pieces to create beautiful, collaborative color transitions for their flowers.
Fabrics for the Background
Choose one color family in a dark value (Carolina recommends blue, green, or blue-green) but feel free to choose the color that you want.
Bring at least 10 fat quarters of that color family in similar dark values to add depth and variety. (Two FQs can be replaced with 1⁄2-yard cuts in the same dark value.)
For the stems bring 1 yard of fabric of your desired color in a medium value (commonly I use colors between blue-green and yellow-green)
Adhesive and Marking Supplies
Washable glue with a fine-point applicator (Helmer’s Glue or Roxanne Glue-Baste-It)
⚠ Do not bring glue sticks — they don’t work for inset shapes.
Fabric marker (erasable chalk or water erasable type)
Double tracer wheel – e.g., Prym Double Tracing Wheel
1⁄4” masking tape
Note
If you have an iPad and you can download the PROCREATE app, bring it to the seminar. It is a fantastic tool to draw and design your quilts. If you have any question don’t hesitate to send Carolina an email. She will be happy to help you. Her email address is in the supply list. You can download the list by clicking the green button below.
Rent a Sewing Machine
Retreat Sewing Machine Rental
We rent the Bernina 350 Ricky Tims' Special Edition which is a great machine for quilters. Standard accessories for the sewing machine includes the slide-on extension table, the practical Free Hand System (FHS), the BERNINA walking foot as well as two additional feet for quilting and patchwork.
There are a limited number of machines available for rent. You can reserve yours when you register for your retreat. If you don't see a machine rental option, it means all the machines have already been rented.
$100 per retreat
Important Information Read Before Registering
Cancellation Policy
If the Estelle Center cancels a retreat, you will receive a full refund of all payments made.
The $500 deposit is non-refundable.
If you cancel your reservation and the Estelle Center is able to fill your space with another participant, your $500 deposit will be refunded minus a $100 cancellation fee.
If you cancel within 45 days of the retreat's Meet & Greet date, no refunds will be issued unless the Estelle Center is able to fill your spot. In that case, any refund will be subject to the $100 cancellation fee.
We have limited guest accommodations. If you cancel your room reservation at any time, you will be refunded your payment minus a $150 cancellation fee.
Payments
A deposit of $500 is required to register. The balance of $895 is due by July 28, 2027, 60 days before the start of the retreat.
After July 28, 2027, the full retreat cost of $1,395 is required to register.
Meals & Lodging
The Improvisational Gardens Quilting Retreat includes meet and greet with appetizers, five lunches, and five days of instruction. Other meals and lodging are not included in the registration fee.
Guest rooms at Estelle's Upstairs are available for retreat participants. There are single, double, and triple occupancy rooms that share a large bathroom down the hall. To book a guest room, scroll down to the payment section below.
Click here to learn more about our guest rooms.
Click here to find other accommodations in La Veta.
What To Expect Next
Please add sunshine@estellecreativearts.com to your safe senders list to make sure you receive our emails.
Service Animal Policy
To preserve a calm and welcoming space for creativity and connection, we ask that guests do not bring pets or emotional support animals.
Service dogs, trained to assist and supported by law, are always welcome. Thank you for helping us hold this space with care. If you have questions or specific needs, we invite you to reach out ahead of your visit.
Click here to learn more about the The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Service Animal Policy.
