HILARITY and disbelief.

These were the main responses from friends and family when I announced that I had signed up for a patchwork sewing weekend.

I am no seamstress, it's true, but I had been lured by the appeal of combining beautiful fabrics and an idyllic North Cornwall setting in the first of a new series of Cath Kidston Patch Breaks at the Bedruthan Steps Hotel.

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Bedruthan sits above the beach at Mawgan Porth, between Newquay and Padstow.

As our taxi ferries us from Bodmin Parkway station, through a fittingly patchwork landscape dappled by sunshine, I question the logic of having organised to stay indoors for most of the weekend.

From the outside, the hotel is no oil painting: a white-washed block of staggered terraces, its architecture unmistakably of the Sixties.

Indoors, however, the layout makes perfect sense. Most rooms enjoy unencumbered sea views through picture windows.

Communal areas are light and spacious and there is no trace of dated d©cor, thanks to a recent refurbishment.

There are seven on the course and we meet tutor Lisa Comfort at 6pm on Friday for drinks and a chat.

Dressed in a Fifties-style floral blouse, the 29-year-old resembles a young Audrey Hepburn, yet her sewing caf© in Clapham, South London (Sew Over It) and a recent publishing deal attest to a entrepreneurial spirit.

My fellow seamstresses range from 20 to 40-something and include a former wedding-dress maker.

As someone who can barely sew on a button I am suitably daunted.

The hotel, run by three sisters, is family-friendly but at this low-season time of year, there are few children to be seen, a good reason to entice craft-loving grown-ups with various specialist breaks covering everything from knitting to bread-making.

Our workshop is the transformed teen den, where the pool table has been covered with Cath Kidston floral oilcloth and each booth in the neighbouring children's dining room now houses a Janome sewing machine.

Day one is all about machine sewing. We are attempting to recreate a patchwork tote bag from Cath Kidston's new Patch! book.

Measuring and cutting out squares of Spot Blue and Cut Roses cotton takes the rest of the morning.

Given the absence of needle and thread so far, the playing field has been fairly even.

We break for a lunch of soup, salad and sandwiches and time to catch up with non-sewing partners, most of whom have either been out walking in the sunshine or making the most of the hotel spa.

We regroup and spend the afternoon sewing together our fabric.

Lisa handles the skills gap with ease, adapting the pace of her instructions to suit each of us.

As my tote bag begins to take shape, I feel the tingle of pride that comes with making something from scratch.

"Come on, ladies," urges Lisa, "let's try and finish in time to get outdoors to see the sun set."

The dazzling view of cliff-flanked Mawgan Porth beach has been our backdrop all day, and yet we haven't had time to venture to the shoreline.

I press on for a further hour beyond our scheduled finishing time to complete my surprisingly polished-looking bag.

The course price includes all meals and accommodation during your two-night stay, a bargain with the menu on offer.

Favourites include salmon with crab and herb butter, pork belly with crab apple and rosehip jelly, and a black pudding chestnut croquette.

Executive chef Adam Clark and team aim to source at least 70 per cent of ingredients from within the region.

Sunday's project is to make a Dresden plate (a 12-petalled quilted flower to go on a calico cushion) using traditional patchworking techniques. We spend a blissful morning putting the world to rights as we sew.

Perhaps it's the genteel pace, perhaps the ambition of the project but none of us has finished in the hours allotted.

Lisa makes sure we have everything we need to complete our cushions.

Plus, in our goody bags, we have a copy of Patch! with a pin cushion, tape measure, buttons, notebook and pencils.

It's been a fascinating weekend.

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I have learnt a lot and have the patchwork evidence to prove it.

My incredulous friends and family will be surprised to see I have more than just finger pin-pricks to show for my creative Cornish escape.

GETTING THERE

Bedruthan Steps Hotel (01637 860860/bedruthan.com) offers a two-night Cath Kidston Patch Break from £340pp, full board.

Price includes accommodation, tuition and all course materials.

Next courses January 29-31 and March 9-11, 2012.

First Great Western (0845 700 0125/ firstgreatwestern.co.uk) offers rail travel from London Paddington to Bodmin Parkway from £87 return.

Cornwall Tourist Board: 01637 854020/visitcornwall.com

More travel: PAGE 72