Sew South was last weekend and it was AMAZING! So much creativity, talent, and inspiration in one room for three days - it was exhilarating!
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| The fabulous women that made up Sew South 2013 |
The weekend was about so much more than sewing. It was about taking time for yourself to create, to get inspired, and to nurture your creative spirit. My vision for the retreat was realized and magnified in ways I never would have imagined.
Women of all ages traveled from all across the country, some with friends, some alone and yet we came together, built friendships and encouraged and cheered each other every step of the way.
Yes, we sewed, and sewed and sewed. Everyone came into the retreat ready to create and jumped in to each project with gusto.
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| Small sample of the wonderful women that attended Sew South |
Friday morning kicked off our workshops and I (Jennifer Mathis of
Ellison Lane and
Sew South) led our paper piecing class. New techniques were tried, tips were shared and before long, stars appeared in rainbow hues and bunnies in baskets popped up around the room.
With Lindsey's expert guidance, tips, tricks and adjustments, we tackled the
duffle and came away with fabulous bags. Check out this mountain of awesome duffles!
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| Sew South Duffles |
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Lindsey Rhodes and Jennifer Mathis
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Every step of the way Lindsey (of
LR Stitched) patiently walked everyone through the process and with every finish, the entire room cheered! That sound still echoes in my ears and the feeling of having 50 women cheer you on and celebrate your success is absolutely exhilarating! In fact
we recorded the cheer so each time we finish a project at home or need a little boost, we can replay our tribe of sewists cheering on our accomplishments.
The cheering embodied the spirit of the weekend. It was spontaneous, sincere and absolutely uplifting and our group of women became a community of friends.
On Saturday morning Diane Stanley (of
Random Thoughts Do or Di) led the frame clutch workshop and just look at the beautiful new bags that were made!
Diane's pattern was easy to follow and makes a lovely, roomy bag with a professional finish.
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| Frame Clutches made at Sew South |
Everyone's interpretations and fabric choices were as individual as their owners and inspiring at every turn. It was a well-led, satisfying class with a quick finish and was a great start to the day.
Valerie of
Between Quilts said best when she said, "It's like Pinterest in person" with all the handmade duffles, clutches, totes, purses and Weekenders in that room.
The final workshop was a garment class led by Jennifer Roycroft (of
We're Sew Creative.)
Jennifer shared tips on adjusting the pattern, adding a cuff, and shortening the waist and walked new garment sewists through flat felled seams.
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| Jennifer Adams using the serger and Jennifer Roycroft looking on |
She demonstrated and encouraged us to try the serger she brought, and I have a feeling a serger jumped to the top of many wish lists. Her calm demeanor and expertise were the perfect touch to a fun project that rounded out the classes.
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| Karen giving her new pants a test drive. |
Saturday evening Leah Day (of
Day Style Designs) spoke about free motion quilting and shared her tips and tricks for successful sewing, including the importance of habits, your work station set up and the proper tools to use.
What I found most inspiring was her philosophy on life, her project
Express Your Love, and her belief in giving; it was super inspiring and I left feeling empowered and excited about creating and moving forward.
Now with all of that sewing came seam ripping, broken needles and time-outs but all of those obstacles became triumphs when finished. Everyone dove in, lent a hand, a suggestion, a needle or a piece of chocolate.
The small size of the group meant there was ample opportunity to share, connect and get to know not only the person sitting beside you, but those behind and in front of you as well as those across the room. Each evening was capped off with open sewing which was a great opportunity to see what others were working on, to finish a project or to just sit and chat. The energy was infectious and the room was hopping. It started with the field trip on Thursday and cocktail reception that evening and carried on through the weekend. Friendships were made, gifts and treats were swapped, projects were shared, tips were given and again, lots of cheering.
On Sunday morning we gathered together to share thoughts on the weekend and many tears were shed. They were happy tears over having had the opportunity to take time for ourselves, to nurture our creativity, to sew until midnight for the joy of it, for the belly laughs, the friendships made, and the good times had by all.
I even had the pleasure of giving away a brand new sewing machine thanks to
Baby Lock and
We're Sew Creative!
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| The lucky winner, Kim and her new Baby Lock machine! |
I thank all the sponsors that made this weekend possible, supplied us with wonderful classroom tools (
Pellon,
Oliso,
Dritz, While Baby Naps) and sent AMAZING swag for everyone that attended. I was able to have my Oprah moment and surprise everyone with a giant bag of sewing goodies that made it feel like Christmas morning all around. (More details on swag and how you can score some to come.)
It's a rare thing, to dream a dream and have the reality surpass your expectations but that is indeed what happened. I thank each and every woman that came to Sew South, that believed in my idea and wanted to share in a special weekend to sew, connect and create. You have all inspired me in so many ways and I am so thankful to have met you all.
The wheels are turning and I have a page full of notes on things to do and plan for Sew South 2014. I can hardly wait!
PS: Stay tuned for more info about sponsors, swag and pics of the retreat!
