I thought I’d share a little about my desire to host sewing retreats at Carriage Corner. Before moving to the heart of Amish Farmlands, we lived in Seattle and I belonged to the Great Seattle Chapter of the American Sewing Guild. I am still a member of ASG, belonging to the Philadelphia Chapter now.
It’s a wall of fabric in my family room (sew camp headquarters)
Anyway – twice a year, the Seattle Chapter would host a sewing retreat or Sew Camp as many people referred to it. In Seattle it’s held at a church camp property or an old convent. There is no educational component of Sew Camp, it’s simply a chance to get away from the distractions of home and spend 2 1/2 days with like-minded people working on projects of your choosing. For me, sew camp appealed for many reasons:
1. I wasn’t at home and couldn’t procrastinate working on my projects. There was no housework to do or dogs to walk. If I procrastinated, it was because I was chatting with another ‘camper,’ looking at their projects, catching up with their lives, etc.
2. No cooking. All meals were prepared for me – I just had to stand up from my machine and walk into the dining room. I could spend as much time there as I chose.
I promise – this will be a beautiful clean space to trace or cut during sew camp
3. 2 1/2 glorious days to sew my little heart out. Are you a morning person? Want to get up at 5 and start sewing? Everything is set up, coffee is on so go right ahead, you won’t bother anyone. Maybe you are a night owl and you get on a roll and you want to keep sewing until 2 or 3 in the morning. Probably there will be at least one other person there with you. But if you are the last woman sewing, just make sure the irons are off, flip a couple switches and off you go to bed.
4. Social – sewing can be a very solitary hobby. Yes, there are blogs and various social events. Many of them right here on the East Coast – for example: Workroom Social, Cashmerette and Gertie, to name a few. It’s so nice to spend several days working on projects and have numerous ‘experts’ there to ask questions of or get fitting help. Because we all know it’s hard to fit your own back!
5. I was sewing on MY machines so there was no learning curve to get started.
My desire is to host sewing camps along those lines. I have 5 rooms in the B&B with queen sized beds. Ideally, you would register with a friend that you don’t mind sharing a bed with 😉 Because at this type of sew camp – it really is the more the merrier.
I will prepare and serve a typical B&B breakfast to the sewing retreat attendees on Saturday and Sunday mornings. I also plan to have cookies, chips, and fruit available all day, along with a coffee pot and kettle set up in the sewing area – so you don’t have to leave the sewing area if you don’t want. Lunch and Dinner will be catered with requests taken so that we can meet any dietary concerns that the attendees have.
Standing at the back wall looking at my machines
One additional “treat” to the Carriage Corner Sew Camp attendees is a trip to Fabric Mart. We will meet at the B&B on Friday morning. We’ve rented a van so that all of the attendees can travel to Fabric Mart together. The Fabric Mart staff will be waiting to assist us with purchases and will ship your goodies home if you don’t want to carry them. After the shopping spree, we will have lunch at a nearby restaurant (which, other than your fabric, is the only meal not included in the entire weekend). When we get back to the B&B, you can settle in and then join us for a Wine & Cheese reception at the local yarn store which is in walkable distance from the B&B.
Now while I don’t yet have spare sewing machines to offer, the upside of bringing your own is that you know it and have the supplies for it. If it’s inconvenient for you to bring your own, I am willing to loan out either one of my personal sewing machines. They are regularly serviced and kept in good working order.
I realize that I’m offering another sewing opportunity but I loved the friendships made while attending the Seattle ASG Sew Camps. The inspiration. The guidance. I believe that you will find all of that while attending a Carriage Corner Sew Camp and more. I hope you’re willing to join us for one this year.
BTW, there’s only 1 double room still available for the March 24th Sew Camp. I also have 1 room available for part of the retreat weekend. There are still a few daily walk-ins available so if you live locally and only want to come to sew, please contact me so that you can join in. Once these last two rooms are booked, there are a few other B&Bs in the area, if you’re from out-of-state, and want to participate. Please contact me for additional information.
I can’t wait to see and sew with everyone at Carriage Corner Sew Camp!
