2021 Lansing Clippers Retreat – Shipshewana

Summer is over, fall is moving in, and the annual retreat at Shipshewana seems a distant past but it was only a month ago.  After 18 months of lock-down, no meetings, not seeing friends, the chance to gather, sew, and talk was invigorating and good therapy.  Like much of the summer of 2021, the weather was hot and hot!  But the room was cool (sometimes a little too cool).  The sewing machines were whirling, scissors were snipping, and shopping happened!

At the center of our group of 14, was Roselyn who with Zen like poise created wonderful pieced blocks from tiny pieces of scrap fabric.  Across the way, Bev was piecing the most precise birds with tiny beaks (both left and right facing).  Judy was creating tops from one pattern with knits with varying attributes.  I think there is a Chicken Little Blog in this experience with how fabric effects fit.  Jo finished a great “church lady” apron and started a quilt.  Marty got all wrapped up in 100 feet of large black piping and a wonderful new tunic.  Jane designed beautiful fall colored pieced pumpkin placemats (we have a lot of talent in our group).  Dana, in her pirate costume, worked on blue and turquoise piecing for a wonderful quilt for her artist granddaughter.  Doreen was engaged with lots of dots and basketballs and at one-point was draped in a pattern(?).  Kim completed a muslin for a dress in drapery lining (this is an inventive  group) and then worked on minky and the alphabet (quilt).  Kathy attended to the details of a large and wonderful quilt while Barb matched up tee-shirt panels in a reversible quilt!  If we were giving an award for perseverance and perfection, it would go to Nora who perfected eight square opening for the strap of her back pack.  Char out achieved us all with her rope bowls, oven-mitt, and a new purse (completed in ONE DAY!).  And me, I finished three shirts (one for my husband and two for me) and a set of Halloween placemats.  The placemats led to probably one of the most unusual requests to the Farmstead Inn – I needed a hammer to put a thread cone stand together.  And Elaine came through and even hammered the center pin in place.
Shopping happened – what would a retreat be without shopping!  Judy and a group went off to Zinck's Fabric Outlet and returned with a car load of knits.  Yoder’s and the Cotton Corner were easily accessible and not busy.  And of course, many visited the canoe at Lolly’s. 
Some ate out in the evening, but most of us were well fed by Ken Thelen (Char) sloppy joes and Dave Huhn (Judy) pulled-pork.  With the addition of some salads, we had everything we needed to stay in and eat well.
Memories are great but so is looking forward.  Next year (2022), we will go back to Shipshewana and the Farmstead Inn September 14 to 17; and in 2023 we are booked for August 23 to 26.  So, plan ahead.  Let’s join together again next year for fun, food, shopping, and most of all sewing.


Note: This article was written by Lansing Clippers member, Sandy Herman. Articles will be posted to this site about sewing-related subjects or our group's activities as they are written by contributing members.

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