Unexpected Things Happen at Sewing Retreat

 I just recently returned from a sewing retreat in Shipshewana, Indiana for the Lansing Clippers, a chapter of the American Sewing Guild.  I love going to these retreats.  They provide an opportunity to get to know our members better and an opportunity to learn by watching what others are sewing.  And sometimes, unexpected things happen.  For example, one attendee learned to use a serger for the first time.  You should have heard her shout when she serged the first seam.  She made her first tee shirt using a serger.  One of our members, Bev D., showed her how to fit and make the tee top.  Congratulations, Elizabeth D.!  You did a great job making your first tee top and using a serger for the first time!

Another unexpected thing that happened was I volunteered to give a presentation about sewing a 12-piece wardrobe.  I previously volunteered to give a presentation in September 2025 about draping.  We held an Education Committee meeting during the retreat and I commented that I wasn’t sure many of our members were interested in learning to drape.   We started talking about other options and decided Sewing a Coordinated Wardrobe would be a better topic.  So, I will be presenting that topic next year instead of draping a pattern.

This should be relatively easy to do because I did a presentation on this subject several years ago.   It just means I need to get started soon and sew at least one new garment each month in order to have the wardrobe ready by September 2025.  The difficult part is to find twelve appropriate fabrics that coordinate with each other.  I am hoping I can find some fabrics that coordinate in my stash. 

One unexpected non-sewing related thing that happened was we discovered there is actually at least one restaurant where you can still buy a cup of coffee for less than a buck.  That is right; you can purchase a cup of coffee in Tiffany’s Restaurant in Topeka, Indiana for ninety-three cents!  Most restaurants where I live charge from $1.99 - $5.00 for a cup of coffee.  Seventeen of our group went to Tiffany’s for dinner Thursday night during the retreat and had a delicious, reasonably priced meal. 

Of course, some of us tried the buffet at the Blue Gate Restaurant in Shipshewana and others had the buffet at the Essenhaus in Middlebury.   There was good food all around us!

There was plenty of food available during our retreat.  Our members brought food and treats enough to last through the four days of the retreat.  We usually ate lunch in the sewing room and went out to dinner at night.  Some of us did a lot of sewing during the retreat and some of us did a little sewing during the retreat; but, all of us did a lot eating and a lot shopping during the retreat.

The Farmstead Inn provided an excellent room for sewing.  There was a variety of sewing projects that were completed or almost completed.  Members worked on pants, tops, purses, quilts, embroidered projects, and more.  It was a great retreat and I am looking forward to next year.  See you there!

Judy Huhn

 

 

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