Slow Stitching Retreat, August 2017
The Summer of 2015 was a turning point for A Gathering of Stitches, and all because of the Slow Stitching retreat. As I packed up all the equipment and drove my tired butt back to Portland that August I had a big smile on my face. I was vibrating from both the electric energy of Making with a crowd of lovely human beings, and some exhaustion.... I had taken a chance on bringing the idea of my Maker Space to a dreamy Maine location, and it had paid off. I discovered that I could throw a multiple day Making party in the woods of Maine with generous instructors, delicious food, and a relaxed schedule, and we'd all have fun. It was a lightbulb moment. We had a fabulous time that week, and I have had successive lovely weeks each year since. The warm glow of that first retreat fueled me through some uncomfortable and challenging moments, and helped me make a difficult decision to close down the Portland studio. So when Slow Stitching came around again this past Summer, unfettered by the responsibilities of studio management, I had a BALL planning, organizing, and then Den Mothering the week. Adding Slow Fashion to the roster this year was another aha! moment. I feel like I am just beginning to hit my stride, the ideas for gatherings just keep popping in to my head! I am working on finding a good balance both for my own well-being (and health) and your collective enthusiasm for these parties I like to throw..... Will there be an addition to the schedule? Maybe.....
If you are wondering about what I'm planning for 2018 I can tell you that Slow Fashion will return with the same instructors (to allow those who only found out about it after the fact to experience that special combination) and some tweaks to programming. Slow Stitching also returns with a line-up certain to excite many of you. For the moment I am going to hold all that info close to my chest. Rest assured when it is all lined up, categorized, fact-checked, prioritized, double-checked, justified, glorified, and sanctified, I will announce it to my newsletter folks. (....I guess you might want to sign-up if you're interested, no....?) I am planning to post all these juicy details in January when it is dark and cold and we need something to remind us that the sun will return. As with previous years I will delay opening registration for a month, so you have a chance to confirm with family, work, and any other obligations that the timing works for you. Without a deadline hanging over your head! Few of us can make that sort of decision, and commit to an event six months away, on a dime. In the meantime, take a little tour through last year's Slow Stitching retreat. Man, did we have fun this past August! And if you're curious about what Slow Fashion looked like, go back a couple posts....
