A recap of Summer '23
I have been turning the following words over and over in my head, and on the screen, for two months now. As you all know I am a wordy opinionated broad, so I am unlikely to just release a half-assed text out into the world. I also needed time to edit the hundreds of photos I shot this Summer. I love shooting images, but editing…? Not so much. Ironic since it was my job for about a decade, but there you are. Finally, however, I have my words and photos lined up in a way that is satisfying to me, so here we are!
This Summer was another delicious one for me, and for my three retreats. Not without its anxieties and stresses, for sure. But still those desired moments I spend my whole year planning for, anticipating, yearning for. Can they live up to my expectations? Well, yes, somehow every year they exceed them…. Each year has its own shades and hues of community. Its own version of creativity writ quietly amongst peers. Each year the individual groups are so alike and yet so deeply unique. I am reminded each time of how human the need to Make is, how instinctual, how elemental it is to our sense of self and our place in the universe. So, of course each group shares that drive, it is just the unique way that folks express it that colors each gathering. It is my privilege to be a guide, and witness, to that process. It is endlessly satisfying to me.
This year the theme was tenderness, if one can say there was a theme. Where did it come from, how did it arise? Was it the expression of another year out from those pandemic lockdown days? A step closer to a collective desire to be ‘whole’ again? The current reimagining of what we were before and what we want to be after? Who can say. But there was such tenderness on display. I was deeply touched and so proud that they all chose to be so vulnerable with me. With each other. The first week was touched by Covid. I have to confess I was less prepared than I wanted to be. I thought with our vaxxing and testing that we would all be safe. But, again, that wily virus out maneuvered me. I wish I had been stronger in that moment, more decisive, more prepared. But I did the best I could. Buoyed by the support of the group, we assessed the situation and made adjustments. Somehow the beautiful rhythm of the week was only slightly tempered. We rose above. There was Making to be done, dontcha know…!
This year's tenderness caught me off guard. In each session there was an expression of sisterhood that wanted gravity, needed attending to, demanded recognition. Not in any aggressive fashion, but insistently, generously, tenderly. It took various forms, as the subject matter for each week, and the unique combination of participants, warranted. But it was there each week. Perhaps it is a response to our collective search for a post-pandemic new normal? A digital fatigue? A political fatigue…? Whatever its cause, it was on display, and it was a new layer of dynamic for these retreats.
A strange feeling arose during the second week of Slow Fashion, a small sensation for me of being left behind. Not literally of course, because these retreats are my brainchild, but because they have taken on a life of their own. It is a beautiful thing! There were a couple times during SF2 where I sat back and saw the Gathering as its very own universe, living and breathing like a child (actually a rowdy teenager). Those were the bittersweet moments that I believe many Mothers must feel when their kid has become self-sufficient and moves out into the world under their own independent steam. I was simultaneously proud, and a bit lost. Who am I if I am not assembling these experiences, shepherding these retreats, creating these safe spaces? Yes, that is a bit of a dramatic statement, my role as retreat cruise director is assured. These things sprung from my head. But perhaps I had a moment of wondering, hmmmm, what happens next? If these gatherings are self-propelled where should I direct my energy?
That the stupid virus could not mar the experience of the Slow Fashion retreat was a testament to the people who attend these gatherings, and to the sustaining nature of a Making practice. Oh how I love these people! They fill me up with their enthusiasm, their energy, their curiosity. I was not going to let a Covid wrinkle get in the way of our collective joy! Neither were they apparently. I shouldn’t be possessive, but these are my people! Even when I was stressed from trying to keep them safe so they could have the full Camp experience, they were supporting me, encouraging me… I am blessed by this community.
After the retreats re-entry to my daily life is slow, this year there were a couple extra situations to manage that kept me off balance more than previous years. But the re-entry was also very fulfilling, and I am feeling more centered than I have in a while. It feels good. Now that my nervous system is back on track, and I am building up a post-BC Pilates practice (hooray), I am clear eyed, and excited about next year! For in 2024 there will be four retreats total, two Slow Fashion and two Slow Stitching! Because what am I as a Virgo/Libra cusp if not a tinkerer, and endless perfectionist (ha!) of my trade. I seek balance and expression, and four retreats will create that. Next year will also be different because I will pair a Slow Fashion retreat right next to a Slow Stitching retreat, twice, so any who want to partake of both practices may more easily do so. Slow Fashion will no longer be a 1.0 and 2.0 distinction, as I never thought that was quite apt for either gathering. And instead will now become a July and an August version. Each retreat will have different teachers, still within the overarching theme of the retreats, either garment sewing or quilting. I hope this new arrangement work for you guys. I am eager to see how it works.
Next year’s dates are as follows:
Slow Fashion July 8th-14th
Slow Stitching July 15th-21st
Slow Fashion August 5th-11th
Slow Stitching August 12th-18th
I will announce the teachers in January as I have in the past. Registration will open in March, as per year’s previous. As inflation has forced many costs up, there will probably be a small bump in tuition, but just a little one. I wish I didn’t have to, but it is necessary. I will continue to offer 2 scholarship positions for each retreat. I am so happy to be on this path, and with so many lovely people. If you have attended one of my retreats, thank you! If you are thinking of attending, please come join us, we would love to meet you! I announce all details via my newsletter first, so sign up there for the early news. Between now and then, whatever the then might be, please keep Making! It is the thing that keeps me going through these very troubling and uncertain times. I know our lives are busy and stressful, but if you can channel your time at Camp, or carve out a tiny window of time in your week to sink into your practice, I promise it will be worth the effort. And it will soothe your psyche enough to send you back out on to the battlefield with a couple more resources for the struggle. Times are uncertain but making is not. It feeds our souls, individually and collectively. Think of me as your personal coach for Making. You can do it!