Slow Stitching August
August 11-17, 2025
MEDOMAK RETREAT CENTER, WASHINGTON, MAINE
with Timna Tarr, Atsushi Futatsuya & Maura Ambrose
A small group of just thirty-six Makers will spend five full days in exploration of line, color, and stitch at a contemplative pace. Surrounded by the woods, on the edge of a lake, with the rustic beauty and charm of Maine as the backdrop. Small groups, individual pacing, natural inspiration-this will be a week for unwinding and exploring....
• Single cabin, $2,250.
• Double Cabin, $2,050.
• Triple Cabin, $1,850.
For the best experience of all involved, I will continue to engage Covid protocols. While the danger of contracting the virus is less, it still holds risks for many. I will require up-to-date vaccinations for participation, and we will test upon arrival. I will also ask that all Campers take precautions in the week leading up to their visit. More details will be shared once you have registered.
Are you seeking the time and space to slow down and connect with your skills, your agency, your creative practice in community? In these challenging chaotic, isolating digital days, we crave connection and community with other Makers. Maine is a good place to retreat, step back from the daily pace, and spend some time with your peers with needle, thread, dyepots, and cloth. This August, I invite you to join Timna Tarr, Atsushi Futatsuya, and Maura Ambrose to make that time and space for yourself.
Join Timna, Atsushi, Maura, and I at the Medomak Retreat Center in Washington, ME where you can relax, unwind, and dive into your stitching practice. You will sleep in a modern yet rustic cabin, eat three meals a day with the community, and spend as much time as you like with color, needle, thread. Each day will be spent with Timna, Atsushi, and Maura learning their techniques and tips, and practicing new skills or sharpening old ones. In addition there are two days of time for musings, wanderings, exploration, and epiphany, both of the textile and human variety. The emphasis here is on settling into your Making practice and letting the rest of it float away....
~Timna joins us for the first time, to talk circles…! Learn how to make perfect circles, while also having a great time. Timna will teach five (or more!) ways to make fabric circles, using both hand and machine techniques. The goal is for each person to find a technique that works for them. We will also spend some time playing with color, design, and layout. Come prepared to play, experiment, and have fun.
~Atsushi is bringing his deep knowledge of the Japanese tradition of Sashiko to Slow Stitching. Sashiko, as introduced in English, primarily focuses on "patterns" and the technical aspects of "how to stitch." Some resources may emphasize "how to make even stitches." Occasionally, there is a teaching style that promotes the idea of "embracing imperfection." While it is true that we can embrace imperfection, when a teacher starts encouraging acceptance of being clumsy, it marks the end of true "wisdom." In the Western approach to learning, Sashiko is generally categorized into two broad groups: (1) improving participants' skills in needle control and (2) emphasizing "freedom" in stitching. However, neither (1) nor (2) truly captures the essence of Sashiko stitching. Since many English-speaking teachers have not undergone the proper experience in Japan, they can only interpret Sashiko from their own perspective. Their teachings aren't incorrect, but they lack the most crucial element of Sashiko for us, as a collective of Japanese Sashiko artisans.
In this Sashiko Workshop you will learn the "form" of Sashiko, which leads to mastering unshin—the movement of the needle. This workshop is not the kind of experience that says, "Let's enjoy Sashiko together." It is an intensive learning process that may involve a challenging and uncomfortable phase as participants acquire new skills. We all have muscle memory from past experiences, and some must break old habits to develop new muscle memory. Once this is learned, one can use both the old and new muscle memory, but the learning period can be quite challenging. Most participants find their form within this time, while others develop their own rhythm and form after continued practice. Understanding this fundamental "form and rhythm" is essential in our Sashiko practice.
~Maura returns to share her natural color experience with us with, Nature's Palette: A Primary Colors Natural Dye Workshop. Dive into the enchanting world of natural dyes with our immersive workshop, focused on mastering the primary colors – red (madder), yellow (osage), and blue (indigo). Discover the transformative power of these vibrant hues as you learn how to extract color from natural materials and apply them to a variety of fabrics. Through hands-on experimentation and expert guidance, you'll explore various dyeing techniques and methods for mixing colors to create a stunning array of shades and patterns. You'll not only develop a strong foundation in natural dyeing but also gain an appreciation for the environment and the rich history behind these ancient practices. By the end of the workshop, you'll have created a collection of beautifully dyed fabrics to use in your own creative projects, as well as the knowledge and confidence to continue exploring the limitless possibilities of natural dyes.
You will spend a day with each teacher, with plenty of time for inspirational wanderings. Two back-to-back, then a break. On the third day we will make a small field trip to the coast and a fabulous local fabric store. Or if you prefer, you can go for a swim, take a hike, do some stitching, some reading, or whatever your heart desires. The last day of instruction is on Friday. Then Saturday is entirely for you to do with as you please. Check in with one of the instructors on a technique you need clarification on, take a nap, sew with new friends, the day is yours!
We will have a fabric swap, so bring any fabrics, patterns, notions, yarns or other craft supplies that aren’t singing to you any more. I like the idea of moving goods through the universe free of the capitalist system. The swap nights are always tons of fun!
The primary focus for the week will be on slowing down, taking time, connecting to your practice, the community, and your inner voice. Evenings will be open for more stitching, conversing, knitting, star gazing, cricket concerts, Loon appreciation, and anything else you might like to do in Maine in August....
Timna Tarr
Timna Tarr comes from a long line of quilters but did not begin quilting until after studying art history in college. She bought her first longarm in 2001 and began quilting clients' quilts shortly thereafter. Timna’s own nationally award-winning quilts are in private and corporate collections and been seen in exhibits, publications, and on The Quilt Show and Quilting Arts TV. Timna is a designer for Studio e Fabrics, the author of Stitched Photo Mosaic Quilting, and is an in-demand teacher and speaker. She lives in South Hadley, Massachusetts.
“My work is about color and small compositions. Each block in a quilt is made as its own element, independent of the other blocks. After all of the blocks are constructed, my goal is to arrange the small compositions to play off each other and work together to create a larger whole. What keeps me engaged is watching how the project changes and transforms with the addition of each color and texture.
The resulting quilts are contemporary works, set in this time and place, which reference the rich tradition of quilt making.”
Atsushi Futatsuya
Atsushi was born as the third generation of a surviving sashiko family in Gifu prefecture. He grew up with sashiko, surrounded by thread, needles and lots of fabrics. He launched the "Sashi.Co" project with his mother, Keiko, who has over thirty years experience of sashiko stitching as a platform to introduce their masterful works. Starting in 2017, he introduces the beauty and philosophy of Sashiko to the world through his website & workshops as “Sashiko Story”. (https://sashikostory.com/)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sashikostory/
Website: https://upcyclestitches.com/
Maura Ambrose
In an era where mainstream culture often prioritizes instant gratification and mass production, Maura seeks solace in the beauty and wisdom of traditional craft practices, passed down through generations.
Natural dyes and quilting are two such practices that have consistently enriched Maura's creative journey. Rooted in ancestral knowledge and cultural heritage, these textile arts serve as reminders of our interconnectedness to the past and provide a grounding force in an ever-changing world.
Registration includes lodging in a cabin (shared, or otherwise), all meals, and all instruction for six days. The cabins are rustic and spare, but modern and comfortable. Please do note that many of the cabins are in the woods, and require an uphill walk. If mobility is an issue for you, please contact me when you register. We can accommodate most dietary restrictions within reason, just alert us to your needs in advance.
There are ten private cabins available. You can make this choice at registration. However if you do not get a private cabin, I can assure you there is plenty of room in each cabin for two or three adults.
A supply list will be sent out at least a month in advance of your arrival in Maine.
Otherwise, all you have to do is get yourself here, I'll take care of the rest. I will send out recommendations for what to wear and bring in advance. I send very detailed emails about how to get here, what to bring, how to prepare. Read them when they show up, most everything you could need will be in there…
The food at camp is fresh, simple, wholesome, and satisfying. Please notify me of food allergies, or if you are Vegetarian (specify if you do/do not eat dairy, eggs, fish, etc…) , but we suggest that unless you have a specific medical condition, you will find plenty to nourish you during your time at camp.
Medomak Retreat Center is in Washington, Maine, about 80 minutes from the Portland airport, 3 hours drive from Boston, 7 hours drive from NYC. Washington is only 30 minutes inland from Camden. The campus has 250 acres of blueberry fields and forest, with trails for hiking, tennis courts, and lakefront where canoes and kayaks are available. The cabins are clean and spare and perfectly comfortable.
After four years of working with Covid as a complication I continue to take it seriously. I require everyone to be vaccinated as recommended by the CDC. This guideline may vary depending on the current political status. I will stay apprised of those recommendations and share them with all who register. Please assume that you will need to have been vaccinated up to the last valid CDC statements.
I will ask all who are traveling to be diligent in their masking protocol, as well as anyone gathering in any larger groups in the week leading up to Camp. We will test upon arrival. These measures are taken to keep us all safe, and allow us to relax into our Making practice. I will have protocols in place in case of a positive test. That protocol will be shared in advance of gathering.
In order to give you some time to check, and double check, your schedule, and confer with partners, bosses, children, parents, and pets, to make sure this will work for you, I delay the opening of registration. This year registration will open Sunday March 2nd at 3:00pm EST. I will send an email to my newsletter group when registration opens. If you want to be notified when registration is open, you should sign up for the newsletter, spots have gone quickly in the past….. You will need to pay a non-refundable deposit of $400 to register, and then arrangements can be made for how to pay your balance.
[Deposits are non refundable, but registrations are transferable. All efforts will be taken to accommodate Covid changes, but the virus moves in mysterious ways, and is good at outmaneuvering me. I ask for your patience and forbearance in dealing with these changes.]