Sewing Retreats!

Sewing on Saba | sewing retreat | halfmoon ATELIER

Have you ever been to a sewing retreat? Taken several days from your regularly scheduled life to focus entirely and shamelessly on yourself and your favorite hobby? Since creating my first garment sewing retreat - Sewing on Saba, which I’ll be hosting here in May - I’ve noticed several other “indie” retreats focused on garment sewing as well. I think many of us garment sewists saw all the fun that the quilters were having together and decided we needed to get in on this ourselves!

Travel and making have long been central pillars in my life - they are fundamental to my being - and I want to share this with you. I am under no illusion that it’s possible to really experience a different culture in a week, but the ability to see, taste and make with locals and “insiders” offers a special perspective. For the retreats I offer, my goal is to bring all the goodness together that is discovery, making and community with a small, diverse group of sewists for an extraordinary, memorable sewing experience.

I feel truly honored to be welcoming 8 sewists to Saba - this magical, hidden Caribbean island where I live - for my first Sewing on Saba retreat in May. And I also cannot wait to share the thrill of discovering and experiencing a beautiful new city with fellow makers during my Sewing in Lisbon retreat in late September!

While I would, of course, most love to meet you at my upcoming retreat, it’s important that you find the retreat that fits YOU. I’ve put together a list of retreats I’ve found in different parts of the world (although, mostly in the US), all with slightly different focuses and group sizes.


 

 Sewing in Lisbon | September 17 - 22, 2019 | halfmoon ATELIER

Sewing in Lisbon | sewing retreat | halfmoon ATELIER

 

 

Makers in the Mountains at Lake Tahoe, CA | May 8 - 11, 2019 | Maker Mountain Fabrics

Makers in the Mountains at Lake Tahoe, CA | May 8 - 11, 2019 | Maker Mountain Fabrics(image from Maker Mountain Fabrics)

 

 

Makers Retreat in Leavenworth, WA | August 15 - 18, 2019 | Straight Stitch Designs

 Makers Retreat in Leavenworth, WA | August 15 - 18, 2019 | Straight Stitch Designs
(image from Straight Stitch Design)

 

 

Black Women Stitch Beach Week | a safe-space for black women sewists at the beach!

Black Women Stitch Beach Week(image from @blackwomenstitch)

 

 

Camp Workroom Social | Claryville, NY | Workroom Social

Camp Workroom Social | Claryville, NY | Workroom Social(image from Camp Workroom Social)

 

 

Carlisle Couture Sewing Retreat in the Northern Lake District, UK | June 17 - 21, 2019 | Claire Tyler

Carlisle Couture Sewing Retreat in the Northern Lake District, UK | June 17 - 21, 2019 | Claire Tyler(image from Dalston Hall Hotel)

 

 

Slow Fashion 2019 in Bar Harbor, Maine | July 14 - 19, 2019 | A Gathering of Stitches

Slow Fashion 2019 in Bar Harbor, Maine | July 14 - 19, 2019 | A Gathering of Stitches(images from A Gathering of Stitches)

 

 

Wardrobe Essentials in Cotswolds, UK | May 30 - June 2, 2019 | Guthrie & Ghani

Wardrobe Essentials in Cotswolds, UK | May 30 - June 2, 2019 | Guthrie & Ghani(image from Guthrie & Ghani)

 

 

Sewing Retreats in Springfield, OR | various dates | Sure-Fit Designs

Sewing Retreats in Springfield, OR | various dates | Sure Fit Designs(image from Sure-Fit Designs)

 

 

And, even though it's already sold out, I'll include my Sewing on Saba retreat here at the end as I hope to offer this on an annual (or perhaps twice annually) basis!

Sewing on Saba | halfmoon ATELIER

Sewing on Saba | May 5 - 10, 2019 | halfmoon ATELIER

 

Do you know of any other garment-focused sewing retreats that should be listed here? Let us all know in the comments!

 

Sewing in Lisbon | sewing retreat | 17-22 September 2019 | halfmoon ATELIER

 

Sewing in Lisbon | sewing retreat | 17-22 September 2019 | halfmoon ATELIER

 

Sewing in Lisbon retreat | Indy House Hotel | 17-22 September 2019 | halfmoon ATELIER

2 comments

  • Hello. My name is Constance Anderson.. I like what I read… I would like to know more…. I am in northern Alabama near Chattanooga TN

    Constance Anderson
  • Hi!
    I own a fashion sewing school in Mooresville, North Carolina and we just started doing retreats! Our retreat is called Camp Sew Social. you can find more information about it at www.campsewsocial.com My school is www.futurefashiondesigners.com
    Thank you for listing these great retreats!
    I never knew retreats for sewing existed and then when I found them they were full, so why not start one myself!
    Shawnelle

    shawnelle cherry

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