First Sewing Retreat 2025

• I even like writing such an optimistic title because it implies more sewing retreats in 2025, more laughter, affection and camaraderie while tackling our personal sewing projects.  The Northern Virginia chapter of the American Sewing Guild has been holding this winter retreat weekend for twenty plus years.  We’ve gone from large heated yerts to YMCA conference center and, for the last fifteen years, the glorious Wyndham Grand Hotel in downtown Winchester, Virginia, horse country and site of Civil War battles.  40 avid sewists plan their year around this event and we also have to plan what projects we work on here. 

Since my 2025 sewing inspiration word is “new” I’ve made sure to pack at least one new pattern, in this case the Sew Tessuti Brooklyn coat.  I added the back yoke so I could do a rounded back adjustment.  

https://www.tessuti-shop.com/products/brooklyn-coat-pattern

It's meant to be stitched in non-raveling fabric but I decided to be defiant (a feeling I have a lot right now) and sew it up in Fabric Mart's PolarTec offering, what they called Air Grid, might be Power Grid on sites like Discovery Fabric.  All I know is that last year I grabbed several colors online of this very useful fabric for my casual and often outdoorsy lifestyle.  The backing is quilted to help retain warmth and keep fleece fibers from shedding.  I did serge the coat outer edges just to keep them clean.  The rest of the coat I sewed with the overlap technique and 1/8"edge stitching, including a wonderful single layer patch pocket technique.  It's perfect for throwing on to run errands, walk the dog and looks quite nice with a scarf for days or nights out on the town.  And since I defied the original fabric recommendations, I'm including it as one of my Jazzy January IG contributions run by SewOver50

Serged edge and over lay stitching

Tabula Rasa Jacket Fit for Art

My next Jazzy January completed project is a cotton knit bathrobe, perfect for our upcoming month in Florida where I can sit and sip coffee in the private backyard.  These are two Fabric Mart knits that seemed to coordinate and I used the Fit for Art Tabula Rasa jacket pattern, lengthened 12 inches and with 11/2 inches of walking ease added.  It was another good project to bring to retreat because it's a TNT pattern that is easy to assemble so I can spend plenty of time chatting and taking breaks to see the projects of others...and enjoy happy hour every night at the hotel bar.  

Sewing friends having a real ball

Projects by others:

Of course I over packed projects which isn't a bad thing in my opinion.  It means my projects are cut and ready for sewing at home when I'm in the mood.  And sewing retreat chat time is perfect for alterations that are tedious to do at home.  I moved the exposed zipper tape on this RTW black boiled wool jacket to make it fit more comfortably.  The grey boucle like boiled wool jacket is one I love but the sleeves are dramatically too long, even for me. The sleeve zippers are cute but would be a pain to remove and re-sew in place. So I put it on my dress form and since it is modeled on a biker jacket, I decided to cut a seam sew it like pieced leather.  I was marking seam lines and reviewing those steps and asked a friend who had alterations experience.  She said of course I could do that but why not just create that visible tuck instead, making it look more like a  jersey sleeve attached to the jacket.  So that's the sewing I did.  I'll wear it this weekend and see how it feels and looks.  The good news is that both those alterations mean two garments that stay and get worn, not donated to some unknown future fate.   

Moved that zipper for an extra inch 

Tuck mid sleeve shortened and made it look sort of cool

The winter retreat is also a time to share fabric and patterns that need a new home and this year was no exception.  In addition to bringing those items, I brought three garments that I ad sewn, wondering if they could find a new home as garments or even as fabric.  I was thrilled that all three were "adopted" by new owners...look, one of my stitch and flip jackets is going home with someone else.

stitch and flip jacket going to a new closet

And while the sewing retreat was as wonderful as always, I also had a "studio day" scheduled for the week that followed.  Mr Lucky was away skiing in West Virginia and two friends stopped by to catch up, what a treat.  One friend doesn't sew but is a creative person and she brought the coolest watercolor paint by number book that she tried for the first time that afternoon.  I was intrigued but, no, I don't need another hobby.  I've given away plenty of craft supplies over the decades so I can admire then step away from the craft store coupon😌

It's goodbye to the first retreat of the year.  I love the drive from my house in Maryland over the two rivers, the Potomac and the Shenandoah, at Harpers Ferry.  I've kayaked here, I've walked the trails and I appreciate the now bucolic scene which was the site of terrible bloodshed and animosity.  I'm one of the millions of US citizens horrified by the direction of my country at the moment, particularly perhaps because my immigrant ancestors came here to leave oligarchs and ruling classes that kept them impoverished and defeated.  So I'll be sewing but I'll also be calling my representatives expressing my opinions....and supporting small businesses who share my values.  Here's a picture of my latest purchase, some stickers to proudly display:

 Yes, bleeding heart liberal sewist and proud of it.  Thanks badass-bleeding-heart-liberal-quilter-helene-recovery-fundrasier 

Recipes, Reading, Refurbishing Clothes

A picture from last month's trip but it's expressing how I feel.  A toast to figuring out how to get back into my blogging groove, particularly as I start the internal debate about Meta and the oligarchy. Not that I'll ever be a whiz at blogging or anything tech but persistence pays off.  First, as promised, recipes or links from my last post about our dinner party. 

Menu:

shrimp, mango, avocado salsa

cheese coins

soup de poisson and rouille 

no knead everything bread

Beef carbonnade

mashed potatoes

sticky toffee pudding

This recipe is so old that I could not find the original link on the internet.  Darn google

Cheese coins on YouTube

 https://youtu.be/oB8-pUQkKMs?si=vSAic-FscsyLvWbx

I combined a few French fish soup recipes but this one most closely matches how I made mine.  We use a potato ricer with three removable plates...using the two largest, to squeeze all the deliciousness but keeping it light.

Soupe de Poisson

I used this rouille recipes since I dislike peppers in the recipe above.  It calls for some of the fish soup as liquid but I make it with just some lobster "better than bouillon." Vampires don't visit us when I have this in the house.

And King Arthur baker, Martin, gave me the tips I needed to make this bread turn out consistently wonderful.  I just made a plain loaf last night to enjoy with soups as the polar vortex sweeps through this week.

No Knead Everything bread

Beef Carbonnade America's Test Kitchen 

Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes America's Test Kitchen

One of the side benefits of the potato recipe is a whole lot of russet baked potato skins left over.  I froze mine and they are thawing now.  We will turn them into stuffed potato skin appetizers to take to a Ravens game pot luck tonight.  Maybe they too fit in the category of refurbishing.

Sticky Toffee Pudding America's Test Kitchen

With cold and snow in our forecast, I'm especially glad to live in Maryland which I think has the best library system in the US.  Between Baltimore's famous Enoch Pratt Library (whose former head librarian is now the current Library of Congress 14th librarian and first woman and African American in that role) and the Baltimore County library which lead the nation decades ago in widening the scope and breadth of library services, I have everything I need to stay home, stay safe and watch the snow fall while I read a good book.  My latest favorite is this touching, moving, suspenseful and thought provoking book from 2018.  Leif Unger can't write a bad book and I heartily recommend this 2018 one.  I may have to recommend it for book group when we meet on Wednesday night.

 

And now let me show you my small refurbishing projects before I start to prep a new to me sewing pattern for my upcoming sewing retreat.

I own a 12 needle Babylock Embellisher because I love the look of wool and roving embellish onto fabric.  And I am a member of a Buy Nothing Facebook group in my area where we can give away (that's my main goal, divesting) or ask for something.  The year before last, in "closet change season" I asked for any men's wool sweater with stains or moth holes.  I wanted to attempt refurbishing wool sweaters (my favorite fiber) by re sizing them and mending them.  This year I finally tackled the two that were gifted to me and I'm thrilled with the result.  I could have done "visible mending" on the moth holes in both of these sweaters but since I cut them down to my size (using the Pamela's Patterns T Shirt makeover pattern guide) I decided to see if my embellisher could meld small mending pieces set behind the moth hole.  Wow, it blends right in to the naked eye.  It's not perfect and purists would show me those labor intensive hand mending techniques that I admire.  But I quickly and easily redeemed two cashmere sweaters from the waste land of old clothes and will happily enjoy their warm and comfort for winters to come.  Of course they are somewhat plain, deep navy and warm medium blue, sort of typical "guy clothing" colors but I'll be adding scarf each time and am happy with these new additions to my wardrobe.

Can you tell where I embellished the sweater?  It has a slightly different texture from afar and the closeup shows it better. 

The color is actually the pretty blue but these pictures came out grey. 

 Ready for the polar vortex.  Cozy clothes, cozy reading and cozy dog

First Make of 2025, First Studio Day and First Dinner Party

Even though I had several outside obligations in the past week, I was still able to sew up one new garment, a tunic version of one of my standards, Vogue 9330. I used a fleecy backed cotton blend knit I presume from Fabric Mart in the leopard print that was everywhere in the fall and in Europe on our Christmas trip. I'm never one to follow fashions but some how my procrastination with this fabric and current fashion trends just happened to meet up in the universe's space and time continuum. Since my other versions are far warmer, made with Polar Tec or warm wool knits, I made adjustments to keep this version cosier. I raised the neck and drafted a layered collar folding over in the front. I added a wide wrist cuff with 1 1/4 elastic inside since the original pattern sleeves are much too drafty for our current cold weather. What I love about this pattern is the side panels which extend on the side and under the arm. In my other versions I used the fabric underside for subtle contrast but the seams get lost in this print. Instead I put in side seam pockets using the excellent tutorial which Sew tessuti had just published on YouTube and IG reels. It was simpler to watch youtube in slow motion than to pull out a sewing book to tell me how to make the pocket. But I'm still clinging to my large sewing book library for comfort and inspiration. There's a band on the bottom now and I decided to gather it with some elastic and add a big bow because...well, because everything looks better with a big bow on it. So I think it also qualifies for the Janaury 2025 Make a Garment. Month challenge, Jazzy January. I was able to finish my tunic on Saturday becasue I had scheduled myself a "studio day." At least twice a month I send out an email invite and IG notice that I'll be home working in my sewing space and would love the company of any creative friends...who knit, sew, embroider, bead, whatever. And yesterday I had so much fun when long time friend, Rae Cumbie of Fit for Art patterns showed up to catch up. Rae and I hadnt'seen each other in person since before Covid but two weeks ago I went the book signing for Rae and Carrie Emerson's new book on Quilted jackets and we briefly reunited. It was held at Baltimore's Handcraft Happy Hour shop and was so impressed by another woman entrepreneuer, Jenni, creating a community of creative people. (Yes, that's her book on my sewing table) Rae just happened to come by when I had just cut out the first of several projects for my American Sewing Guild Northern Virginia winter sewing retreat in two weeks. I'm making a knit robe from her Tabula Rasa jacket pattern for our March Florida visit because I've enjoyed the rayon one I made so many years ago that it's looking tatty. And another project will be refashioning a lovely scalloped vintage mink collar to put on a sweather that will have more fabric and roving needle felting on it, another retreat project. I've learned over the decades not to bring anything too complicated so the three dozen of us can chat and laugh and enjoy each other's company without scrunching my forehaed in frustration trying to figure out complicated sewing instructions...although several of still roar with laughter at our frustration trying to follow Trudy of Hot Patterns demonstate the twisted fabric convolutions of the Grecian inspired Three Graces twist top. And why was I otherwise occupied this week? Well, every year for a few decades we have donated a dinner for my Towson Unitarian Universalist annual church auction. This year I offered "greatest hits" meaning the recipes that people wanted from me after those previous dinners. So although I knew all the recipes, it was a busy week of shopping and cooking for a four course meal and in my rush I usually forgot to take pictures. SO there are a few here and if you want the recipes let me know ans I'll post links. We have appetizers of cheese coins from Cooks Illustrated and a shrimp, mango avocado salsa served with tortilla chips, inspired by our ten years as snowbirds in FL when we offered a "Floribbean" dining experience. Then there's fish soup with garlicky rouillede on homemade bread and Belgian beer base beef carbonnade, a stew that's almost carmelized...recipes that I just had to find after we enjoyed them on a Belgium to Amsterdam boat and bike trip. The winner is always hot sticky toffee pudding for dessert from our much loved UK. But speaking of pictures, that's my biggest disappointment returning to Blogger. I can still easily download my pictures. But previously when I was writing my post I could insert pictures and wrap copy around them. Maybe because I'm an Apple gal, that ability seems to be lost. I'll get to the library computers one of these days and see if that capability exists on their PCs. So it's a big picture dump at the end, sorry for such poor formatting. And I am formatting paragraphs as I type and I see spacing but it's all one big ramble when this posts. Hmmm, maybe I'm not meant to return to blogging...or maybe I just need to revisit which platform I'm using and make a change to something like Wordpress. Low tech gal like me is annoyed but like my sewing, persistent.

2024 Favorite Books and a Good Start to 2025

Thank you to recent readers and commenting friends. It feels like I'm back amongst my familiar artsy peeps who enjoy talking about sewing and our creative experiences as much as doing it. And coming back to blog reading regularly is like settling in with a good book. So with that intro, here are my favorite books of 2025. I had to laugh at myself because, yes, I DO like the long form of so many things, books included. Several of these were quite lengthy but I enjoy diving into the whole alternative that they create for me. (I didn't even include the 40 plus hours I spent walking listening to Barbra Streisand's autobiography!) And if the first day of the year is how your year will go, then we're off to a good start at our house. Mr Lucky, Bingley and I headed out on a blustery afternoon to do a first day hike. I'm getting over the damn virus ( I think it was from our Christmas day visit to Longwood Gardens) so I didn't want to join the morning ranger walk. We just wandered the trails on our own and ended up at the Crystal Pier where a birder and photographer pointed out this adorable little sparrow sized bird...a snow bunting...who has made the long trip from the Arctic to the Chesapeake Bay. There's what I need more of in sewing endeavors, patience, persistence and determination. And it's a new bird on my meager Merlin bird list but does bring me to my word for 2025...new. Yes, I'm looking for some novelty in my sewing experiences this year. I have so many patterns but have kept to tried and true ones in recent years since a lot of the fit work is done. But this is my year to venture a little further. No numbers to challenge or frighten my, just some steady progress trying out some new to me patterns. This morning I cut out a Jalie jacket for an initial mock up. And the coming cold weeks here in Maryland are good for sewing something cozy. Here's hoping that your sewing is keeping you interested and curious.