Carriage Corners Sew Camp 2018 - Part Two

After Friday at Fabric Mart and lunch out...everyone headed back to the B&B to sew.  As mentioned in the previous post, sewing machines were either already set up or were just being set up and sewing lasted at least until midnight.

One of the things that I really like about Sew Camp is that you sew at your own pace and time.  Since I roomed with an early riser, Kisha was downstairs early every morning getting her sewing in.  It's also probably why she finished four garments during Camp! 

Me, I'm a late riser and have to drag myself out of bed to make it on time to breakfast (served promptly at 8:30am) because I like to sew late into the night. I think there was an even mix of early & late risers at Camp this time!

Besides sewing, there were so many conversations about fitting, sewing tools & construction and life & politics.  Some of the conversations were heavier in nature and some just made us laugh and laugh.

Here are a few pics of the fitting that occurred between campers:

Andrea discussing how to draft darts in patterns ~

Andrea fitting LaQuana's Ogden Cami to Gaylen ~

Cennetta fitting the Concord Tee to LaQuana ~

Cennetta checking LaQuana's shoulder seam ~

Bernice and Coralee sharing a technique ~

Also here's a link to Kisha teaching me the burrito method.  Cause I've tried and tried to figure it out by reading the instructions and always got lost! Now both shirts made at Sew Camp have the yoke burrito rolled.

...and where was I? Ummm I really was being the social media director between sewing my own projects, of course! *LOL* I just wanted to share with you the camaraderie, the knowledge that's shared, the unlimited time to sew at your own pace, and the wonderful atmosphere of the B&B.

Which leads me to the schedule of the next Sew Camps at Carriage Corner.

There is one more CarriageCornerSewCamp Weekend scheduled for 2018 and the date is:  Friday, September 14 through Sunday, September 16, 2018. 

If you are unable to make that one, these are the dates for 2019:

March 29 – 31, 2019

June 20 – 24, 2019 – this one is 4.5 days

September 20 – 22, 2019

Some of the feedback that Gaylen received from this group of campers was that it could be a little longer.  To accommodate that she added a June 2019 Sew Camp for 4.5 days. Honestly quite a few of us have already signed up for the 4 day June event and for this September also. I will be attending the September 2018 and June 2019 Sew Camp, I mean if you care! LOL!

If you’d like more information about Carriage Corner and the Sew Camp Weekends please send an email to:  hello@carriagecornerbandb.com and Gaylen will add you to their mailing list.  Or you can call or text Gaylen at 717-768-3059 or send her a direct message through Instagram with your email address. 

See multiple ways to reach out or schedule a weekend at Sew Camp. Personally, I hope you will attend because it's a wonderful way to spend a weekend!

My next posts will be about shirts...lots and lots of shirts!

...as always more later!

Carriage Corners Sew Camp 2018 - Part One

I had the BEST time at Sew Camp! There were eight of us this time - Andrea, from Knit Knac, Bernice (who has attended Sew Camp for her third time!), Cennetta from Magahony Stylist, Coralee who just reads my blog but who is now my new bestie, LaQuana from Made by LaQuana, Nakisha from Dressmaking Debacles and myself.

It was a full house with an atmosphere like a college dorm...we didn't lock the doors to our rooms or just left them open.  We visited each other just because and we had the BEST time!

I took ALOT of pictures and a couple of videos because the trip started with Nakisha and I fabric shopping in NYC, then training to PA to meet up with our Sew Camp sisters. Because I documented everything and I mean everything except for the scrumptious meals that Gaylen served this is going to be a two part recount.  Y'all there are just too many pictures!!!

This post will cover the NYC Garment District and the Fabric Mart shopping pics - because Fabric Mart was off the chain! I'm sure the saying dates me and is no longer cool but I don't care, that's how I felt about the trip to Fabric Fairyland.

The second post will cover the actual Sew Camp activities and information on how to register for the next one and the ones in 2019. 

Day One of the Sewing Vacay ~

Nakisha contacted me after I announced that I was going to Carriage Corner Sew Camp and we worked it out that she would fly to NYC, fabric shop in the garment district and then we would train to PA.

Well Mother Nature didn't like us making plans in the middle of March because the East Coast experienced it's 4th Nor'easter in 3 weeks!  Nakisha was on one of the last flights into the area on Wednesday.  However by the time she got to NYC, everything was closing! Then Amtrak cancelled our train on Thursday! So we had to scramble to get on another one - since they cancelled like half of them!!!

So because of weather drama, we ended up only having four hours in the garment district so we were strategic about her shopping trip.

• Mood Fabrics
• Pacific Trimmings
• Metro Textiles
• with drive buys of Steinlauf & Stoeller and the Around the World Bookstore

We met LaQuana on the train and Gaylen picked us up from the train station.  After a marvelous dinner and a lot of conversation filled with laughter, we headed back to the B&B.  Since it was early enough we set up our sewing machines and I'm almost sure that both of them started working on their projects.  They weren't letting any grass grow under their feet!!!

Day Two of Sew Camp ~

The trip to Fabric Mart...*sigh* is like going to Disney World for Fabricaholics! I know I showed you the fabric shopping from last March's Sew Camp but this version was beyond words.  First there were nine of us descending upon Fabric Mart without fabric budgets! 

All of us with Julie from Fabric Mart

Julie graciously spent four hours with us - touring, cutting, having her team bring bolts from all over the place and even doing a burn test on some of the fabric...

Since I tried my hardest to refrain from the extreme fabric joy, I was able to photograph my fellow campers enjoying the moments. Here are the pics of each camper with their piles of purchases:

Bernice with her pile - hey she was a 3 timer so she showed some restraint!

Cennetta with her "take everything on the bolt" pile!

Coralee who squealed at anything green!

Nakisha with her cut pile - she was the Pre-Cut Queen!

One more of Nakisha waiting with her haul to be cut

LaQuana with one of her two bags - that she had shipped home

...and here is great pic of Gaylen wearing an Ottobre dress made with Fabric Mart fabric...

Sadly Andrea kept adding to her pile so I never got a pic of her and her goods but she's posted them to Instagram so you can see what she bought here!

Even I bought more fabric than I intended too! You know that I said I was only purchasing three pieces - well that's not quite how it turned out.  I bought one piece at Mood...

An appliqued denim border print

...and five pieces at Fabric Mart! 

from l-r: 

ITY border print knit, silky cotton yellow gingham, white linen with black pinstripe, paisley rayon challis, navy double silk georgette w/white pinstripe

However, with all the fabric temptation that was present, I think I showed admirable restraint! LOL!

After a wonderful lunch, we headed back to the B&B, for those that arrived on Friday, machines were set up and sewing ensued until after midnight!

The next post will be about the next two days and all of the sharing, sewing, laughter and frank conversations that happened.

...as always more later!

What's Going On...

My last post was February 19th and I was just getting over the crud.  I went to work on the Tuesday after the President's Day holiday, came home sank into bed and have been in the midst of a minor health crisis since. Y'all know me so you know I'm not gonna go into details cause the Internet lives forever!  But I am grateful to have a job that allows you to work from home when you're not feeling well and that provides sick time when you need it.

I'm finally coming out on the other end, starting to feel like myself again, so my sewing plans for the end of February and beginning of March have been trashed.

Here is where I left off:

The chambray denim blue pin dot shirt just needs buttons sewn onto it.  Something I want to do today. The glen plaid vest is done and is just waiting to be photographed.  The black cotton shirt with the gingham accents has been hanging the longest because I just couldn't decide upon a finished length. I think I'm gonna go longer so it needs a hem, buttons and buttonholes.

Even though the calendar says it will be spring in 10 days ~ it really is still the end of winter here as evidenced by the nor'easter that came through and dropped about 10" of snow on us. 

It probably won't start to warm up until the end of April so my unfinished sewing plans will still work. Also, Imma be more realistic about warm weather, it doesn't become comfortable dress wearing weather until the middle of May around here and even Memorial Day is questionable.  Some years it's hot and some days it rainy and damp.

So with shirt ideas still on my mind, here is the pile of shirting that I'm working my way through.

End of Month Totals ~
Realistically I only completed one garment in the month of February ~ the vest so I have 4 yards out and 3 yards in. When I went to pick up my next quarter fabric allotment from Elliott Berman, there was this amazing piece of double-sided wool that I just couldn't leave behind. 

I wanted to make a new Easter dress but that's out the window now, so I'm glad I paid for that piece myself. Anyway, my yearly totals so far are 13.5 yards out and 3 yards in with a total of 5 new garments.

Going forward ~
I'd planned on sewing for my daughter at the beginning of March but she's totally let me off the hook on that one.  I will be able to attend Sew Camp as planned so I'm thrilled about that! Cause believe me I was starting to get worried but I believe I will be well enough to hang with my friends and I need that after the last 3 weeks.

I will get the two remaining pieces finished this weekend and hope to get some more shirts cut out. Then I have to determine what I'm bringing with me to Sew Camp to sew. I know I'm going to cut and prep 2 or 3 projects because that's what I realistically think I can make during the time.

If I feel up to it next weekend, I will photograph the finished garments and hopefully there will be new blog posts. Otherwise there will definitely be blog posts after Sew Camp.

So that's what's been going on...hopefully things will be back to normal here on the blog.

...as always more later!