The Slow Stitching Movement Getaway: Autumn 2015

 

The first Slow Stitching Movement Getaway was held at the Lambertville Inn in Lambertville, New Jersey in April.  It was a transformative experience for many of those who attended as well as a relaxing, reflective, and educational 4 days.

There were 30 attendees and the Slow Stitching Movement Getaway sold out in a matter of hours after it was announced.  It was intimate, inclusive, beautiful, and supportive.

Participants travelled from Virginia, Colorado, Washington, Florida,  New York, Iowa, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Illinois, Massachusetts, Kansas, all parts of New Jersey … even as far away as the United Arab Emirates.   And new, sure to be life-long friendships were made.

Allie Aller conducted relaxed and easy-going workshops in various crazy quilting and stitching techniques.

 

Liza Lucy conducted workshops in English Paper Piecing.

Meg Cox presented an entertaining and insightful lecture in how to photograph our quilts.

Each day begun with a cup of coffee or tea,  Morning Process Pages or automatic journaling, a technique inspired by The Artist’s Way author, Julia Cameron, and a Continental breakfast.

 

A lot of emotions were processed and shared, and creative and emotional blocks were beginning to heal.

Every morning a new Slow Stitching Movement technique was introduced and practiced.

 

Talks on Starting a Creative Salon,  Ideas for a Legacy Quilt, and a lecture for surviving creative burnout were also presented.

Free sewing time is added into every day for participants to work on their own projects.

Lunches were catered, and afterward, a walk for gathering inspiration for a future inspiration journaling technique.

 

An often emotional, and sometimes funny show and tell was entertainment one evening.

A milk & cookies & wine pajama party and a textile themed Yankee Swap was held on another evening — talk about non-stop laughs!  I still get a smile on my face when I think of the battle of the embellished shoes, the angel statue, and the Mr. Slow Stitching portrait.

 

All the food except 3 of 4 dinners was catered by the hotel and it was delicious.

 

 

 

Jenny, a slow stitcher, generously set up a tea station and many of the participants brought baked goods and snacks for late night sewing!

Even if you didn’t feel like sewing or quilting, there was wool spinning, embroidery, watercolors, and design techniques in action.

 

 

The event was so successful that another has been scheduled…

The Slow Stitching Movement Getaway: Autumn 2015

November 9th through 12th (and beyond!) 

Minneapolis Area, Minnesota

in conjunction with the

ORIGINAL Sewing & Quilt Expo

 

The Slow Stitching Getaway: Autumn 2015

Doubletree By Hilton Hotel Minneapolis-Bloomington South

Monday 4:00pm – Thursday 11:30am The Slow Stitching Movement taps into our need to create meaningful pieces which satisfy at a deeper level. It is not about stitching slowly (although you may want to do that from time to time). It’s more about stitching mindfully, not racing from project to project but rather choosing and editing and creating in a more deliberate way. Mark Lipinski’s quiltmaking background gives this retreat a decidedly “quilty” orientation, but the Slow Stitching Movement tenets and techniques are applicable to all types of creative endeavors. The Slow Stitching Getaway: Autumn 2015 , will be like our Spring Getaway in that the group will be small and intimate, so please, if you’re interested in being a part of this, do not wait to register.   Your retreat days will be filled with exercises and lessons, workshops and lectures, fun and satisfying experiences….all designed to help you achieve your own version of Slow Stitching. Formal workshops and group exercises will provide insight, new techniques and inspiration; the camaraderie of the people around you will do the same, in less formal ways. Skills will be shared with time to practice what you’ve learned, you’ll have time to stitch (or sketch or edit or build) on your own and suddenly…. you’ll have an ‘ah-ha’ moment. Ahhhhhh. Click here to view FULL DETAILS for your activities, lessons and break times. As a part of your Retreat experience, you’ll also enjoy: Opening Reception and Dinner / Continental Breakfast (3 days) / Lunch (2 days) / Evening Refreshment (1 day) 3-Day Expo Pass, Expo Project Tote, Project Pouch and 20th Anniversary Pin The use of sewing machines in the Retreat Studio, Surprises and extra treats!   Itinerary Summary Click here to view FULL DETAILS for your activities, lessons and break times. MONDAY    Opening: Wine and Cheese Reception and “Icebreaker” Games  4:00 PM Dinner  6:00 PM The Slow Stitching Movement Lecture Quick, fast, easy. In our busy, multitasking world, those buzzwords capture our attention. But speed can kill creativity and the enjoyment of our creative pursuits. Maybe what we really need to do is slow down, enjoy the process and create pieces we’re really proud of. With Mark as your inspiration and transformational guide, explore ways to approach your craft in a totally different way, recharge your passion for patchwork and engage the connection between your body, your quilts and your legacy. Learn to expand your creativity as you tap into your right brain to train and develop your imagination, find the creative genius in you and heal your life, your emotions and even boost your physical health. If you’ve hit a creative wall, if you have more fabric and notions than you do inspiration, if all of your quilts are beginning to look-alike or if you’ve been quilting for years and haven’t had a recent “ah-ha moment” …. The Slow Stitching Movement is for you.   MORNINGS (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) Process Pages with Mark Each morning the group is encouraged to participate in effortless, non-traditional journaling. Unlike a traditional journaling, participants will learn time-tested techniques that will unlock creative blocks and open hearts and minds to a whole new process of self-examination while tapping into our higher creative selves. Mark offers several journaling techniques that will boost your self-awareness and access your creative potential through this simple exercise. 8:15 AM Morning Yoga Creativity often goes hand-in-hand with being in touch with your body. You’ll be encouraged to get your blood flowing and increase the oxygen in your system through guided yoga poses that can be modified for beginners, older adults and those with chronic conditions. Every morning, join the group in a relaxing environment to relieve tension, release endorphins and relax your body and mind while preparing you for the day’s increased creativity. 9:00 AM Breakfast 9:45 AM Mark’s Slow Stitching Workshop Techniques  Each day of The Slow Stitching Movement Retreat, Mark presents a short talk, different each day, about the various techniques he uses during his slow stitching time. Whether by hand or by machine, these exercises in mindfulness have the potential to not only elevate your stitching expertise, but to challenge and change your day-to-day life with increased health, creative, spiritual and financial benefits. 10:30 AM Closing Ceremony (Thursday morning after Slow Stitching Workshop) AFTERNOONS (Tuesday and Wednesday) Lunch 12:00 PM Walk and Inspirational Photo Gathering Each day after lunch, Mark will guide a group ‘inspiration’ and photo-taking walk. Learn how to find inspiration everywhere, and how to access your creative vision when you’re feeling less than inspired. Be sure to bring a camera, or a smartphone that has a built-in camera. 1:00 PM   In addition to Mark’s morning lessons, two guest instructors will offer one-hour workshops each day. The group will be divided to allow everyone to take both workshops – one each day (Tuesday and Wednesday). 2:00 – 3:00 PM   QuiltWriting with Cyndi Souder Adding words to a quilt broadens its interest and deepens its meaning. Learn about choosing words, quotes, wishes, or names, and discover the secrets to quilting smoothly on lines or curves. This lesson is all about incorporating words into free motion machine quilting – either on their own or integrated into basic meandering. Cyndi will be teaching workshops on quilting with words. This is Cyndi’s newest book, Creating Celebration Quilts, which relates to the Slow Stitching Movement legacy quilt idea   Modern Hand Stitch with Ruth Chandler Modern hand stitch is a term Ruth uses to describe hand embroidery stitches that are not stitched traditionally. Any of the traditional embroidery stitches may be used and changed for this technique, but for today we will use a small group. Threads and fibers used will include some which are familiar to you and some that are not, as we lengthen or shorten stitches to purposely distort them, layer to give them depth and change weight to add texture. Ruth will be leading relaxed workshops in these Modern Hand Stitching Needlebooks This is Ruth’s book, Modern Hand Stitching Open Sewing Time 3:00 PM Dinner on your own TUESDAY EVENING A Memorable Journey Lecture with Cyndi Souder  7:30 PM A prolific creator of memory quilts herself, Cyndi brings us her approach and some of her favorite methods in this exploration of creating personal, meaningful celebration or memory quilts. Using traditional patterns and original designs, she’ll show how you can create unique, effective pieces, carrying a theme or thought throughout. See how she works through the design process and handles unusual artifacts and mementos. Everyone will leave with at least one idea to use right away. Group Show & Tell  8:30 PM Each member of the group shares one fiber object (quilt, afghan, needlepoint, etc.) that tells their story or is just simply an example of what they might consider their ‘slow stitching’ or process. This is an easy-going, non-judgmental exercise in discussing new ways of looking at things, getting to know our fellow stitchers more intimately and forging new friendships. 8:30 PM WEDNESDAY EVENING My Creative Inspiration for your Quilting Life Lecture 7:30 PM Are you feeling bone dry in the creative department or losing creative motivation? Haven’t had a good quilting idea in years, or maybe your quilts are all beginning to look and feel alike? Do you procrastinate when it comes to your quilting? Do you have a pile of stash and no quilts to show for it? Well worry no more as Mark guides you through dozens of ways and leads you to places so you can jumpstart your quilting and general creative inspiration. Learning to identify sources for inspiration and tips to turn your inspiration into action is the goal of every creative spirit. Listen and learn as Mark gives you his personal recipe which will empower you to unearth your own unlimited fountain of inspiration. If your bad quilting day has stretched into weeks, if you’re beginning to feel detached from the quilting that used to give you joy, or even if you want to simply refresh your creative juices, then this lecture is for you!   Milk and Cookies PJ Party and Slow Stitchers’ White Elephant Yankee Swap

On our last day, we will have a mindful and fun tradition for honoring our fast and speedy selves and welcoming in all of the new slow stitching information in a mindful way.

 After our Goodbye Tradition 

We will visit the opening of The Original Sewing and Quilt Expo, vendors, and classes!

 

I am going to take two classes from the roster of teachers, in something I have absolutely  no experience with. I urge my fellow Slow Stitching Getaway participants to do the same .Take the same classes with me if you’re interested

I’m taking or take a class in whatever you like that will stimulate your creative muses.  This, too, is an exercise in getting “unstuck.” No matter how professional or proficient, one only grows from learning new, and very different things.

You Deserve It!  

RELAX      MEET NEW FRIENDS     LEARN NEW THINGS  

DO SOMETHING GOOD FOR YOURSELF

FOR MORE INFORMATION

AND TO REGISTER PLEASE CLICK ON THIS LINK