Last weekend I had the pleasure of taking an entire day for quilty crafty inspiration. I didn’t even touch a sewing machine, yet I spent the day immersed in color inspiration of one kind or another. With five week old Finn snug in my Ergo and the big kids excited about a Daddy day, I began the day at Fiddlehead Artisan Supply, my gorgeous local quilt shop, where Amy Butler, Heather Jones, Samantha Lindgren from A Gathering of Stitches, and the rest of the Quilter’s Color Weekend retreaters were having a visit.
Walking into a quilt shop as gorgeous as Fiddlehead is inspiring in and of itself; walking into a quilt shop as gorgeous as Fiddlehead and packed with fabric, color, quilt-loving women made my heart happy and my inspiration cup runneth over. It was fun to see Heather again (we first met at QuiltCon), and meet Amy. I also got to meet Kerry Goulder from Kid Giddy, another Maine sewist with whom I’ve communicated via Instagram but had never met in person. There were snacks, book signings, chatting, and of course fabric buying!
After all of the retreaters swarmed back onto their bus to head back to their retreat haven, I spent some time catching up with Abby from Fiddlehead and selecting a new fabric bundle (stay tuned–you’ll hopefully see it later this week!). Of course, snuggling, nursing, and changing Finn peppered the day.
Next, we stopped in for a visit at the Quilter’s Color Weekend Retreat at Point Lookout in coastal Northport, Maine, only another 15 minutes from Fiddlehead. The weekend quilting retreat was one of the first of its kind in Maine, organized by Sam at A Gathering of Stitches, and it happened practically in my backyard (sooo exciting)! The location was stunning, and situated on the top of a mountain, it was peaceful as well as having amazing views. I have never been to a quilt retreat before, but even spending an hour in that room with a bunch of happily sewing, newly inspired, and eagerly learning women was enough to convince me that quilting retreats are where it’s at. I definitely absorb positive energy by being around excited, inspired, colorful quilters, and living in rural Maine, my chances at surrounding myself with such people are rare. This day was a treat for sure!
After getting my quiltspiration fill for the day, Finn and I headed home and met the rest of our family in Belfast for a quilt photo shoot (you’ll have to wait until September to see those photos, though!). It was a busy but inspiring and refreshing quilt-fabric-color-filled day!
After stopping in at the Quilter’s Color Weekend Retreat, I’m even more excited about the next AGOS retreat in a few weeks: Slow Stitching Retreat at Medomak Retreat Center in Washington, Maine with Carolyn Friedlander, Chawne Kimber, and of course Sam. As she so eloquently states, Sam envisions this retreat as a “long weekend full of the lush, yet cool, woods of Maine as the backdrop for an enthusiastic group of stitchers sharing their knowledge, their ideas, and their practice.” You can read more of her reflections on Slow Stitching HERE, as well as more about this idyllic four day retreat.
With a little babe and an extended family visit overlap, I sadly cannot attend the entire retreat, as much as I would LOVE to. I am hoping to find a way to go for at least a day, though. This summer, especially with a newborn, I’ve been very much embracing the slow stitching idea, learning embroidery, playing with EPP, and taking the time to do hand quilting. It’s no secret how much I love Carolyn Friedlander’s work, and to get the chance to explore, learn, and share techniques and ideas not only with her, but also Chawne and Sam sounds amazing. I can only imagine how blissfully serene it would be to spend four unplugged days stitching, relaxing, and enjoying the Maine woods in the best of company. If you go, will you send some of your slow stitching bliss my way!? Thank you!
Night Quilter 
I think you would get a lot out of any time with Carolyn and Chawne, so I hope you can find a bit of time to spend with them. Quilting retreats are sounding more and more like the bliss I am looking for instead of a conference like QuiltCon, but we probably need a bit of both, huh? Definitely something I have been thinking over for myself.
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Kitty you are so sweet! It was lovely to have you and your darling babe join us, even if it was a brief stay…. Something magical happens any time you get a group of creative folks in the same room! Looking forward to hanging with you, even briefly, again at Slow Stitching!
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It sounds like you had a great visit. One day you will have to go on a quilters’ retreat. They are such fun, and they are usually relaxing – even when something goes horribly wrong and the stitch ripper comes out, you have moral support so it doesn’t seem so bad. You would end up as relaxed as Finn looks in Kerry’s arms.
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What a lovely weekend. I kept getting emails about that retreat but knew the timing wasn’t going to work out with my camping trip later this month but it looks like so much fun. I’ll have to keep in mind that you’re so close to A Gathering of Stitches 🙂 Finn is getting big so quickly!!
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Okay – I would love to participate in a retreat. I think there is something special about having the time to just focus on quilting and forget about all the other daily chores. And I have to give a shout out to a local quilt store in Amherst Nova Scotia (almost at the border of New Brunswick). I was up working in Amherst and could not make it in during regular business hours. So I called and Mrs. Pugsley’s Emporium let me come after hours – from 6 pm to 8 pm (they close at 4 pm). I had the store to myself and looked through every book and all the fabric She even bought me coffee and gave me mints to eat. And it is a gorgeous store in an old former pharmacy. I spent lots but so worth the visit. Two hours alone in a quilt store – bliss.
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Good grief! How badly do I want to jump in a car and head south of the border to one of these retreats! Ack! So many of my design idols… one day. One day.
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