Camp Stitchalot Weekend

Last weekend, I was a lucky girl and got to attend a sewing retreat that is hosted by Pink Castle Fabrics called Camp Stitchalot.  It was so much fun and a much needed long weekend away.  Plus we got to hang out with Sarah Lawson from Sew Sweetness and Kristin Link from Sew Mama Sew.  Both Sarah and Kristin had made a cool bag specifically for camp that they showed us how to make.  I learn some great new sewing and bag making techniques.  Sarah also gave a great explanation about the different types of interfacing used in bags which I found especially useful as I've always struggled to understand interfacing.
It was hard to narrow down all the projects I wanted to take with me for the weekend to work on during open sew times.  But I did manage to get all of my sewing stuff and projects narrowed down enough to fit into only two bags!  Hurray!  Although I think I did pack for sewing stuff than actual clothes. 

And of course, Thursday afternoon as I was packing up my bags for the weekend, I decided that I simply had to made several draw string bags in which to put things like my sewing machine pedal, pins, thread, other notions, etc. into.  During Little Bear's nap time I whipped together this batch of Line Draw String Bags using the pattern by Jeni Baker over at In Color Order.  They were so easy and fun to make - expect to see more versions of this bag showing up in the near future. 

 One of the best parts about the drive down to the Hankerd Inn Resort in Pleasant Lake, MI where camp was being held, is that they have Tim Horton's down that way!  Oh how I've missed Tim Horton's!

Friday afternoon, I got there a little early before we were scheduled to jump into any activities, so I pulled out a quilt top that I had brought with me to work on.  I had cut all the pieces out on Thursday so I was able to sit right down and start sewing the top together.  Little Bear had helped me pick out the puppy cowboy and rocking horse print from Joann's Red Tag shelf.  It just so adorable! 

Anyways, I made great progress on it and using open sew time, I was able to get the top all sewn together by mid Saturday morning.  It also helps that it's a baby sized quilt only measure 38" x 42", but still, it was great to have a nice finish early in the weekend. 

Sarah Lawson from Sew Sweetness put together a great bag called the Camp Stitchalot Bag.  She has the PDF pattern available for download in her shop.  Although a bit challenging to put together because of its size (it's large enough to put a small cutting mat into along with several sewing projects), it was a great bag to put together.  And it turned out so great!  I think though I stayed up until 1am Saturday evening to finish it up...I think at that point the crazy pregnancy hormones had taken over and I couldn't go to bed until it was done.  

Kristin Link from Sew Mama Sew also brought a great bag tutorial to share with us called the Tackle Bag.  She is hoping to release this pattern later next month.  I loved how mine turned out and it's the perfect size to use to through sewing accessories into or to use a toiletry bag or really just about anything. 

It was great to see everyone's completed Tackle bags and the fun variety of fabric and quilting techniques everyone used!

P.S.  this is what the baby belly looks like after spending 12+ hours of sewing.  So much lint and little strings! 

It was hard to stop sewing Sunday afternoon and get everything packed up and ready to go home.  I had such a lovely time getting to know some really great ladies who also just love to sew.  I loved being able to share the passion with a room full of other women and it was great to also share sewing tips and tricks with each other.  And it was also Amazing to have so much un-interrupted and toddler-free sewing time!  I got so many things sewn together - the Camp Stitchalot bag, the Tackle Bag, a drawstring bag (using the Lined Drawstring Bag pattern by Jeni Baker over at In Color Order), three wet bags, and a baby quilt quilt top. 

It was good though to get home Sunday evening.  Little Bear loved to drawstring bag I made for him to put all of his dinosaurs into.  I think it also helped him to forget that he had missed me all weekend.