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Just the right time to enjoy the fullness of spring!
We are bringing you the most fun & interactive experience you can have at a sewing retreat without needing to leave your home. That’s right! This retreat is 100% online!
You can work on your own projects, one of the mini-projects offered by our instructors, or all of the above. Games, prizes, lots of sewing, new friends, and a whole new retreat experience.
No packing, no forgetting supplies, and shoes are optional!
How This Works
- Register for the retreat by clicking the “Register Now” button.
- Fill out the registration form and add the registration to your cart.
- Sign up for the swap to keep the fun going through the mail. (Or, skip this and do it later.)
- Sign up for the quilt along to work on a larger project. (Or, skip this and do it later.)
- Select any patterns and/or kits to enhance your retreat experience. (Or, skip this and do it later.)
- Checkout and pay. (Note: shipping will be added to your registration because we are mailing you goodies!)
- After payment, you will get a receipt with your registration packet & link to the private attendee area.
- Beginning March 31st, we begin mailing physical goodie bags and supply and VIP orders.
- On April 20th, we will begin contacting you with information on checking in to our virtual retreat space. (If you signed up for the swap, you’ll get your assignment this week too.)
- On April 23rd, join us in the virtual retreat space for a weekend of fun!
Included in Your Registration
NEW!! LIVE Closed-captioning during classes and games
NEW! Replay class sessions immediately after they end
Live, interactive online sewing experience
Evening classes on Friday AND Saturday!
Five mini-projects** taught by talented designers
Recipes, food, book, and snack ideas
Freestyle retreat format – work on whatever you want
Prizes from our awesome sponsors
Virtual & Physical Swag Bag filled with goodies
1:1 Networking time to meet new friends
Games & Prizes throughout the weekend
Members-only area on website
Mini Gift Swap participation available
Exclusive deals only available to retreat attendees
Stretch breaks guided by a registered yoga teacher
Access to mini-project videos for 6 months after the retreat
** mini-projects may have additional supply and/or kit fees
PLUS! Register early to receive:
Happy Mail #1a to the first 50 registrants with a charm pack from Maywood Fabrics!
Happy Mail #1b to the next 50 registrants with a spool of thread from Aurifil!
Happy Mail #2 to the first 150 registrants with a spring-themed craft!
Happy Mail #3 to the first 150 registrants with an exclusive, commemorative spring charm!
Happy Mail #4 to the first 250 registrants with a spring gift from your Retreat Hostess!
Happy Mail #5 to the first 100 kit orders with a fusible sample from thermoweb!
VIP Registration Upgrades
In addition to the awesome activities already included, you can enhance your experience with upgrades like:
Retreat Activities
Retreat times are stated in US Central Time (CT)
Mini Project Classes
One of the awesome parts of this retreat is the opportunity to do a mini-project with each of our 5 instructors. These sessions are not mandatory, so if you choose not to join a mini-project session at the scheduled time, don’t worry! You will have access to the video recording after the session ends.
Click each project photo to open the project description and materials list.
Each mini-project may have additional kit or supply fees; you’ll be able to pre-order these during the registration process as well as after your registration is complete. Prices range from $2.50 – $55 when pre-ordered on this site. You can still join the project sessions and watch the videos even if you don’t purchase a kit or pattern.
Themed Workrooms
Do you want to work with a smaller group of individuals based on the projects you’re working on (or would like to work on)? Maybe you want to swap techniques, talk shop, or show & tell.
During the retreat, you’ll be able to hop around to different rooms based on the kind of project you are working on.
We will have a room for each of the mini-projects, plus rooms for EPP, Apparel, Embroidery, Quilting, Sewing, and more.
Visual Chat
We’ve always been able to chat throughout the event, but this time chat has some new features that we’re sure you’ll enjoy.
You can now attach photos to your chat messages so we can see more of what you are working on and enhance our activities.
Emoji are now enabled in chat, so you can properly react to other posts and emphasize your own posts.
Friendship Circles
This is such a popular feature, and we’re keeping it as a formal part of the schedule.
Friendship circles are timed, 1:1 video calls between attendees. Our event tool will randomly assign you to people you haven’t met yet, and give you 8 minutes to get to know each other.
If you want to hang out more during the retreat, you can send each other messages and meet 1:1 again or arrange to meet in one of the workrooms.
Extended Retreat Hours
In addition to adding evening activities on Friday & Saturday, the retreat space is open around the clock. While we won’t have official activities until the wee hours of morning, you will be able to use the Themed Workrooms throughout the retreat.
We’ve also shifted class times to make more of them available for our international attendees. But since recordings are available immediately after each session ends, you can watch the classes on your own schedule!
Friday, April 23: Event space opens at 7am CST; official activities from 12:00pm – 9:15pm CST; Themed Workrooms open 24 hours
Saturday, April 24: Official activities from 9:30am – 9:15pm CST; Themed Workrooms open 24 hours
Sunday, April 25: Official activities from 9:30am – 6:00pm CST; Themed Workrooms close at 7pm CST
A more detailed schedule will be provided to attendees after registering.
Yoga Stretch Warmups
Sometimes we get so focused that we hunch over our projects and contort ourselves into shapes we were never meant to be in for long.
We are so excited to offer stretch warmups, facilitated by quilter & registered yoga teacher Katrina Chapman Kahn.
At several points during the retreat, you’re invited to follow along with Katrina as she takes us through a stretch & relaxation session she designed just for us!
Games & Prizes
Our wonderful sponsors & instructors have donated prizes for us to give away during the retreat, and we have so much fun doing so!
Some prizes are random draws; some are awarded for silly reasons; some can be won through games.
We are reprising the Scavenger Hunt with a new list of findable items. If you didn’t play at our last retreat, you don’t want to miss this one!
Ebony’s favorite game is also returning; don’t mark the free space!
Mini Gift Swap
Is there anything quite as cheering as getting a surprise in the mail? Sign up for our Mini Gift Swap, and you’ll exchange a small sewn or quilted item with a fellow attendee.
There are lots of ideas here: a pin cushion, small zippered pouch, mug rug, pillow cover, etc. After registration closes, we’ll assign partners and send information to those who opted-in to the swap.
Dragon Wheel Quilt Along
For those who want a more in-depth experience and the satisfaction of working on a larger project, join Ebony Love in making your own version of the Dragon Wheel quilt. In three 1-hour sessions, Ebony will teach you how to piece the foundational blocks for this quilt, demonstrate mock needle-turn applique, and invite you into a Private Room where you can chat and share progress with other quilt along participants.
The Dragon Wheel sessions do not overlap with the mini-projects, so you can still participate in the all the classes and take Dragon Wheel as an extra project!
Click the quilt image to open the project description and materials list.
Session Times: Fri & Sat 5:00pm – 6:00pm, Sun 10:15am – 11:15am
Instructors
Kim Lapacek is a mother, wife, artist, apple orchardist, retired civil engineer, and entrepreneur who loves using color and patterns in unexpected ways. Read more…
Kerry Goulder has been sewing for fun since she can remember. Kerry began designing many unique patterns under her Kid Giddy® label, wrote her first book, Sewing Tales to Stitch and Love: 18 Toy Patterns for the Storytelling Sewist and continues to sell and license her designs. Read more…
Gyleen X. Fitzgerald makes quilts that blend color, pattern and texture to provide a contemporary essence in traditional quilting. She infuses engineering tools and innovative techniques to simplify visually complex geometric polygon quilts. Read more…
Kim has been in the sewing and quilting industry for over 9 years and has contributed to two books (Kitchen Stitches and Splendid Sampler), taught at a Sew Sweetness Retreat, is a Moda Bake Shop maker, and creates short videos on Instagram to help teach easy techniques. Read more…
For 9 years, Ebony has been bringing unique experiences to quilters and sewers everywhere through her popular, themed mystery quilts. She’s ready to introduce you to her brand of fun! Check out everything we have in store for you in an immersive experience like no other. Read more…
Key Dates
| March 5, 2021 | Registration opens! |
| March 19, 2021 | Last day to early register for the retreat; order kits by this date for best availability |
| April 18, 2021 | Last day to register for the retreat at the regular price and sign up for the swap |
| April 20, 2021 | Last day to change VIP Private Room assignments |
| April 23, 2021 | Retreat begins; event space opens at 7am CT. Opening Session is at noon CT |
| April 25, 2021 | Retreat ends; Closing Ceremony is at 4:00pm CT |
| May 7, 2021 | Last day to mail Swap Gifts; Swap Angels notified if needed |
What People are Saying…
I love learning new techniques in quick classes with people I might not otherwise ever have the opportunity with.
I love the Open Sew rooms and the engagement of the morning announcements and that there was the option to attend so many unique classes! I loved the new platform for the social interaction, it worked out so awesome having the photos in chats immediately. I also love that so many people were engaged in the conversations and the prizes were handed out to SO many!!
The ability to participate from home, and come and go as needed. I loved not having to pack everything, and then wonder what I have forgotten, and have to borrow from someone else at an “away from home” retreat. I felt really connected with everyone through the chat and network sites. The classes were very informational and everyone was so positive, even when some things didn’t go right. It was definitely a learning process for everyone! It made me learn some techy things I haven’t used yet.
Loved the classes and the ability to ask questions in the chat and get immediate feedback from the instructors. Also loved the games – so fun!
Besides the classes, I really enjoyed the one on one conversations in Networking. I especially enjoyed the Yoga Sessions with Katrina…..she was fabulous and being a Quilter as well, she was really an excellent choice since she is so aware of our body needs. I also enjoyed the group Open Sew sessions.
I enjoyed the mini project sessions, yoga and meeting new folks in the sewing rooms. I loved the networking sessions. That’s a great feature. Moving around Hopin was easy. I was surprised at how many giveaways y’all had. That was nice.
I love the ability to network with people from all over the world and never leaving home.
I truly enjoyed all of it but the closing ceremony was just toooooo fun!!!
Great idea to do a virtual retreat. I had never been to a retreat, virtual or in person, so I didn’t know what to expect. Although I think in person retreats would be great, this weekend whetted my appetite for more virtual retreats.
Sponsors
We are so happy to have sponsors for our retreat with prizes & media support! Please visit their sites and show them some love!
We would like to especially thank the following sponsors for their contributions to make the Ugly Sweater Block Party 2021 a smashing success!
