Our First Sewing Retreat

This past weekend was our very first Sample Room Sewing Retreat and… I’m still processing how incredible it was! I’m not exaggerating when I say it was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my entire life. I could not have asked for a better group of women to spend a whole weekend sewing, laughing and hanging out together. :)

We checked in Friday night at this big beach house about an hour and a half from Portland. People trickled in between 5 and 8 p.m., some after long work days, some after long drives (one person flew in from Denver!! another drove from Seattle!). And honestly, I thought everyone would instantly start sewing the minute they dropped their bags. and they didnt!! Friday turned into this sweet, slow evening of wine, the hot tub, unpacking snacks, and everyone getting to know each other. Zero sewing, 100% girl-time. I was nervous about it at first, but it was the perfect ease into the weekend. We also did a fabric swap! everyone brought fabric that had been in their stash for a while, and traded for new fabric other people brought. It was so nice seeing people get excited about material people wanted to get rid of. It made my heart SOAR!

Saturday morning we woke up to this unreal marine layer hanging low over the trees. It was king tide, so the waves were absolutely massive. It felt like such a reset.

Then the sewing began.

Oh my god, did it begin.

People sewed for 12 straight hours — I am not kidding. Machines humming from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. I was bouncing around the house helping everyone with their projects, answering questions, pinning, cheering, troubleshooting machine messes, all of it!

The projects were SO good. Someone sewed their first dart ever. Someone made their first lined jacket. There were pants being fitted, a muslin being cut and sewn of the workwear dress, someone made a swimsuit (!!), someone made TWO full items. It was pure sewing chaos in the best way. There were threads all over this house it was hilarious.

!!!!And the energy of these women!!!!… that’s the part I’m still thinking about. We had beginners, advanced sewists, and everything in between — and everyone was learning from one another. Sharing tools, helping troubleshoot, gossiping about sewing drama, laughing nonstop. It felt like a sewing slumber party for adults. We also played Gilmore Girls most of the day in the background followed up by trashy Netflix Christmas movies, it was pure joy.

Sunday morning we had an avocado toast bar (naturally lol) and then did a little photoshoot to show off everything everyone made. And the joy on people’s faces… honestly, I could cry thinking about it. I might've shed a tear of joy driving home today.

I thought I would do a retreat maybe twice a year, IF it went well. But after this weekend? Nope! This needs to be quarterly, and probably a day longer.

And I think we’re going to mix in little pop-up workshops too locally, especially for beginners. Being surrounded by people sewing in real life is so valuable — and so hard to find. Watching it happen this weekend made something click for me.

Anyway, thank you for reading and letting me gush. I can’t wait for the next one. We’re thinking… mountains? Cozy vibes? River cabin? Stay tuned :)

— Meg