weekender | english girl at home

May 28, 2018
by Charlotte 1 Comment

The Sewing Weekender 2018 (Plus Vlog)

The Sewing Weekender will be returning for a third year!

What:A sewing weekend break in Cambridge, UK

When:Saturday 25th – Sunday 26th August 2018

Tickets will go on sale on the morning of Thursday 31st May at 7am (BST). Full information on The Fold Line: https://thefoldline.com/the-sewing-weekender/

I’ve finally vlogged about last year’s event, including clips of attendees, of our lovely speakers and prefects, and of the preparations before everyone arrives on Saturday morning (at speed!).

As in previous years, our venue, Murray Edwards College in Cambridge, will be transformed into a sewing room for the weekend. Attendees can get stuck into a sewing project, chat to friends, drink plenty of tea, and participate in talks and workshops from fellow sewing bloggers and independent business owners.

The key differences this year, are that we have increased capacity (by hiring an additional room) and that we’ll be having lunch on Saturday in the College canteen. We are hoping that lots of you will want to join us again this year, and that the additional tickets will mean less people end up disappointed at not being able to buy a ticket (last year, the tickets went on sale as I boarded the train to work, and were sold out before I got off the train, 20 minutes later). We’ve decided to include lunch, because last year the heavens opened exactly when we all left the College to walk into town for lunch and we got drenched! It also makes it much easier to sit down for lunch as a group.

One thing I wanted to note before tickets go on sale on Thursday, is that the tickets are more expensive this year. Ever since the first Sewing Weekender two years ago, we’ve kept ticket prices as low as possible (we pay ourselves very little for our time). The increased cost of tickets is due to increased costs of organising the event, plus the fact that we are reliant on sponsorship to keep ticket prices down. I always think it’s difficult to estimate the actual cost of an event unless you are involved in organising something similar, and I thought it was worth stating that this increase to the ticket price isn’t about us benefiting from the event’s previous popularity (which I think would be justified, as a lot of work goes into the preparation), it’s about us realistically covering costs.

If you’re considering attending and want more information, you can read: my wrap-up of the 2017 event / attendee reviews of the 2017 event / my wrap-up of the 2016 event / attendee reviews of the 2016 event

The Sewing Weekender 2017 Attendee Blog Posts & Vlogs

I finally blogged a few thoughts on, and photos from, the The Sewing Weekender yesterday, but lots of attendees were much quicker. I really enjoyed reading/watching these and wanted to share. Enjoy!

Blog Posts

♥ Ann at SewWatts.

♥ Beth at The Purple Stitcher .

♥ Elena at Randomly Happy blogged about using mindfulness to blog with more joy, following her talk on the subject at the Weekender.

♥ Elle at Sew Positivity.

♥ Emily at Self Assembly Required.

♥ Emma at Crafty Clyde.

♥ Jen at Ginger Thread Girl.

♥ Kathy at Sew Dainty.

♥ Melissa at Fehr Trade. Melissa also blogged a top made with Stoff and Stil fabric from the Weekender goodie bag.

♥ Sarah at Like Sew Amazing.

♥ Victoria at Sew My Own.

Vlogs

♥ Harriet at Hobbling Handmade:

♥ Jen at Ginger Thread Girl:

♥ Sarah at Like Sew Amazing:

September 5, 2017
by Charlotte 4 Comments

The Sewing Weekender 2017 Wrap-Up

The second Sewing Weekender, sewing holiday, took place at the start of August. As is always the way with organising events, when we started planning it seemed ages away, but it was here before we knew it and over in a flash.

Kate, Rachel & I arrived at our venue, Murray Edwards College in Cambridge, on Friday afternoon and were kept busy until the evening setting up sewing machines, overlockers, and irons, stuffing goodie bags, and inflating balloons!

We were joined on Saturday morning by fifty-one attendees and six prefects/speakers, for the sewing (tea drinking, fabric stroking, nattering, fabric swapping) to commence.

Over the course of the Weekender we had:

♥ Two embroidery workshops (hand-embroidery with Elisalex de Castro Peake, and machine embroidery with Elle Harris).

♥ More time for sewing, more machines, overlockers and irons than at last year’s event.

♥ Even more sponsors & overflowing goodie bags.

♥ Embroidered badges for every attendee (thanks to Elle Harris‘ machine embroidery workshop).

♥ A mini sewing bee! Elizabeth and Susan both finished a garment during the weekend, so were set a timed challenge by Melissa and Fiona, using supplies from the swap – and completed that too!

♥ Inspirational talks from our amazing prefects/speakers.

♥ Two lovely golden ticket competition winners, Barbara and Vicky thanks to Sew Now Magazine and Minerva Crafts.

♥ Two sewists wearing the same fabric (Rachel and Emily)!

♥ A litter of of cat owners – mostly sporting cat prints (Rachel, Sarah, Bianca, Amy, Harriet, Elena, & Melissa).

♥ Speedy sewists who managed to complete garments during the weekend, including Elizabeth and Emma.

♥ A stroll through Cambridge in the sun (as well as one particular lunch break in torrential rain…).

♥ And lots of lovely sewists!

There’s a great atmosphere at the Weekender, and it’s the same atmosphere at sewing meet-ups small and large (as well as online): welcoming, inspiring and full of fun. Assuming people do keep wanting to come, there’s never going to be enough tickets for everyone to attend the Sewing Weekender (this year tickets sold out in less than twenty minutes), but I’d highly recommend getting to a meet-up in person as often as you can.

August 6, 2017
by Charlotte 3 Comments

The Sewing Weekender Goodie Bags

The Sewing Weekender took place in Cambridge this weekend!

After lots of planning and waiting it was, of course, over in a flash. I’m now home again, with a cup of tea in hand, and I thought I’d share a little reveal of the goodie bags.

On Saturday morning, attendees arrived to find a The Fold Line goodie bag, stuffed to bursting with the following:

Our principle sponsor, Adam Ross Fabrics, supplied a selection of fabrics for each attendee, including the cat fabric below (plus dodos and penguins).

Janome, who provided the sewing machines for the Weekender, provided a goodie bag for each attendee containing a tape measure, swatch card and stationary.

Any attendees who hadn’t decided what to sew over the weekend (or who were liable to change their mind) may have been swung by their Marshmallow Dress paper pattern from CocoWawa Crafts. These patters were extra special as the lovely Ana has only just released the Marshmallow as a paper pattern – and these were hot from the printer.

Or attendees might have been tempted to make a start on their Tilly and the Buttons paper pattern! Attendees would have found a Arielle, Fifi, Orla, Martha, Marigold, or Rosa in their goodie bag.

Attendees can go home and label up their stash (and perhaps some new additions from the swap…), with fabric tags from Sew Hayley Jane, who was herself an attendee.

Plush Addict provided sewing supplies for the Weekender and beyond, in the form of Gutterman threads and elastic in a variety of shades.

The Draper’s Daughter sent each attendee a fat quarter in one of their beautiful handwoven cotton ikats.

Sew Now Magazine provided a copy of the magazine.

Cotton Reel Studio supplied attendees with a set of pins.

Simply Sewing Magazine provided a copy for every attendee.

Sew Crafty provided a Dressmaking Journal, ideal for attendees to document all of the additional garments they wanted to make by the end of the weekend! (P.S. Sew Crafty also sell craft, and knitting/crochet journals, so all of your crafts are covered).

Stoff and Stil sent attendees one metre of their woven navy bird-print viscose, plus haberdashery supplies.

Simplicity sent plush toy sewing patterns.

Lucy from Sew Essential joined us at the weekend, and provided each attendee with a handy guide to different fabric types, plus a selection of threads.

Abakhan sent pocket sewing kits, plus shopping bags.

Plus attendees took away a range of discount codes, including from Beyond Measure for post Weekender shopping.

August 16, 2016
by Charlotte 8 Comments

The Sewing Weekender Goodie Bags

The Sewing Weekender takes place this weekend! Kate, Rachel & I, thought it would be fun to do a little reveal of the goodie bags that will be waiting for attendees on Saturday morning.

Fabric goodie bags, plus branded tape measures (I find these perfect for keeping in my handbag & knitting bag) have been provided by Remnant Kings.

Attendees will find their goodie bag stuffed to bursting with the following:

Sewing badges and a 15% discount voucher from Girl Charlee, who have also contributed a big fabric bundle which will be won by one lucky attendee.

Pavilion Books have provided attendees with a printed copy of the Freehand Batwing Top tutorial from Chinelo Bally’s book Freehand Fashion (subscribe to the Pavilion Craft newsletter to receive 20% off all Pavilion craft books).

The Village Haberdashery have sent a spotty £5 gift card for every attendee. Perhaps to be put towards some Les Fleurs…

Creative Industry have supplied a gorgeous Maker’s Workbook for every attendee. The perfect place for documenting a growing list of sewing project plans!

Abakhan have provided a supply of threads, measuring tapes and lots and lots of lovely buttons.

Love Sewing have provided each attendee with the latest issue of Love Sewing Magazine, hot off the press. Plus (editor) Amy will be joining us at the weekend.

Lucy from Sew Essential will be joining us this weekend and has provided a 20% discount voucher.

The Draper’s Daughter postcard and a postcard for Thread festival where Karen will be exhibiting in September.

Grace from Beyond Measure will be attending the Sewing Weekender, and has supplied beautiful British tweed fabric bundles, and leather key-rings.

Janome are providing the sewing machines for the Weekender, and have also supplied tape measures and swatch cards.

Guthrie & Ghani have sent postcards with a discount code.

Minerva Crafts have sent each attendee a felt bundle. I fancy some bunting in these prints.

Adam Ross Fabrics have very generously supplied each attendee with a gift box containing a selection of sewing supplies which should come in handy during the weekend, and beyond.

Tilly and the Buttons have provided each attendee with a very cute notepad, perfect for jotting down notes when Tilly joins us on Sunday to talk pattern design.

And finally, Fabric HQ have provided each attendee with a roll of polka dot fabric, which may have a little something hidden inside.

Phew! That should keep everyone busy on Saturday morning. Huge thanks to all of our sponsors for filling the goodie bags to the brim. I’ll be playing tetris on Friday, getting all of these supplies into my car and off to Cambridge!

english girl at home

A Sewing & Knitting Blog, Made in Birmingham, England

Tag Archives: weekender

The Sewing Weekender 2018 (Plus Vlog)

The Sewing Weekender 2017 Attendee Blog Posts & Vlogs

The Sewing Weekender 2017 Wrap-Up

The Sewing Weekender Goodie Bags

The Sewing Weekender Goodie Bags

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