Creative Inspirations: Glamp Stitchalot

The first weekend of June was blur of packing, traveling, sewing and making new friends. That's right, you guessed it - GLAMP STITCHALOT! A quilter's retreat like no other. About 200 people from all over the world, descended on Ann Arbor, MI to attend this event the Kensington Hotel.

The event was well organized by Pink Castle Fabrics and their lovely staff. I loved meeting the teachers who are authors and fabric designers (and celebrities in the quilting world).
We were divided into six groups (six teachers) and were given a bracelet to wear, at check-in, indicating our color group. There were two sewing rooms - one large, one smaller. I was in the large room.

The teachers each designed a row of blocks (or two) that were created exclusively for Glamp. They also created a design for their signature t-shirts that we could pre-order or buy at the event at the "pop-up shop".

I rented a machine for the event - a Janome skyline s7 which is the top of the line when it comes to precision sewing. It comes with a hefty pricetag but we were offered a deep discount and an accessory bundle if we wanted to purchase it. I normally use a Singer Quilter Confidence machine which is fine for me. I just really wanted to take an expensive machine out for a test drive. There was a bumpy start and a learning curve (on my part) but with some guidance from the helpers, I finally got the hang of it by the last day of the event. What I liked most about it was the ease of changing the stitch length - with the touch of the digital screen. Yes, it was very cool and high tech. I might purchase one in the future when I have the money, but my Singer is fine for now.

There was also a "pouch swap" for those that signed up for it. The task was to sew a pouch and fill it with goodies to give to your assigned swap partner on the first night. Some of us had to "facebook stalk" our partners so we would know what they looked like. Here is Patty Magaw holding the bag I made her.

Here is the pouch I received from my secret swap partner. Thanks Jen Johnston for the lovely pouch and the Tula Pink bag it came in! Also, thanks to Joy McCalvin for the lovely Tula Pink fabric! I just mentioned that I am a fan of her fabrics and you very generously gave me some! I love it and I appreciate it so much!

I have so much to share with you - including pictures with the teachers! You don't want to miss that. Also pictures of the projects and my progress once i got home (back to the real world).