When I last posted I fully intended to be back early in the year with stories about and photos of my outfits from the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend and what was supposed to be my fifth Dopey Challenge. Well, things got weird for me that week, and due to a confluence of issues, including jet lag, sleep deprivation, and vertigo, I had a blackout/fainting spell the morning of the 10k and never made it to the race. I did complete the fiasco that became the half marathon, with terrible weather and shortened course, and the full marathon in addition to the 5k, so I called it my Goofy Challenge plus 5k and moved on. HOWEVER, for purposes related to this blog and my goals here, feeling really crummy and sort of defeated led to me having little inspiration to dress in the clothes I made for fun photo op days in the theme parks, so I took it easier than I might have otherwise and wore normal clothes every day. Upon my return home from this marathon trip I felt rather blah and directionless as far as sewing went and also started a publishing internship that took up a lot of my writing energy.
Through the spring I warmed up a bit more to getting back to sewing and made a few garments, which I plan to share here in the blog in more detail in upcoming posts. The most notable adventure I have embarked upon this year, aside from Goofy plus 5k and my third Los Angeles Marathon, took place in Newburgh, New York at the Charm Patterns headquarters and sewing studio. Three times a year, for the last couple of years, Charm has hosted sewing retreats in their studio where attendees go to learn pattern fitting and sewing techniques up close and in person over a long weekend. And while I did indeed learn some new things and enjoyed the opportunity to ask questions of the actual people who make these amazing sewing patterns, what I really came away with was a deeper sense of the sewing community and how fantastic it is to share a space with like-minded people, if only for a few days.
Charm Patterns produces nearly all of the patterns that I use for the garments I post here and on Facebook and Instagram (the only real exception is the classic pajama set pattern from Closet Core Patterns) and I truly love everything they come out with. My fantasy is to sew at least one of everything in their entire line, but what a lofty goal. Charm is led by Gretchen Hirsch, or Gertie to her fans and the public, and her unique vision resonates through the vintage sewing community. While I always expected that Gertie and Team Charm would be absolutely delightful in person, I came away from the retreat knowing that they truly care for and believe in their customer base and the warm and welcoming persona they have fostered. Experiencing these elements in person makes me even more excited to be a dedicated member of this community now and for years to come. In addition to the wonderful welcome from Charm, my fellow attendees all brought their own unique points of view and lovely personalities making every day fun and fresh--honestly just fantastic people all around. I really want to go back next year, so hopefully that will happen.
I came back from the retreat a couple weeks ago reinvigorated and inspired in my sewing life and have been busy working on some new things in addition to finishing the dress I started at the retreat. I fit myself in another new dress pattern, the Charm Patterns Maria Dress, repurposed a San Diego Comic Con look from last year, and have started fitting the Charm Patterns Claudette Skirt, which I think may turn into a new summer staple for me! The Charm Patterns Rosie Jumpsuit is another new summer staple; I have made two already and have fabric for a third. Photos and discussion about all of these garments will be coming up in later blogs. During the summer I find that I spend less time at the thrift store, but that doesn't mean I won't have new tips or items to share in the next few months. Right now I am building up to another convention season with trips to VidCon in late June, San Diego Comic Con in July and Disney's D23 in August. There will be many outfits to share from all of those.
I will be back next week with my retreat dress and other garments, so be on the lookout for that and I will have many updates on all my convention sewing as I go along!
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