Fall Retreat - 2024

Draft & Design:
Knit Garments

~learn to draft a master pattern~
& use it to create your own designs!


6 Day, 5 Night Retreat on Mackinac Island, Michigan

Fall - Draft & Design: Knit Top
Sunday, October 13th - Friday, October 18th, 2024

Are you ready to take your garment sewing to the next level?

For the spring and fall sewing retreats for 2024 we’re focusing on diving deep into pattern drafting knit master patterns, fitting it to your body and learning how to then take that master and make new designs.  

But most importantly, we’ll take a deep, cleansing breath and allow ourselves space and time to experiment, channel our inner artist and play with ideas!

  • We’ll begin by drafting a master top.

    Focusing, in-depth, on the details and getting the fit to hit that sweet, magical, just-right spot.

    A master pattern is much like a core pattern, which you know I love to use as a foundation to create the garments of my dreams.  But it’s made completely from your measurements and is fine-tuned to you, from the beginning.

  • Once you know something is going to fit you, and fit you well, then playing with the style is just that…play!

And as knit fabrics are so variable…particularly when it comes to stretch..we’ll draft two blocks to work well with different stretch percentages.  How about that?!?

Get out your notebooks, rulers and pencils.

After we draft and fit the master patterns, we’ll then spend a day learning how to draft patterns for all sorts of styles! 

You’ll create samples of pattern manipulation on a small scale so that you can reference them once you’re home and ready to create something new for yourself. 

We’ll work on things like adding waistbands and style lines and increasing and decreasing volume, flowy skirts and sleeves or form fitting wiggle dresses.   In the fall retreat we’ll also focus on texture…pintucks, handstitches…you get the idea!

And pockets.  Of course there will be pockets.

Then we'll make a pattern for the garment of your dreams!

The next two days, when we’re not bike riding around the island and lounging in the spa pool, we’ll start to design a pattern using your new skills and the garment dreams in your head!

Simple designs, complicated designs, designs that are all yours. 

There’s magic that comes from getting together, learning and focusing on ideas and allowing the next thing to come to you.

Inspiration abounds in a room full of makers!

(Even if right now you have no idea what you dream of making.)

Who is the retreat for?

Pattern drafting is uniquely suited for both new and experienced garment sewists alike.

New clothing makers will learn from the ground up and while constructing the muslin and fine tuning the fit, will find they have become garment makers!

Experienced garment sewists will have the opportunity to learn how to draft from scratch and in learning how to manipulate the pattern will have so much more knowledge on how things fit and how to alter a pattern, anyone’s pattern, in the future.

To join us, you will need to be able to confidently use your sewing machine.

This retreat is full of space.

Space to learn and take your time doing things well.

You’ll learn

  • how to draft knit blocks, working with different stretch percentages and from that draft sewing patterns
  • a great deal about fitting
  • tips for working with knit fabrics
  • how to manipulate a flat pattern into designs that work on a 3-dimensional body!  (in fact, you’ll go home with samples you made in small scale!)
  • how to allow the process to unfold, one step at a time and allow yourself room to experiment and change your mind

And that’s during class time!

Outside of class time, we’ll meet in the mornings for our sacred morning circle, after class for some well-needed movement and gather for dinner or a soak in the spa pool or a bike ride around the island!   And there will be surprises!

You’ll leave with new friends, a sense of ease, two knit block patterns, samples of how to draft new designs and a garment that you dreamed up, drafted and sewed!  And so much more skill and confidence to bring back to your creative practice.