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Retreat News


'Thank you Jo, it was a fabulous day... everything about it was lovely and looking forward to the next one!'

'It was a great day, Jo and all such lovely ladies! Thank you so much, my bag of shame of unfinished items has already started to go down... sewing machine out and ready to go!'

'Thank you Jo for such a lovely day, really enjoyed it. The goody bags were a real bonus, thank you sewwwww much!'

'Thanks for an amazing day Jo, I wasn’t ready for it to end though!'

'Thank-you Jo, had a lovely day. Roll on next one!! Looking forward to seeing everyone's finished makes.'

These are some of the kind comments from the fabulous ladies who came to the first ever SewJoBaker Sewing Retreat on Saturday. A big thank you to all the ladies who took a chance on me and joined me for a day of sewing loveliness. This has been one of the highlights of my little business so far - and I am still buzzing from it a few days later. This kind of event was one of the reasons I wanted to start the business in the first place. I'd seen The Sewing Weekender, and Sewing Meet-ups posted on Instagram and the camaraderie of a group of sewists getting together, chatting, sewing, sharing ideas and eating yummy food made me want to do something like that in Essex.

The day itself was even better than I'd hoped for. The sun was shining, the goodie bags were prepped and the coffee was brewing. 8 ladies arrived, along with their sewing machines and a wide variety of projects. We started with a lovely Tiptree breakfast, some introductions and a quick explanation of where everything was / how the day would work from me. We then got down to the real business of the day...

Eating! Oops - sorry, I meant to say sewing ha ha!

The projects that people had brought along were all fab and ranged from beginner patchwork, a jersey top, to shirts and a jumpsuit. Hopefully a few new skills were learned along the way and it made my heart burst with joy to see these lovely ladies sharing tales of their makes and what patterns they love as they sewed up their projects.

We stopped for a well deserved afternoon tea at 1.30pm - and what a delicious feast it was. Thank you so much, Lordship Tiptree Tea Rooms, Writtle! Some even had to box up the cakes to take home as there was so much. The scones are always my favourite!

Refreshed and tummies full we carried on with our sewing for the rest of the afternoon and I am so excited to see everyone's completed makes.

Everyone who came to the day wanted to know when the next retreat will be - so I have a couple of dates for you. Numbers will be restricted to 8 (this worked well on the day, as it enabled me to spend time helping with everyone's makes, as needed) and once you have paid for your booking, your space is confirmed.

The first date is Sunday 29th September 2019. The format will be the same as last time - although based on feedback, we are going to get straight on with sewing instead of the breakfast and then stop for coffee mid morning. Afternoon tea will still be served (obvs!!)

The next date is Saturday 9th November - and this retreat will have more of a Christmassy feel. You will be able to bring your projects, as before or have the option to buy a selection of Christmas projects from me (in advance - more details to be provided nearer the time).

If you would like to reserve your place on either retreat - please book via the online booking page of my website. If you would prefer to pay by bank transfer - then please email me at sewjobaker@gmail.com.

So excited to be offering these days - and now have an excuse to do some more goodie bag shopping!! Yay!

Happy Sewing,

Jo xx

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