UPDATE 12/9/19: All retreats are currently full. You can still fill out the form to be added to the wait list for any of the retreats. Thank you so much! xo, Gertie

What: A long weekend (Friday through Sunday, 9 am to 5 pm each day) devoted to dressmaking techniques in New York’s beautiful Hudson Valley. 

Where: Beetle and Fred, a wonderful fully-stocked sewing boutique in the heart of Beacon, New York. Located on Main Street in the midst of the galleries, vintage shopping, boutiques, and fabulous restaurants of this charming small town. 171 Main Street, Beacon, NY 12508

When: Choose from six sessions!

Session 1: April 24-26
Session 2: May 15-17
Session 3: July 24-26
Session 4: September 18-20
Session 5: October 16-18

What’s included:

• Personalized sewing and fitting instruction
• Sewing demos on a variety of sewing topics, with an emphasis on fitting and dress construction
• The use of machines and basic sewing/pressing equipment
• Muslin and pattern making paper as needed
• Friday morning welcome breakfast

Cost: $795 (half due on sign up, half due 30 days before the retreat, non-refundable)

Who: Intermediate through Experienced! The demos will be geared toward the interests of the group and all levels will benefit from the individualized instruction. Please note that this workshop is not suited to absolute beginners. It is for people who are confident with using their sewing machine, reading patterns, and who have completed several garments before, including dresses. Please ask if you’re not sure if it’s right for you!

All the Details

Join me in lovely Beacon, New York, for a fabulous weekend of dressmaking! Following the success of my past Hudson Valley Sewing Retreats, I’m partnering with sewing studio Beetle and Fred to host five new retreats in 2019, with a maximum of five students each. These small retreats will allow participants to get away from it all, and focus entirely on sewing for a full weekend. You’ll sew the pattern of your choice from my book Gertie’s Ultimate Dress Book, Gertie Sews Jiffy Dresses, or one of my Charm Patterns–whether your personal style is modern or retro, there’s something for everyone. You’ll arrive with a bodice muslin ready for a personal fitting and leave having finished (or made very good progress on) a killer new frock.

We’ll begin Friday morning with a welcome breakfast and then spend the rest of that morning having your bodice muslins custom-fit. That leaves the rest of the weekend for pattern tweaks and dressmaking, with one-on-one guidance along the way. Students will leave with a custom-fit dress pattern that you can use again and again, tons of new sewing knowledge, and a stunning new dress.

I will give demos throughout the weekend on skills like lapped zipper insertion, working with steel boning, lining and underlining.

My home town of Beacon, NY is the perfect place for a weekend of sewing! This charming Hudson Valley town is just over an hour by train from Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan, but it has a lovely small town feel. It’s full of amazing restaurants, galleries, vintage shopping, boutiques, live music, natural beauty, and more. (Don’t worry, I’ll make sure we take a few sewing breaks so you can see the town!)