All the Details

Join me in the lovely Hudson Valley, New York, for a fabulous few days of dressmaking! Following the success of my past Hudson Valley Sewing Retreats, I’m hosting a series of workshops based in the Charm Studio, with a maximum of ten students each. These retreats are for intermediate through experienced sewists and are not suitable for absolute beginners.

These small retreats will allow participants to get away from it all and focus entirely on sewing for a few days. You’ll sew the pattern of your choice from any of my books, Charm Patterns, or Patreon. Whether your personal style is modern or retro, there’s something for everyone! You’ll arrive with a muslin (toile) ready for a personal fitting and leave having finished (or made very good progress on) a killer new garment.

We’ll begin Wednesday morning with fitting your muslins and demonstrating fit adjustments. Each student will have a personalized fitting session with me with the garment you’ve brought (don’t forget your foundation pieces!). That leaves the rest of the retreat for pattern tweaks and sewing, with one-on-one guidance along the way. Students will leave with a custom-fit pattern that you can use again and again, tons of new sewing knowledge, and a stunning new garment. A catered lunch will be included all three days.

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

My hometown of Newburgh, New York, is the perfect place for a sewing getaway! This charming Hudson Valley town is just over an hour by train from Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan.

Travel tips: 

• The closest airport is Newburgh’s own Stewart International Airport (SWF), but it is a smaller regional airport and does not have a ton of flight options. If you can fly to Stewart, the Charm studio is mere minutes away!
• You can also fly into any of the NYC airports (Newark, JFK, or LaGuardia) and rent a car or take public transportation to Newburgh (this involves a bus or subway to Grand Central Terminal, a train to Beacon, and then Uber or taxi to your lodging). You could also fly in to Albany and rent a car.
• The Newburgh area is best navigated with a rental car or Uber rides.
• The Charm studio is right off Newburgh’s Liberty Street. Choose an Airbnb on Liberty Street (near Washington’s Headquarters) for a walkable small-city experience with nearby coffee shops, restaurants, and shopping.
• Beacon is right across the river (a quick Uber or car ride) and has lots of lovely inns, art museums, galleries, restaurants, and shops to explore.
• Traveling with a sewing machine isn’t as much of a hassle as you’d expect! You can find tips here for making it as easy as possible.

Ideas for lodging:

There are lots of Airbnbs and hotels in the Newburgh area.

• Check Airbnb for local options.
• There are many budget friendly hotels in the surrounding Newburgh area.
• For small town charm, check out Beacon’s boutique hotels like the Roundhouse and Dutchess Inn and Spa.

These retreats are for intermediate through experienced sewists. 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!

Please be aware that the Charm studio is a pet-friendly environment!  Resident cat Elvira and adorable poodle-mix Millie will be present.

Have questions? Please email us at support@charmpatterns.com.