Sewing Summit Highlights - Part 1

Sewing Summit is now over, and I'm already looking forward to going back next year!  This was by far the best conference of any kind that I have ever attended!  Thanks so much to Erin and all the Sewing Summit staff for making this event possible.

There is so much I want to share with you, but it's way to much to put into just one post.  So, I'm going to share my experience with you in several posts over the next few days!

Here is the No. 1 highlight of my Sewing Summit experience:

Meeting so many talented sewers and bloggers face to face and making new friends.

As soon as I arrived at the Little America Hotel, I checked in and unloaded my luggage in the room.  There, I met one of my roommates, Rachael, from Imagine Gnats.  Rachael and I have been friends since early this year, and this was our first time to meet face to face!

Rachael and I then joined the Thrift Shop Hop group and headed out to tour a little bit of Salt Lake City.  Melissa graciously chauffeured me and several other ladies to Bruges Waffles & Frites where we devoured the most delicious waffle I have ever eaten!

She then drove us to a DI (Deseret Industries) thrift shop, which reminds me a lot of the Goodwill stores in my area, but DI was much, much cleaner and more organized!  I found lots of great books for my kids and even a pair of tap shoes for Ella.

Then we were off to an antique store (sorry, I didn't catch the name) and Decades Vintage Clothing store where the store owner made us stop taking pictures of everyone dressing up in silly sunglasses!  Party pooper!  Here's a picture I was able to sneak in before we got caught!

Maria, Me, Katie (she made her entire outfit--how awesome is that?!), and Heather

Lisa and Heather

Decades shop owner asking me to stop taking pictures, Melissa, Lisa, and Heather

And we couldn't pass us the opportunity to head out to a fabric shop, so we stopped by Yellow Bird Fabrics for a few minutes before heading back to the hotel for the mixer.

At the mixer, Rachael and I both wore our Washi dresses.  Sorry, I don't have a picture of us together, but we both received tons of compliments.  Here I met Jessica from Me Sew Crazy and Andrea from The Train to Crazy! We then headed out with a group to eat brick oven pizza before returning to the hotel where I joined in on Rachael's embroidery class in the hotel lobby. Rachael thoughtfully provided hoops, thread, needles, and all the materials needed for anyone wanting to learn a few hand embroidery stitches.  I tried my best, but honestly, I was totally exhausted!  After hanging out and making a few stitches, I decided to call it a night!

Later that night, our other two roommates arrived--Lindsay from Lindsay Sews and Sara from Sew Sweetness.  We all hit it off right away and stayed up even longer chatting and getting to know one another better.  Friday morning, we all got up early to attend our first Sewing Summit classes!

Every where we went all weekend long, people were meeting new people and exchanging business cards.  I now have a stack of cards to go through and new blogs to visit!  I am slowly but surely visiting each site and amazed by all the wonderful projects and talent that I have been missing!

Oh, and I have to tell you about the Ladies' Night Out Dinner I attended sponsored by Joann's Fabrics and Craft Stores, Pellon, Coat's and Clark, and others.  This was an a-ma-zing event organized by Jessica of Me Sew Crazy that brought together 20 sewers and bloggers for an evening of fun, food, and gifts.  I can't believe I got to meet and talk for hours with some of the women whose blogs and sewing projects inspired me to start sewing and blogging!

Rachael and Me

Me and Shauna

Heather

Andrea and Marissa

Jessica

Lindsay, Me, Rachael, and Sara

The attendees of the Ladies' Night Out Dinner were, in no particular order:

Michele and Lynn from Coat's and Clark, Shauna from Shwin and Shwin, Elizabeth and Liz from Simple Simon and Co., Rachael from Imagine Gnats, Sara from Sew Sweetness, Lindsay from Lindsay Sews, Heather from The Sewing Loft, Jessica from Me Sew Crazy, Andrea from The Train to Crazy, Sabra from Sew a Straight Line, Sumo from Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Sachiko from Tea Rose Home, Heidi from Honeybear Lane, Marissa from Rae Gun Ramblings, Heather from Feather's Flights, and me, Veronica.

Check back all this week for more highlights from my Sewing Summit experience!

• Learning new sewing and pattern-making skills as well as a ton of information on web design and how to improve my blog.
• Networking with corporate sponsors and participating in open discussions with them on how they can better serve our online community.
• Talking to Joel Dewberry and showing him some of the things I have made with his Heirloom collection of fabrics.
• Swag, swag, and more swag!