Dear Sew South,

Dear Sew South,
Has it really been a week that we've been apart?  Seems you have rendered this normally chatty girl silent.  The magic that is you makes me quiet, reflective, inspired, and emotional if I'm being totally honest.

Sew South, to say that you are sewing retreat is overly simplifying all that encompasses you.  You do, in fact, allow for lots of sewing and learning new techniques from talented teachers.  But I'm not all together sure that sewing is at the top of my list of favorites that you offer.  There is something magical about putting fifty people into the same room that have a similar passion and removing all the normal chores they each face daily.  No jobs, cooking, cleaning, running errands or doing laundry. Sew South, you provide a means for our hands to be busy doing something we love and our minds to be free.  That combination sparks conversation, sharing, problem solving and deep connections.

Sew South, I leave you feeling filled up and validated.  And as I drove the four hours home I kept thinking over and over how every person deserves a similar experience.  Sewing?  No, not if that isn't your thing.  What I mean is that every person deserves to be surrounded by people that share a passion for what you love.  It's life changing.

Jennifer of Ellison Lane is the mastermind behind you and she does an incredible amount of leg work to make you happen. It seems, however, that once the event kicks off that you take over and create a place that allows even her to sit back, unwind, soak it in and enjoy.

Sew South, you create a community.  A living, breathing, buoyant community that I want to live in each and every day but will gladly take for a few days each March.  Do you think it's too soon to start a countdown for the next time we meet? Hopefully by then my abs will have stopped aching from the profuse amount of laughing I did when we were together.

Let's do it again.  'Kay?

Love,
dana

P.S.  This video sums you up nicely!