PR Weekend 2023 is in the books! It has been two weeks since I loaded up my car to drive to Lowell to host our 18th annual PR Weekend and somehow I am still riding high on endorphins from that weekend. To all those who traveled from far and wide, I hope you had loads of fun and I hope you carry lots of lovely memories from this special event. Because of the pandemic we met after 3 years but picked up right where left off in 2019 PR Weekend in Portland. From the day I planned the first PR Weekend, I had been manifesting bringing you all here to the historic state of Massachusetts. It took almost 20 years but it finally happened. 

Our 18th Annual PR Weekend was held in the history city of Lowell, MA which was once the largest planned textile centers in the country! As we came together after 3 years, it was a natural choice to be in the place where it all began. Literally and figuratively. It was a matter of great pride for me to welcome PatternReview members to one of my favorite cities in Massachusetts.  

Thursday

Our pre-event registration and meet and greet began on Thursday evening which is always a blast! Volunteers checked in early arrivals and distributed the bags and name badges. In keeping with our theme of sustainability, our bag this year was natural canvas and sourced locally in MA. There were hugs, squeals and lots of smiles! Everyone was just so happy to see each other after so long. Our official hotel was UMASS Inn and Conference Center and they took such good care of us. The hotel bar was a popular hang out! 

Friday

Entrepreneurship and Empowerment are two things I am passionate about so when I learned about Queen Allottey Pappoe and followed her exquisite work not just in her studio but beyond, I knew she was one of us and just the inspiration we needed to carry ourselves forward. As Queen ventured into the world of fashion and was shocked at the practices of fast fashion, the inspiration of these market scenes stayed with her. She decided to make wearable art, crafted with care, versatile enough for the modern hard-working woman who was juggling roles to confidently express herself, while minimizing her carbon impact on her world. Queen studied at Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MASSART) worked for years in the Entrepreneurship and sustainability industry, until she finally brought her vision of Queen Adeline to life. At Queen Adeline, she is committed to sustainable fashion and to reduce her carbon impact on this planet. I think we all secretly coveted her zero waste jacket! 

I was excited to introduce her and was so inspired by her commitment to sustainability and empowering women. She gave us a lot to think about and encouraged each one of us to find our our journey down this path.

What an inspiring guest speaker Queen was. Certainly gave me loads to reflect on.

- Cmbetts

On Saturday when we visited her studio, she made each and every one of us feel like a queen! Queen Allottey was very generous with her time and the inspiration we took back home with us was priceless. My favorite moment was when she answered a question about appropriation vs. appreciation. 

"We don't think twice about using silks from Italy or France, then why are we concerned about using wax prints from Africa?" She encouraged us to embrace the colors of this beautiful fabric and make something beautiful. 

It was great to get to meet everyone and I was absolutely floored by the Quilt museum. You also found an absolutely fantastic speaker in Queen, and it was even better getting to interact with her in her studio.
- twgeng

After the Queen's presentation, we enjoyed a catered lunch at the hotel and made new friends. While Lowell didn't have any fabric stores, there is one hidden gem which I took everyone to. - M.J. Clothing. We had so much fun learning about the origin of different types of wax prints from the owner Jacqueline who was so hospitable to our group.  

Ironically the one PR Weekend which was not supposed to be about fabric shopping, I ended up with 4 cuts of wax prints! I had to make up for the years we didn't meet.  

While I DO love fabric shopping, I think the comradery among our members was the BEST part this year. Because it wasn't a super large attendee group, I was better able to get to know people. This event gets better each time you go - no matter what location or what's on the itinerary. I feel fortunate to have been able to attend & honestly believe that the friendships sparked this time will continue.
- traceymadeit

Beyond the basic Measurements 

After lunch, our very own Diane Scarponi (founder of Style Falcon patterns), also known as shoes15 on PR, gave us an excellent presenation about going beyond the basic measurements. This was a really fun excercise. Thanks Diane for generously donating your time and skills at PR Weekend. You can find Style Falcon patterns on her site as well as on PatternReview. 

No PR Weekend is ever complete without a Pattern Swap and a Contest. With sustainability in mind, we swapped patterns, fabric and even lovingly made clothes. While I didn't get a photo, my favorite aquisition of this weekend is a gorgeous ticking vest made by Claudine. Thank you! We had a great time trying out each others clothes. I am hoping this can become a yearly tradition. Who better to pass on your creations to?  

Here are the participants of our Upcycle Top contest and here are the winners! As with most contests on PR, this decision is never easy. Congratulations to the winners  mcstitches , scormeny and MarjorieR! 

 We then invited members to come to the stage for a show and tell. There was music, smiles, lots of note taking and tons of cheering! I hope these photos give you an idea of the energy in that room that evening. 

 It just occured to me that my baby - PatternReview is now of drinking ageLater that evening we enjoyed a delicous buffet dinner accompanied by a cash bar. Meet the Cosmo tableWe stayed 2 hour past our time! We may or may not have started a new dance party tradition at PR Weekends. 

Saturday

Boott Mills, New England Quilt Museums and Western Avenue Studio Tours

Day 2 was all about soaking in the history and culture of Lowell. We started off by walking along the canals and waterfalls of the Merrimack river learning more about the textile mills and mill workers which once made Lowell the bustling textile hub of the country. Thank you Bonnie O for planning and leading such a fun walk.

The route for our walk this morning was so lovely! We experienced beautiful river views, multiple canals, and signs describing history of the mills. We really got an amazing perspective of the power of the water and its role in the mills. 

-Bonnie O

After the walk and quick breakfast we met in the hotel lobby to break into two different groups to tour the New England Quilt Museum as well as the Boott Mills. 

While the tours were self guided we were in luck at the Boott Mills because after seeing how inquisitive and knowledgable our group was, Nancy, who is the resident weaver at the Boott Mills gave us a detailed trip down the memory lane of the history of Boott Mills as well as how these looms work. When American Textile History museum in Lowell unfortunately had to close about 7 years ago, they donated all their artifacts to the Boott Mills. I only wish we had more time!

Western Avenue Studios

Western Avenue Studios is home to over 300 different artists from Fiber to jewelery and wood working and resin, there is inspiration in every corner of this place. We loaded ourselves into cars (thank you volunteers for driving!) and started a tour of the 20 different artists who had opened up their studios for our visit. You have already seen how much fun we had at Queen Adeline!

Thanks to our volunteer tour guides - Markita, Sue V and Connie for leading small groups to 5 different floors! I'd like to give a special shout out to Johanna Tiemann (www.johannasdream.com) who let us play with paint on silk scarves and opened up her loft studio for our event! Thank you to Dayle of jobemacstudios.net who gave us an excellent demo on working with resin and even did raffle for our group. 

 We scored some great finds at the Western Avenue! 

I found it so wonderful to meet the many I have only seen in text and photos online and what fun we had! I am now so invigorated to sew. It was so special to visit the museums and with the artists. The ideas are popping all over and Queen was such a joy to be around.
- solosmocker

Thank You

Putting together any PR Weekend is not an easy task especially when it involves so many minute details like finding the right venue, its proximity to attractions and restaurants, finding the right caterers, picking up last minute items and making sure everyone has a good time. Some of you will recognize her as Laura Mi but to me she is a rock star. When our initial location fell through, she was the one who suggested that we host in Lowell and was instrumental in researching and planning of this event.  Thank you, Laura

Thank you, Deepika! What a great job of creating a weekend that's already a cherished memory for us. You shared your magic gift of turning a group of folks from all over into a group of friends. To you, Laura, and everyone who contributed, Bravo!
- MarjorieR

This event could not have happened without the help from our amazing volunteers. Thanks a bunch! Also, a shout out to Sandra B for her excellent social media coverage of the event. You can find the posts on our Instagram.  check out the highlighted stories! 

We had some generous donations from our sponsors this year. It is a testament to the sewing community, not only on PatternReview but beyond. Please thank them by shopping there and extending your appreciation. I know I will!

Thank you Deepika and all the volunteers for organizing such a great event. Thanks everyone for making our first experience with PR weekend memorable. Your warm welcoming and kindness truly made a difference.

- Jolianne

I had a great time meeting members of PR for the first time in person. Thank you Deepika for organizing the event! And thank you all for being inspirational.
- maybbm

My heart is full - until next year
- Re Becca

Thanks, everyone, for making my first PR Weekend a great one. Wish I could thank each of you individually before I fly home. What a great group of people. Thank you, Deepika, for Pattern Review and PR Weekend!
- Vintage Tailor

As I was planning this event, the thing I was most nervous about, ended up being a blessing instead. So many of you told me that it was great that there weren't too many fabric stores. There was no pressure to buy and show. We could just chat about sewing and enjoy each other's company instead. I have come back home with a smile on my face and a heart completely full.

Return of the sewing mojo!

Wonderful weekend informative, inspiring,refreshing, well fed and my sew joe has returned. Thanks to everyone for sharing their energy. I feel renewed.
- Elnoramarie

If reviews were any indication, perhaps you have noticed that I have struggled with the loss of sewing motivation for the past few years. I had the fabric, the patterns, the tools and yet, I couldn't sew. Turns out, the only thing missing was my people and having connected with you all was all that I needed! The minute I got home, I washed and dried my fabric and the next day... can you hear it? The familiar sound of my sewing machine. I am back baby!  Until next year! 

P.S. PR Weekend may be a year away but have you heard about my Meet-along initiative? Members around the world are leading small PR meetups. Perhaps you'd like to join one or start your own. Check it out - https://sewing.patternreview.com/meetups