October 2–4, 2026 | Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
What would you sew if you gave yourself an entire weekend to focus on your dream project?
This October, Chicago Sews will head to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, to find out.
For three days, we’ll trade our usual schedules for sewing machines, shared meals, creative conversations, and uninterrupted time to make. More than simply a weekend away, Sew Your Dream is an extension of what Chicago Sews has always been about: creating spaces where sewists can connect, learn from one another, and find inspiration in community.
The Dream Project, Whatever That Means to You
Every sewist has a dream.
It might be the beautifully tailored coat you’ve been thinking about for years. A uniquely pieced quilt. An exploration of couture techniques, intricate handwork, or fabrics you’ve been saving for something worthy of them.
Or maybe your dream isn’t a particular project at all. Maybe it’s simply having the time and space to explore what you really want to make.
That’s the idea behind Sew Your Dream.
Rather than choosing a single pattern or project for the group, we’re asking each attendee to consider what their dream looks like and use the retreat to move that vision forward.
Participants are encouraged to create mood boards, collect inspiration, and think intentionally about the patterns, techniques, colors, textures, and details that define their personal vision.
We encourage each maker to complete preparations on their project in the weeks leading up to the retreat so that we can enjoy each unique vision together.
A Weekend Made for Making
Our home for the weekend will be a dedicated creative retreat space in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, where our attendees can settle in for an immersive weekend of making.
The retreat will include lodging, dedicated sewing space, select shared meals, and—most importantly—plenty of time to sew.
Our schedule is intentionally designed to leave room for creativity.
There will be opportunities to gather, share inspiration, celebrate progress, and enjoy one another’s company, but there will also be long stretches of open sewing time. Attendees can spend those hours fitting, cutting, stitching, experimenting, learning from the person sitting beside them, or simply enjoying the luxury of sewing with friends.
And when it’s time to step away from the sewing table, we’ll have space to eat, relax, talk, and enjoy a fall weekend in Lake Geneva.
Small by Design
For our first retreat, we intentionally chose to keep the experience intimate.
Chicago Sews has grown through gatherings of all sizes, but some of the most meaningful connections in our community happen around a shared table: someone helping with a fitting issue, recommending a technique, admiring a fabric choice, or simply asking, “What are you making?”
A smaller retreat gives those conversations room to happen.
The inaugural Sew Your Dream Retreat was offered exclusively to Chicago Sews Insiders, and available spaces have now been filled. For Insiders who were unable to secure a place, please sign up for our waitlist, and we will notify you if any openings become available.
More Than a Weekend Away
Chicago Sews began with the belief that sewing can be a vehicle for community.
Our programming brings together people with different backgrounds, skill levels, aesthetics, and approaches to making. Some have sewn for decades. Others are still learning. What connects us is a desire to create—and the understanding that creativity becomes even richer when we have people with whom to share it.
The retreat gives us an opportunity to deepen that experience.
We’re creating a space where attendees can devote meaningful time to their craft while exchanging knowledge, building friendships, and inspiring one another to think a little bigger about what they might make next.
And while this first retreat is intentionally small, the idea behind it isn’t.
This Is Only the Beginning
In October, our first group of retreat attendees will arrive in Lake Geneva carrying sewing machines, fabric, patterns, project bags—and their own ideas about what a dream wardrobe can be.
We can’t wait to see what happens when we give those ideas a little room.
Sew Your Dream
The Inaugural Chicago Sews Retreat
October 2–4, 2026
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
2026 RETREAT: SOLD OUT
Follow Chicago Sews for retreat updates, behind-the-scenes moments, and announcements about future opportunities to Sew Your Dream with us.
Partner With Chicago Sews
Do you have an exciting product you’d like to put directly into the hands of an engaged community of makers? We’re inviting brands and businesses to partner with Chicago Sews by donating products to be given away as door prizes to attendees. In return, we’d love to spotlight your product and brand as an official retreat sponsor across our event and select Chicago Sews media.
Interested in partnering with us? Reach out at ChiSews@gmail.com.
