summiting all over the place

wow! sewing summit was insane. and lovely. and overwhelming. i met somewhere around a zillion awesome people, took some classes, ate a lot, talked about embroidery, listened to lectures, and even managed to fit in a little sleep. and wouldn't you know... i captured most of it on instagram (@imaginegnats). here are my recommendations for successful summiting...

pack very late the night before you leave. shove everything handmade that you own in your suitcase, as well as lots of embroidery hoops. ok, the hoops are only necessary if your silly self volunteered  to teach two impromptu embroidery classes while summiting. (more on that soon)

leave your house early enough in the morning that you can't even find coffee until you get to the airport, book a flight with a very long layover at an airport with questionable wifi, and when you can't stop sniffling (stupid allergies), buy extra tissues and remember that chocolate solves anything.

check in to your lovely room, and always try out the coffee pot asap.

sleep in very late. join Melissa (I still love you) and Carrie (this mama makes stuff) for waffles and frites, and then stuff your face.

don't forget to register and pick up moo cards. if you're lucky, you'll get an awesome gift from your sweet roomie Veronica (sewVery).

hang out with cool peeps (preferably with accents) like Jessica (me sew crazy), Andrea (The Train to Crazy), Katy (the littlest thistle), Laura Jane (Needles, Pins and Baking Tins), Amy, Katy (i'm a ginger monkey), Karen (Lintonville.com), Mary (Spoolhardy Girl), Thomas (Thomas Knauer Sews), Cori (let's eat grandpa), Lorelei (Mermaid Sews), Shannon (sew your own way), MaLora Ann (Bird and Bicycle), and more...

take awesome classes, sit next to a friend with a bear, sew with lovely fabrics, and do a wee bit of sketching.

take pics with internet friends you get to meet in person, like these lovelies: Diane (from blank pages...) and Ella (throw a wench in the works).

don't forget to have some more awesome roomies, like Sara (Sew Sweetness) and Lindsay (Lindsay Sews and Craft Buds). and you certainly must get a pic of Amy (form*work) with the madeleine bag she made from that fab imagine gnats tutorial!

what else? you might want to remember to take a pic of yourself with your BSF, Allegory of {sew} Allegorical... you know, that person that kept you sane when all of the sewing and people and excitement got to be a bit much. and eventually you should troll the internet for pictures on others' summit posts that you want to steal reappropriate for your own use.

mostly, though, you should think and write and sketch and stitch.

ps. enter here on CraftFoxes to win some of the swag i brought home with me!