Bianca Springer
Creating Your Stylish Wardrobe - Elevated
Meet & Greet, Sunday April 18, 5:30 pm
April 19 - 23, 2027
$1,395
In this retreat, you will create wearable art, learn sewing techniques, and develop your own signature style. Over five immersive days, you will upcycle pieced textiles to construct new pieces, and learn leatherwork through three coordinated projects:
A reversible quilt-top duster using New Look pattern 6514
A pair of flat-front zipper pants using Butterick pattern 6851
A hand-sewn leather crossbody bag using Bianca’s custom kit
Bianca guides students through quilt-top preparation and layout planning, garment fitting, pattern adaptation, and finishing techniques that honor the history of your textiles while creating wearable art. Students will leave with a coordinated outfit and a handmade leather accessory that reflects their personal story and craftsmanship.
A five-day garment-making retreat where students transform a quilt top into a reversible duster using New Look 6514, sew flat-front zipper pants using Butterick 6851, and hand-stitch a leather crossbody bag.
Learning Objectives
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We will adapt pieced textiles for garment use, evaluating best layout options, pattern placement, and supplemental fabric considerations. The range of quilt tops provided by the other students will provide multiple discussion points to inform your future projects.
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We will integrate pieced accents into supplemental fabric, define pocket options, and review clean finishing techniques.
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We will be adapting New Look pattern 6514 for quilted textiles.
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Using Butterick pattern 6851, we will construct our zippered pants, altering the pattern to fit your body.
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We will cover saddle-stitching techniques and hardware installation to make our leather bags.
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We will learn how to honor the original textile while still designing a modern garment.
What's Included In The Retreat
Meet and greet with hors d'oeuvres on Sunday, April 18th at 5:30 pm
Five days of instruction--Monday through Friday
Five lunches
Skill Level
Open to all levels of sewers with basic knowledge of how to use their sewing machine.
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Sunday, April 18th at 5:30 pm
Join us for an informal gathering with the instructor and participants. Hors d'oeuvres will be served.
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We will discuss garment construction and pattern planning and begin these efforts.
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We prep our quilt-tops and begin duster construction.
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We will create our reversible side construction and finishing.
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We hand sew our leather crossbody bag.
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We construct our flat-front zipper pant.
Daily Schedule
About Bianca Springer
Bianca Springer is a dynamic fiber artist, garment maker, and educator whose work centers joyful color, cultural representation, and practical design. As the founder of Thanks! I Made Them, Sew Can You, Bianca creates patterns, kits, and innovative sewing notions—including her popular pattern weights—that simplify and celebrate the sewing process. Her teaching style is pragmatic, emotionally resonant, and rooted in empowering students to make garments that reflect their identity and creativity.
Bianca is the author of Represent! Embroidery, a groundbreaking book featuring 100+ inclusive designs that honor diverse skin tones, body shapes, and hair textures. Her work has appeared in Sew News, Creative Machine Embroidery, Notions, Love Embroidery, and Simply Sewing. She has been featured on numerous podcasts including Stitch Please and Craft Industry Alliance. She’s a sought-after instructor at retreats and craft schools across the U.S. and U.K., including QuiltCon, Festival of Quilts, Sacred Makers Soul Retreat, A Gathering of Stitches and Madeline Island School of the Arts.
When she’s guiding students through garment construction, Bianca brings joy, clarity, and celebration to every classroom. She’s also a passionate advocate for fair compensation and professional boundaries in creative work, modeling what it means to be both emotionally open and professionally empowered.
Website: https://biancaspringer.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Thanksimadethem/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thanksimadethem/
Garment Patterns
(Sewing patterns are sized differently to ready to wear clothes. Buy based on the measurements, not pattern size. If you are uncertain, after you have registered email Bianca for guidance at thanksimadethem@gmail.com.)
New Look 6514 – reversible duster
Butterick 6851 – flat-front zipper pants
Supply List
Quilt Top Requirements
Students must bring a quilt top large enough to correspond to their body measurements. Use this bed-linen yardage comparison to estimate whether your quilt top is sufficient:
Approx. Dimensions
66" × 90"
81" × 96"
90" × 102"
108" × 102"
Bed Size
Twin
Full
Queen
King
Equivalent Yardage
~5.5 yards
~7 yards
~8 yards
~9 yards
A Twin quilt top is typically enough for most sizes of the duster. Larger sizes or students wanting dramatic piecing may prefer Full–Queen yardage.
Students can make their quilt top or purchase second -hand from eBay, Etsy, or Facebook Marketplace, or Estate sales. Make any needed repairs and cleaning of quilt top before class. Pay attention to the scale of the piecing and size of the blocks as you consider your choice.
Leather Bag Kit
(To be purchased from Bianca) Final bag design subject to change as I fine tune the sample. Estimated price will be no more than $75
All materials for the leather crossbody bag are included except:
Adjustable crossbody strap (students must bring their own)
Student-Provided Supplies
New Look 6514
Butterick 6851
Quilt top (see yardage chart above)
Sewing machine + basic tools
Rotary cutter, mat, and rulers
Thread suitable for garment construction
Marking tools
Pins/clips/pattern weights (available for purchase from Bianca and will be brought to class)
Fabric scissors
Fabric yardage that corresponds with measurements for pants and for reverse of the duster
½ yard mid-weight fusible interfacing
Adjustable crossbody strap
Provided in Class
Purchased Leather bag kit
Important Information Read Before Registering
Cancellation Policy
If the Estelle Center cancels a retreat, you will receive a full refund of all payments made.
The $500 deposit is non-refundable.
If you cancel your reservation and the Estelle Center is able to fill your space with another participant, your $500 deposit will be refunded minus a $100 cancellation fee.
If you cancel within 45 days of the retreat's Meet & Greet date, no refunds will be issued unless the Estelle Center is able to fill your spot. In that case, any refund will be subject to the $100 cancellation fee.
We have limited guest accommodations. If you cancel your room reservation at any time, you will be refunded your payment minus a $150 cancellation fee.
Payments
A deposit of $500 is required to register. The balance of $895 is due by February 17th 2027, 60 days before the start of the retreat.
After February 17, 2027, the full retreat cost of $1,395 is required to register.
Meals & Lodging
The Creating Your Stylish Wardrobe - Elevated Retreat includes meet and greet with appetizers, five lunches, and five days of instruction. Other meals and lodging are not included in the registration fee.
Guest rooms at Estelle's Upstairs are available for retreat participants. There are single, double, and triple occupancy rooms that share a large bathroom down the hall. To book a guest room, scroll down to the payment section below.
Click here to learn more about our guest rooms.
Click here to find other accommodations in La Veta.
What To Expect Next
Please add sunshine@estellecreativearts.com to your safe senders list to make sure you receive our emails.
Service Animal Policy
To preserve a calm and welcoming space for creativity and connection, we ask that guests do not bring pets or emotional support animals.
Service dogs, trained to assist and supported by law, are always welcome. Thank you for helping us hold this space with care. If you have questions or specific needs, we invite you to reach out ahead of your visit.
Click here to learn more about the The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Service Animal Policy.
