Saturday, October 21, 2006

Do Tell !!

First, Congratulations and celebratory expressions are in order for Karoda at Seamless Skin. Check it out!



Kim over at Quilting Peach has had several posts about her approaching quilt retreat. Her first. Never having been on a quilting retreat myself , I found her questions about what to take very interesting.



How many of you have been on quilting retreats? I would love to do this one day (especially if I could meet some of my online quilting community) and am calling on your collective wisdom and experience.




  • What do you usually take with you? What would you consider absolutely essential and what would be nice to have if you have room?

  • How far do you travel?

  • What are typical accommodations?

  • Price?

  • Who sponsors the retreats you attend?

  • How long do they typically last?

  • What is a kind of overview of a typical retreat? Or your favorite retreat? (activities, time, number of people, etc.)

  • What kind of experiences have you had? Difficulties? Pleasures? Surprises?

  • How useful have retreats been to you? How? Why?

  • Do you attend alone or with a friend?

  • Do you have any Retreat Tips?

I would really appreciate hearing about your experiences. If you decide to post about this, please leave me a link so I can visit and glean information. :)


7 comments:

  1. Hi, I have attend a few retreats. I dont have to travel far because the quilt store that holds them is 3 miles from my house and the place where the retreat is held is 2 doors down at a lodge that is on the same lake as I live on. I really enjoyed every retreat I have attend and came away learning something, new trying new food, getting new recipes and finishing a great mystery project. We bring a few blocks for a community project and this is also rewarding. Beside the great fellowship the whole experience has been very refreshing and rewarding. Hope you get to go to a retreat sometime soon. Toni

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  2. I have the perfect location if we want to plan one.

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  3. Toni - How nice to have something near by that makes attending easy! I think the fellowship would be refreshing and inspirational. Amazing what can be accomplished when you have like minds working together.

    Debby - This a great community, and I can see myself in slippers and pjs enjoying the process. Good idea with the handwork, too, so that even conversation is productive!

    Debra - :) Where?!!

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  4. I love retreats - it is a great way to spend time w others that love the same thing you do - quilting. I take simple projects to retreat - because there is alot of distractions - good tho... and I enjoy getting to know other people that I don't usually spend time with. Here is my must have list:
    Good LIght
    Chair Cushion
    Extension Cord
    Bandaids or Liquid Bandaid
    Asprin or Tylenol - etc...
    Plastic Table Cloth (aka design wall)
    Dark Chocolate
    Water
    Personal Iron and Pressing Surface
    Machine
    Essential Sewing Supplies
    Sometimes I take the chair from my sewing room.

    I just go locally - within 15 miles or so - my guild hosts the retreat I attend. They are usually 2-3 days (fri, sat, sun)

    The first retreat I went on - I went alone - but ended up at a table with a great group of gals and they asked me to join their small group - we all still together - 5 yrs later.

    Some retreats have activities some are just about sewing - either way I go every chance I get - I always leave retreat exhausted but renewed as I have spent some quality time with my sewing machine and my quilting buddies

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  5. DD - I can really appreciate the essentials on your list. Taking personal comfort items (dark chocolate) helps both alertness and relaxation! I wouldn't have thought about an extension cord and that is so practical.

    I love the fact that Your original "table group" is still together...makes each retreat like a reunion!

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  6. I have gone on two retreats with one of the guilds I belong to. We go a church related camp about an hour's drive away, beautiful setting, great food, fairly basic, but comfortable rooms. We sew, take field trips to nearby quilt shops, play a few games (hysterical ugly fabric swap), talk, and have a wonderful time. I usually take something brainless that I can work on in the midst of a lot of commotion--no designing or tricky piecing for me. It astounds me the amount of stuff people bring, but I try to plan and just bring a few projects and what I need for them. Snacks are good, Ipod, earplugs (sometimes roommates snore :) ) There have been about twenty people attending this retreat, but this year we will have thirty. That may be too many--we'll see.

    Now to see if I can post--

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  7. Kay Glad you were finally able to post. The ear plugs are a great idea. Thanks for replying, especially since you had so much trouble. Still don't know what caused the problem.

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Good to hear from you!