Cathe

I have taught at some. They are very fun. I think it's important to find one that is right for you. The most successful ones seem to be with groups of ladies who already know each other. At one retreat, some of the ladies started drinking, and their subsequent behavior upset some of the other ladies. If they had known what was going to happen, they wouldn't have signed up for that particular retreat.

mamatobugboo

I have been on 3 quilt retreats and will attend my 4th this fall! I go with a group of ladies (about 60) for 4-5 days and it is really really really (did I say really) fun! We shop (or window shop as in my case) our way up to the retreat center which is about 3 hours away in the Northwoods of MN, sew, sleep, eat and shop/window shop while we are there, and then shop/window shop our way back home again on Sunday. It is not expensive for 5 days with all meals included (and made by someone else!), I think about $100-$120 depending on whether you stay for 4 nights or 5.

I have made tons of quilt tops, tote bags, finished some UFOs and started projects that are now UFOs, adn learned lots from teh women there as well as from the projects planned and lessons given.

If you EVER have a chance to do it, I would highly recommend it! It is so great to just leave your stuff out and have nothing on your agenda but sewing!

Tigerbaby1981

They sound like a lot of fun. Im in great need of a retreat of any kind right about now :)

mpspeedy

Hi,

Both guilds I belong to have retreats. I have gone on the one now for 7 years. The first time I went I had just been diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease and was scheduled to have a total hystorectmy in the next few months. The ladies were so sweet to me. They helped me carry in my stuff and looked out for me the whole weekend.
I have only missed one of those retreats since. I had a frozen shoulder and was having trouble even packing my stuff to go anywhere.
We stay at a church run camp, dorm style. Everybody brings their own projects. We set up our sewing machines in the big common room and sew to our hearts content. The retreat started out friday evening through sunday afternoon. The last couple of years it has been thursday through sunday. The camp provides meals on saturday and sunday. Thursday and friday we take turns. It usually ends up pizza and salad the first night, pastries, yogart etc. for breakfast friday, soup and sandwhichs for lunch and meatball subs and salad for dinner friday. We all get together in the family type room for a few hours each evening and hold a penny auction, play quilt bingo or just goof off. We keep a table stocked with a coffeepot and various goodies, mostly chocolote the whole time. Several communial ironing boards are available and we all take turns. There is usually a project offered to all of us. We can choose to participate or not. This year for the tenth anniversary of the retreat we were asked to make 25 signature blocks in monocromatic colors. The idea is to exchange them. The coordinator was smart enough to tell us not to sign them until we get there. There will probably be several people who don't participate.
I am proud of myself, I already have mine made and the retreat isn't until November. Over the years most of the ladies have been the same. We have seen several of them through breast cancer, deaths of their parents or spouses and other personal crisis. One year it snowed and one of the ladies fell coming in. We had three RNs and a EMT among the group. She was given the best of care. There are several quilt shops within a 20 mile drive of the facility. We usually make a field trip to one or all of them on saturday.
Everyone sews as much as they want. Some of the die hards are up half the night.
Each year someone makes name tags for all of us. At the meals in the dining hall others make favors that are put at our places. Another makes place cards for each place. It is always fun to see what was made. This year I made lace bookmarks for my table favors on my embroidery machine.
One of the ladies was married to an artist who created beautiful bird watercolors. He is now in a nursing home with Alzeheimers. She gave each of us a folder with at least a half dozen prints of his work. They used to have a shop and sell them.
Our retreat with the meals etc. runs us about $150 now. They have started another one at a different location in the spring. I think I will stick with this one.

ddrobins1956

mpspeedy, That sounds like a lot of fun. I sure wish I could find a group to do something like that. Maybe I will. I'll just have to keep looking.

Quilt4u

My gilud has retreats to. For the weekend (2 days one night ) 350 double room . Just one meal and snacks. Thoses that went said they had fun.Had to drive your self there. Would like to go but not in my buget yet.

beachlady

Boy that sound like fun. We should plan one!!! If we all got together, we would probably talk so much we would not get much sewing done! Wish we all lived closer!!!

purplemem

I think that's a great idea! If we can find a place cheap! that has access to major transportation...we could plan it for 2009 so we could all talk about how to get there...we have enough talent on this board that we could teach...and bring our machines, or needles if we hand piece.

How about it? Any takers?

Quilt4u

I'm game if the price is right.

mamatobugboo

Does this mean that you are volunteering to organize it?! :lol:

would love to join on a retreat!