What do you do at a quilting retreat?
04-17-2011, 11:16 PM
#71
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Mesa,Az
Posts: 1,274
My daughter gives me a 5 day retreat in Prescott Az. every year..at a very large cabin..the last week of Oct..10 quilting friends and I go there..we eat..talk..laugh..and quilt..some sleep..only rules are..NO politics or religions talk!! We've been doing it for about 7 yrs. lots of fun!!!
04-18-2011, 12:05 AM
#72
Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: NW Kansas
Posts: 62
I am getting ready to go to retreat in 10 days. This will be my 3rd time. We go to the Shepherd's Staff.
It is set up dorm style with a dinning hall and a place to sew. It is all on level ground and alll in one building. There is a dining hall and they will fix your meals for you buffet style and the "camp" provides snacks.
You know how we quilters like to eat.
It is normally from Friday at 6pm to Sunday at 6 pm. The cost is $115. This year some of us are going on Thursday. We will bring microwave foods, snacks, and fruit to get by until the regular meal served on Friday evening.It will only cost us $15.00 more for the extra day & night.
That will give us an extra day of sewing, sleeping, R&R, reading, getting acquainted, visiting, going for walks or whatever you want to do.
Thursday night we will have a mystery project if you caare to participate.
We have tons of fun and some get alot of projects finished.
I have signed up to go again in the fall.
It is set up dorm style with a dinning hall and a place to sew. It is all on level ground and alll in one building. There is a dining hall and they will fix your meals for you buffet style and the "camp" provides snacks.
You know how we quilters like to eat.
It is normally from Friday at 6pm to Sunday at 6 pm. The cost is $115. This year some of us are going on Thursday. We will bring microwave foods, snacks, and fruit to get by until the regular meal served on Friday evening.It will only cost us $15.00 more for the extra day & night.
That will give us an extra day of sewing, sleeping, R&R, reading, getting acquainted, visiting, going for walks or whatever you want to do.
Thursday night we will have a mystery project if you caare to participate.
We have tons of fun and some get alot of projects finished.
I have signed up to go again in the fall.
04-18-2011, 12:16 AM
#73
Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: NW Kansas
Posts: 62
I forgot to tell you we play "strip poker". lol
We each bring 3 fat quarters. I don't remember exzctly how the roll of the dice goes but as we play someone gets the fat quarters until it finally ends with someon winning them all. That person has to make something out of the fat quarters completing finished by next yr.
They have lots of rules to follwo to make it a harder challenge.
In a year they bring back what they have designed out of their fq and show it off!
It is fun to see how the quilter has put it all together.
We each bring 3 fat quarters. I don't remember exzctly how the roll of the dice goes but as we play someone gets the fat quarters until it finally ends with someon winning them all. That person has to make something out of the fat quarters completing finished by next yr.
They have lots of rules to follwo to make it a harder challenge.
In a year they bring back what they have designed out of their fq and show it off!
It is fun to see how the quilter has put it all together.
04-18-2011, 03:33 AM
#74
Banned
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Keene, New Hampshire
Posts: 4,211
Originally Posted by quilting
Could you give us an approximate price per person for the number of days you were there ?
Thank you -
Thank you -
04-18-2011, 08:48 AM
#75
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 767
Sew and eat :-). Beyond that, it depends on the purpose/planners of the retreat.
I've attended retreats at two different YMCA camp facilities - we stayed in the cabins and sewed in the main lodge/activity center for the facility. I've attended one in a hotel - we rented out a conference room. Another was at an old High School that has been renovated into a conference center - the classrooms were turned into dorm rooms (like 6 to a room?) and the gym was the sewing area.
One of the retreats I attended was a fund-raising activity for a group that supports St. Jude's Childrens' Hospital. They solicited donations from several quilting/sewing organizations (batting, fabric, thread, patterns, gift cards to stores, etc.), grouped the donated items, and held a Chinese auction. Tickets cost $1 each.
Another one I've attended is held at a YMCA camp facility. They usually have an auction (the last few have been silent, but a quilter who was an auctioneer attended in the past and ran the auction). They ask participants to bring item(s) for the auction and all money raised goes to support the facility. Funds have been used to support camp projects in general (like a recent redo of the dining hall) and quilt camp projects in specific (updated/extra lights and power for all of our machines).
Every camp/retreat I've attended has had some sort of show 'n' tell. One does it after dinner on Friday night. Another had an impromptu show 'n' tell in the hotel lobby outside our sewing room. It's always fun to ooh and aah over others' work. We show off what we've worked on during the retreat and/or something we brought from home (maybe a finish of a past retreat project).
Most of the retreats offer one or more projects or classes. At the retreats I've attended, these are always optional. The organizers send us a supplies list of any projects as well as any prep work instructions (cutting, basic piecing instructions to get a jump start, etc). Sometimes a mystery project is offered (d9p, fabric post card, sewing caddy, etc. - something small)
Most also offer some type of game or activity. We've played fabric bingo (at one, we made our boards, at another, the boards were ready for us). Sometimes everyone is asked to piece a specific block (either a block layout and/or a certain color scheme) and for each block you bring, you get a chance in the drawing to win them.
It seems like lately all of the retreats bring in a local person to do massages (extra cost if you want to do so).
Your idea of hosting retreats sounds good in theory, but probably would not be practical. As the hostess you would have too much to take care of behind the scenes in making sure everything was taken care of. Like someone suggested, why don't you attend some first? Then maybe you could start hosting.
I've attended retreats at two different YMCA camp facilities - we stayed in the cabins and sewed in the main lodge/activity center for the facility. I've attended one in a hotel - we rented out a conference room. Another was at an old High School that has been renovated into a conference center - the classrooms were turned into dorm rooms (like 6 to a room?) and the gym was the sewing area.
One of the retreats I attended was a fund-raising activity for a group that supports St. Jude's Childrens' Hospital. They solicited donations from several quilting/sewing organizations (batting, fabric, thread, patterns, gift cards to stores, etc.), grouped the donated items, and held a Chinese auction. Tickets cost $1 each.
Another one I've attended is held at a YMCA camp facility. They usually have an auction (the last few have been silent, but a quilter who was an auctioneer attended in the past and ran the auction). They ask participants to bring item(s) for the auction and all money raised goes to support the facility. Funds have been used to support camp projects in general (like a recent redo of the dining hall) and quilt camp projects in specific (updated/extra lights and power for all of our machines).
Every camp/retreat I've attended has had some sort of show 'n' tell. One does it after dinner on Friday night. Another had an impromptu show 'n' tell in the hotel lobby outside our sewing room. It's always fun to ooh and aah over others' work. We show off what we've worked on during the retreat and/or something we brought from home (maybe a finish of a past retreat project).
Most of the retreats offer one or more projects or classes. At the retreats I've attended, these are always optional. The organizers send us a supplies list of any projects as well as any prep work instructions (cutting, basic piecing instructions to get a jump start, etc). Sometimes a mystery project is offered (d9p, fabric post card, sewing caddy, etc. - something small)
Most also offer some type of game or activity. We've played fabric bingo (at one, we made our boards, at another, the boards were ready for us). Sometimes everyone is asked to piece a specific block (either a block layout and/or a certain color scheme) and for each block you bring, you get a chance in the drawing to win them.
It seems like lately all of the retreats bring in a local person to do massages (extra cost if you want to do so).
Your idea of hosting retreats sounds good in theory, but probably would not be practical. As the hostess you would have too much to take care of behind the scenes in making sure everything was taken care of. Like someone suggested, why don't you attend some first? Then maybe you could start hosting.
04-18-2011, 09:28 AM
#76
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 438
Oh Jane,
you got to go on one, even if you ask a couple people over
yourself, and spend the weekend quilting.
This weekend my DSIL, an Cousin, got together, Friday night
and I stayed over till Sat. night. We just sewed, talked, ate
and had a ball, and I did get some major sewing done.
I brought a breakfast casserole, and a Taco Bake, so all we
had to do is heat it up, and eat.
Keep on sewing.
you got to go on one, even if you ask a couple people over
yourself, and spend the weekend quilting.
This weekend my DSIL, an Cousin, got together, Friday night
and I stayed over till Sat. night. We just sewed, talked, ate
and had a ball, and I did get some major sewing done.
I brought a breakfast casserole, and a Taco Bake, so all we
had to do is heat it up, and eat.
Keep on sewing.
04-18-2011, 11:57 AM
#79
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Florida
Posts: 1,650
Originally Posted by Treasureit
I want to go on an "Elm Creek Quilt" Retreat - like in the books...my own room in a Victorian house with beautiful quilts on each bed. A Gourmet chef to tantalize my pallet and entertainment that will keep me laughing....then some outstanding classes by world renown artists! And it only cost $150 for a week! :thumbup: ;-) ;-)
04-18-2011, 12:03 PM
#80
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Florida
Posts: 1,650
Originally Posted by Plain Jane
Thank you so much for your input. I think I'd better experience one, but I guess it would be more fun if I could find a quilting friend to go with. I'll start looking!
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