Monday, March 19, 2018

My experiences at a quilt retreat

I got to spend the weekend at a guild retreat two weeks ago.   We were at the beach and had amazing weather.


Our room had a view - you can see the reflection of the palm trees in the windows and the weather was nice enough that most of the time we could open the windows..


We spent a lot of time working on this Amethyst Bag by Sew Sweetness.  Far too much time, actually, because there were lots of steps.  I ended up putting it aside so that I could finish it at home.  It is a really nice bag. 


I used Fragile by Zen Chic for the outside and inside of the bag.  I'm loving my two mesh pockets.  Many bags were finished during the retreat and each time one was 'birthed' (the final stage of turning it inside out) there were large cheers in the room.


We also had a Secret Sister swap.  I was totally spoiled with some chocolate, a small quilting frame and an awesome bag filled with goodies.


I arrived with a multitude of projects but besides the bag, really only worked on one.  But it was a fun one -  I got all 33 of my blocks made! I loved working with this fabric (Sunprint 2018) so much.


A couple of things that I will do for my next retreat -
  • Pack less.  I don't sew as fast as I imagine I would in a world without children and laundry and other household distractions.  I brought so many project along but only worked on one of them in addition to the bag.  
  • Prep ahead.  Cutting as much ahead of time was a really good idea.  There isn't much table space available.
  • Bring lunch/snacks. Enough said.
  • Save the difficult cutting for another time.  Being tired just does not led to accurate cutting!
Bottom line - I had way more fun than I expected to and I now know several of the guild members much better as a result of spending so much time with them.

Have a wonderful day! Patty

13 comments:

  1. Guild retreats are the best way to get to know other members! I met what have become my very best friends at the first retreat I went to. Yes, cut at home for all the reasons you mentioned!

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  2. Sewing retreats are so much fun, and I usually end up talking more than sewing, LOL!!

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  3. Patty, congratulations for getting anything done. With that view I would have had trouble keeping my toes out of the water and my butt in a chair!

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  4. I love going on retreats....quilting, knitting or for other reasons. I get recharged and excited about creating again.

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  5. The bag turned out beautifully! Sounds like you gots lots done, even if you didn't get all you expected to get done.

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  6. What a beautiful view!! and yes - always snacks - ha ha

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  7. I'm so glad to hear that overall it was a great experience. I agree that complicated cutting and decision making are not good for me during retreat experiences, either. The venue looks lovely!

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  8. I always over pack projects when I go to retreats. That looks like a lovely location for retreat this time of year!

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  9. I have one little addition to your retreat lessons. When you cut ahead, always pack the extra fabric! Cutting errors, stitching oopsies happen. Ask me how I know! "smile" Glad you were able to attend and had a good time. I always do too!

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  10. I absolutely love sewing retreats, especially those where I can sew on my own projects. I always over pack! I do like to set goals and feel like I accomplish a lot. My main objective when I go is to have blocks done and make the tops there. I usually have room to lay out that I don't at home and feel so much accomplishment when I make 4 tops instead of blocks for 1 quilt. I always bring the extra fabric, even though I pre-cut, because I almost always need it. I also despise borders and sashing, so doing them at retreat gets them done.

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  11. Quilt retreats are wonderful. I love everything about them. Your tips for next time are perfect. I take designated projects, all cut and ready to sew, and I throw my strings basket into the trunk "just in case" I run out of things to work on. I do leave in it the car, though.......

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  12. That is a really nice bag. What size did it turn out?

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  13. As everyone else said quilting retreat are great fun. I now choose to take "easy" projects -- precut as everyone has mentioned. My next one is in May and I hope to have 3 or 4 easy quilts to put together from kits that I will be making.

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