Quilt Retreat Recap

 My annual quilt guild retreat has come and gone and as always, I'm feeling so grateful for the wonderful stitching sisters in my life. It's always amazing to me how different our lives are and yet quilting brings us together in such a wonderful way. I love that I get to spend time with these friends and that I learn new things about them every time we spend our annual weekend away.

One of the things that we are never short on is snacks! This is what the snack table looked like when I arrived. I had to laugh that the hand sanitizer and antacids were included. Love that these women are prepared for everything!

And I really enjoy seeing what folks bring with them and how they transport it! Such a fun way to carry around a pretty little featherweight and all the needed sewing supplies in this wheeled wagon.

The room we sew in is large and has an eight foot table for each of us to spread out on. Lots of folks bring their little sewing tables as well. Notice we tend to set up for optimal socializing as well as sewing.

Speaking of sewing...

I got a set of blocks sewn into a top, a table runner pieced and partly quilted, and began another set of blocks as well as some selvage panels pieced. So I did get quite a bit of sewing done when I wasn't napping, walking or eating. Speaking of eating...

Having three meals a day prepared and served is a nice bonus. The food was pretty basic and lots of it was pretty unappetizing, but it was better than having to cook and clean. And the snacks were able to fill in where the meals were lacking. None of us went hungry, that's for sure! LOL

The place we stay has almost no cell phone reception at all, and the hot water for showers was minimal if any. I had to wash my hair with bar soap because I forgot there was no shampoo or conditioner provided. At least I remembered my hair dryer this year (having to use the hand dryer in the rest room for my hair dryer last year was all the reminder I needed!) The facility is clean and the folks who work there are super nice. I am not sure I can go four days without internet again though. I do hope we find a better place to stay next year.

However, I must say that the committee in charge of planning the retreat did an amazing job! They had goody bags in our rooms to welcome us, they provided entertainment and regularly scheduled breaks for stretching, and they really put a lot of effort into making it a fun experience for all of us. I am so thankful for the folks on that committee!

And the best part, the dogs were very happy to see me! They got really dirty being left out in the rain all day Sunday, but they didn't seam to mind. It's so nice to have a welcoming committee even if they are a bit stinky.

Enjoy your week!
Diane