Give Away – after thinking and thinking and thinking about the aforementioned give away I woke up this morning thinking that a 10″ New York Beauty Tote will work for me. Please leave comments on this blog and I’ll have the drawing some time after my 11,000th visitor. Like the previous drawing I’ll have my dmil pick the name. I’m excited.
Quilt Retreat – one thing that’s been on my heart for quite a while is the possibility of hosting a quilt retreat. I have two thoughts and want to run them by you looking for feedback and I’m willing to do both
Option 1 – a mid-week one day retreat. Bring your machine and a project to play with. This can be a project that you just want to complete or might want some input to help get it finished. There are a few places this can happen and we can be close enough to a quilt shop to go visit at some point or I can give a tote bag class.
Option 2 – a weekend retreat. Having a whole weekend dedicated to quilting would be amazing. Bring your machine and quilt whenever you want. Bring a project just for the weekend. Enjoy peace and quiet and the company of other quilters. The place I’m considering for the weekend is not far from a quilt shop or two.
I’m looking foward to your comments!
Happy quilting!
Teri
Wow Teri… first, I am definitely in for the give-away… I post comments all the time anyway, so you might just as well make the bag in our favorite jewel tone colors 🙂
But are you seriously thinking about hosting a retreat???? Boy are you brave! I go to two weekend retreats a year, hosted by a local quilt shop and it is alot of work for the team of 6-7 staffers. Either way, I’d be interested in the weekend retreat. Lugging all the stuff you need for one day… machine, cutting mat, scissors, etc…. just sounds too cumbersome for me.
I’m in for a give-away. I’m a bit far away for your retreat but I know I’d rather do a weekend retreat than a one-day retreat. It amazes me how much you get accomplished. You are talented.
I’m too far away to participate; but I love retreats. Whether it is a day or a weekend! You might want to start with the one day get away just to see how it goes. I do it on a Saturday though to give those that work full time a chance to come. Have it begin about 11 with lunch served about 12:30PM so that people can stop and shop on the way. Serve dinner and have it end at 11 PM so there is 12 full hours of sewing. You can get a lot done in 12 hours.
My small quilt group gets together about once a month at each other’s homes. We share supplies–cutting mat, rotary cutters, iron etc and that helps on the packing. If we forget something, the hostess usually has it and we can keep sewing. We usually spend about six hours together and show and tell is our second favorite part of the day. . .lunch is usually first! We do a potluck where everyone brings a dish and it is a fun day. We help each other with challenges on projects and because there are about a dozen of us, someone usually can find a workable solution to any challenge!
I prefer weekend retreats but they are a lot of work. My ultimate favorite is one that begins Thursday at 3 PM and ends Sunday at noon. Meals are provided and there are activities planned so you get up and stretch from your projects. What I love about the meals is that I need to avoid dairy and soy foods and the kitchen staff can make that happen.
I hope your MIL chooses my name!
Teri – first time I have posted to your site – I am always a fan of free things, especially hand made.
But on retreats – one day mid week is hard – if most people are working – but it depends on your demographic
But I love weekend retreats, haven’t been on one for a lot of years for a lot of reasons, but you get a ton done. One guild I belong to goes to a hotel on Cape Cod, but they pot luck the dinners, and drive themselves. (I’m in metro Boston) And they do this in january when no one is going to Cape Cod! So the costs stay down.
The ones I have been to have to option to work on your own quilts with the ability to have help from a teacher , or to take a specific class.
As someone else noted these were done through quilt stores or in another case a small company that had multiple people working on it, but I think if you started small, you could see what it would take to handle it.
Best of Luck
Mary
Well you have my attention now.This is NY and politicians seem
to do this. Do you think they would head line” DMIL accepts
graft for craft????????
GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL–No,I’m not included,but thanks anyway
HI Teri,
i’d love to be in the give away. The bag sounds lovely. The weekend retreat sounds great but it’s a bit awkward grabbing my machine in Australia to come for the weekend! wouldn’t work any way as the voltage supplied is different.
Toyour MIL
Pick me! Pick me! Pick me! (can’t you see me jumping up and down in excitement)
All the best with both your 11,000 visitor and also your retreat.
I am so envious – no quilt retreats around here. I love the sound of a weekend just to be able to be with like minded people and to sew (and maybe a bit of shopping of course!)
Hi, love the idea of retreats. I’ve done a few one day things with my guild. We worked on QOV on two of them and one block wonders on another. I enjoyed them very much. Great way to get to know members of the guild. I have not been to a weekend one yet, I wish you were closer and it could be my first! Anyway, tell your DMIL to pick my name please 🙂 Thanks, Sandi
Thanks for entering me! Love your site, btw 🙂 Hugs from arizona!
Love the give away idea. Count me in! You are brave to consider doing a retreat, but it sounds like great fun. Merry Christmas, WandaM
I’d love to be entered into your drawing!
I’m too far away for a retreat but the weekend would be best for anyone who works. As an earlier poster said, it depends on your group of people and whether or not they work. My LQS hosts quite a few retreats each year. They provide all the food and that seems to be a lot of work. I’m a new quilter and haven’t been to my first retreat but I’ve visited during 2. Looks like a LOT of fun!
Ohhhhhhhhhhhh, DMIL, pick me! pick me! I’ve seen Teri’s tote bags (she even sewed some of them on my Viking, at the HOOD!) and I love them………… (please?)
xxoo
neen
Hi Teri,
Weekend retreats are fun – although I’ve only been on a couple. I agree with a previous comment that midweek is tough. You could do a one day weekend retreat – lots easier for us working folks. One day is easier than the whole weekend.
I can’t resist entering your give away – even though I don’t really need another tote bag..:)
Your totes always look wonderful – sounds like a great give away!
Retreats are always fun and I’m sure you’ll find folks for both options. The shop I use to work at hosted one each year over a weekend and always had a full house.
Wow, A Give Away and possibility of a Retreat – so glad I stopped by today. Count me in for all of it. Don’t think you’re too far from me. I’m in Central Jersey. May
Please consider for the bag give-away. I like retreats that are several days–amazing how much you can accomplish. Unfortunately I live too far away– in the sunny southwhere we rarely get snow.
Teri,
WOW a NY beauty tote bag!! Cool- that will work for me.
And the retreat- I will have to see what the day(s) are before I can commit, but it sounds fun.
Teri–
I’ve enjoyed your blog and comments on TQS from the very first. Your comments about retreats made me wistful. I live in a rural area of Central Washington state and there are not guilds close by nor, for that matter, any retreats. Until about a year ago I worked and the weekends were always so full there was just never time. About the time I retired I found a fairly large group of women in my area who quilt and we actually did have a retreat sort of–across the street from my house. It was perfect–I spent the long day with the gals and slept in my own bed. Please put my name in to the drawing.
Teri, I love retreats and weekend retreats are at the top of the list.
I am in for you NY Beauty tote drawing. I did a NY Beauty with Sharon Schamber and loved it.
peg in mo
please enter me…. I love NY Beauty… and enjoy reading your blog.
Hi Teri,
I love NY Beauties! And please remember blue is my color (hint! hint!)
Would love to join in the retreat. As long as it’s on a weekend — either 1 day or both days. Have sewing machine – will travel!
Terri the retreats sound great. I would pick the one where everyone works freely on their own project. Got my fingers crossed for the tote bag!
Teri,
I already go to the same 2 quilt retreats as Renee but I’m always up for another one. I would consider one day or a weekend. I would even be willing to help you organize it – if you need some help.
Oh please include me. what fun!