I've gone to my fair share of quilting retreats and have compiled a list of what you should be asking yourself before deciding to attend and what you should pack! Enjoy!
#1 Do you want to go to an organized event or go to a location with friends?
There are now retreat spaces that offer up a workspace and sleeping areas for weekend retreats. Some are retreat houses and others like Stitch Supply Co has a retreat space attached to the quilt shop itself! You can create a weekend away with friends to make your own retreat. There are also lots of organized events to attend as well. I've gone to Winter Quiltfest (no longer being held), Sewtopia, and Modern Stitching Affair.
#2 How open are you to traveling to an event?
If you don't have quilting retreats near you, you are going to be stuck traveling. However, I've seen quilt shops in Minneapolis, Dallas, and Kansas City all have in-town retreats. My sample size is pretty small, but I assume it's applicable elsewhere.
#3 Do you want to take classes or only have open sew time?
Some quilting retreats have instructors who teach classes and others are open sew time to hang out with friends and get your own projects done. The retreats that have instructors will typically have open sew hours in addition to classes. My personal preference is to take classes since there is so much to learn. However, as I've made friends at the events, I want to go back to see everyone and sew! Maybe one of these days I'll go to an open sew event.
#4 Bring a friend! Or be open to making a friend!
I know my fair share of introverted quilters, and it's really a hurdle to go to a retreat by yourself. Bring a friend if you can or be sure to be open to making friends. If you need a roommate, ask to be paired up with someone new! Honestly, if you dislike them, you are only in the room for showering and sleeping, but if you like them you have a new quilty friend! Ask people at your table to go to dinner or strike up a conversation, don't always expect people include you if they don't know you!
#5 Prepare a retreat bag for all of your notions and commonly used tools
In my retreat bag, I include the following:
- thread
- spare needles
- seam ripper
- sunflower thread cutter
- thread snips
- fabric scissors
- paper scissors
- marking tools (Frixion pen, Bohn Chalk pencil)
- fork pins
- straight pins
- seam presser
- rotary cutter
#6 What is the retreat going to have for you to use?
Do you need to pack your own machine? If not, you may want to bring something to help get that perfect 1/4" seam since it's not your regular machine. I've used a seam guide with painters tape or a sewing edge before. Are ironing mats and cutting mats provided? Can you bring your own? I tend always to pack a small cutting mat that I can put next to my machine for ease of use. If they are not going to provide a long ruler, I suggest owning a Karen Buckley travel ruler that you can take apart to travel with.
#7 Pack lots of projects!
Pack projects to work on. I use packing cubes to keep my projects separate, but project bags work great too! I tend to bring more projects than I can finish, so I have different options to work on while I'm at the retreat. Make sure that you aren't over packing your bag if you are flying because you want to make sure you have space in your bag to bring home all the extra goodies either from a shop hop, a swag bag, or swaps.
#8 Extra things to pack
What?! There are more things you should bring? Yes. I really do not like having works in progress from classes when I leave a retreat especially if I know I don't want to make a large quilt. I would bring some scrap batting and muslin to create a pillow cover or some extra zippers and Shapeflex to make a zipper bag. These are small projects that can be completed during the retreat, so you go home with a finished product! These are also the items that I forgot to pack for Sewtopia last weekend.
#9 Swap presents
Depending on the retreat, some retreats host a swap of a zipper pouch or something small. This is a great way to exchange little gifts with another participant. It's super fun, and I highly suggest participating!
#10 Getting things home
If you are not driving to the event, there are times that you may not get everything to fit in your suitcase home. If you don't get free checked bags, that's also an issue! I would suggest shipping your extra goodies home in a flat rate box. Sewtopia was kind enough to have provided boxes and take the boxes to the post office for anyone who wanted to use them. It was such a good idea!!
Which quilting events/retreats are your must-dos or wish you could attend?
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