Retreat Weekend Recap
This past weekend was my local quilt guild's retreat and man did I have a blast! I really didn't know anyone in my guild yet, I'd only been a member for a few weeks and attended my first meeting last Wednesday. This was the perfect opportunity to meet other quilters, get lots of work done on various projects, and really immerse myself in creativity.
The retreat was held in Central Florida in a small little town called Sebring. We stayed at the Kenilworth Lodge. It was built in 1916 and you could tell it was quite the resort back in the day. It's not exactly what I'd call a 5-star hotel now, but it was clean, had lots of old world charm and 2 amazing ballrooms.
There were 27 of us and I couldn't get over how much space we had. Each quilter was given an 8-foot table so we could really spread out. A local quilt shop provided several pressing stations with irons and even set up a small satellite store in a room just off of the ballroom so we could shop whenever we needed. The owner even left it open in case we needed something in the middle of the night - she just left a note pad on the cutting table so we could keep a running tally of anything we purchased and could settle up at the end of the retreat.
I think what impressed me most about the space, was how well the staff took care of us and how well maintained the facility was. I honestly expected us to blow a few electrical fuses throughout the weekend but we never did. Think about it - 27 sewing machines, around 20 irons, personal lamps and extra lights supplied by the hotel - that's a lot of amps!
The retreat itself was very informative and fun. We had one of the guild members show us how she likes to mark her quilts for free motion quilting and her techniques on spray basting. We also had lots of great sponsors who provided us with lots of swag, including Aurifil, Art Gallergy Fabrics, Patchwork Threads, May Chappell, Soak Wash, Connecting Threads, and Robert Kaufman.
I did lots of sewing, of which I'll show in upcoming posts, and I also won this pretty half bundle of fat quarters from Connecting Threads. It's the Good Neighbors fabric line designed by Amanda Jean Nyberg from Crazy Mom Quilts.
All in all, a super fun weekend and I can't wait to do it again next year!
The retreat was held in Central Florida in a small little town called Sebring. We stayed at the Kenilworth Lodge. It was built in 1916 and you could tell it was quite the resort back in the day. It's not exactly what I'd call a 5-star hotel now, but it was clean, had lots of old world charm and 2 amazing ballrooms.
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| The plaque on the outside of the hotel and a few of the antiques in the grand lobby. |
There were 27 of us and I couldn't get over how much space we had. Each quilter was given an 8-foot table so we could really spread out. A local quilt shop provided several pressing stations with irons and even set up a small satellite store in a room just off of the ballroom so we could shop whenever we needed. The owner even left it open in case we needed something in the middle of the night - she just left a note pad on the cutting table so we could keep a running tally of anything we purchased and could settle up at the end of the retreat.
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| The ballroom, early Sunday morning. The round table in the foreground was the snack table. The table in the back where people were congregated was the extra large cutting and demo area. |
I think what impressed me most about the space, was how well the staff took care of us and how well maintained the facility was. I honestly expected us to blow a few electrical fuses throughout the weekend but we never did. Think about it - 27 sewing machines, around 20 irons, personal lamps and extra lights supplied by the hotel - that's a lot of amps!
The retreat itself was very informative and fun. We had one of the guild members show us how she likes to mark her quilts for free motion quilting and her techniques on spray basting. We also had lots of great sponsors who provided us with lots of swag, including Aurifil, Art Gallergy Fabrics, Patchwork Threads, May Chappell, Soak Wash, Connecting Threads, and Robert Kaufman.
I did lots of sewing, of which I'll show in upcoming posts, and I also won this pretty half bundle of fat quarters from Connecting Threads. It's the Good Neighbors fabric line designed by Amanda Jean Nyberg from Crazy Mom Quilts.
That sounds like an awesome time! I'm about to head out this weekend for a sewing retreat and I hope mine is as productive and fun as your sounds. :)
ReplyDeleteWow, that sounds awesome! You are going to have to share some of your progress you made on your quilting projects. I have never been to a retreat, but I hope one day to be able to go to one.
ReplyDeletethis must be one of the best ways to spend a few days, sounds like great fun and to win some of Amanda`s fabric was the icing on the cake, I really like her fabric
ReplyDelete|Sounds like a whole lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteGreat prize! Glad you had a brilliant time!
ReplyDeleteYour first retreat was in a ballroom! Goodness! That is posh!
ReplyDeleteMy first retreat was in my old high school boarding house - very primitive. Last weekend we stayed at a lovely place designed to be where nuns can get some rest. Very clean, but nowhere near as fancy as a ballroom.
Love the look of these fabrics. They look nice and bright in the picture. However can you tell me if they are actually as bright as pictured. I find that when I order from connecting threads the fabrics are never as bright and crisp in color as they are in the pictures. Mary - mburnette912@bellsouth.net
ReplyDelete