Quilt Retreats

Posted on by quiltedl

In-person quilt retreats are slowly coming back online…

Local guilds and sewing friends are gathering at Red Rooster (AL) and Koosa Mountain Lodge (GA).

Quilt til You Wilt and Sew Days are now back on the calendar at about half of my area quilt shops.

There are two quilt retreats within driving distance happening in mid-August. One is a bring your own project and the other is a come sew a pre-selected project. Costs are about same once you factor in everything.

Which camp do you fall under? Bring your own projects or everyone work on the same project? Honestly, it depends on my budget and what I’m in the mood for.

Sewing with friends where I bring my own projects can be done locally at the aforementioned Quilt Til You Wilt and Sew Days for little or no cost. So can project classes offered by local shops. If I’m in the mood for a quick getaway at a reasonable cost (under $300) then a 3 night getaway to a North Georgia church campground or retreat center with a local guild is always a lot of fun. Solo retreats at a cozy inn also get the creative juices flowing. Sometimes, you just gotta get out of the house!!

Destination travel along the lines of Stitchin’ Heaven’s cruises or land retreats falls in an entirely different category. I refer to this type of quilty travel as a bucket list trip. I want at least one project that I’d like to make, luxurious accommodations, national teachers and some serious SWAG/fun events. The Featherweight Shop/Lori Holt retreat I attended in Idaho in 2019 definitely falls into this category.

I’ve saved my shekels over the years to be able to indulge on occasion. I love the previous retreats offered by Quilter’s Revival and I hope something similar returns to the East Coast soon (psst Nashville again, please!). Until the mask mandate is lifted for air travel, I’m only heading to destinations where I can drive.

I supposed the Greenville Quiltfest and Mountain Quiltfest trips fall into the quasi-destination travel category. I’m driving 2.5 hours to Greenville and about 4 hours to Pigeon Forge. Although these events happen at a quilt show, I’m taking a project based class taught by a nationally known instructor at both locations. I’m staying at comfortable hotels where I’ll have space to host my own mini-quilt retreat in the room. I actually get a lot of sewing done when I travel, especially if I have everything precut and ready to sew.

As for the retreats in mid-August, I’m going to go with the retreat offered at the B&B on the AL/FL line. School will be back in session by then, so the beaches should be much less crowded. I can swing by and visit with my niece and her family on the way home.

Cheers to quilty travel revving up soon!