Come Stitch With Me

One of the FB groups I follow posted a question about the availability of openings in upcoming retreats and why weren’t people signing up?

Retreat cost, location, family & work obligations plus a lack of private rooms were the top reasons given.

My top reasons for not attending a quilt retreat:
(1) Dormitory style sleeping arrangements. A big no for me. I like my own room and am actually willing to pay for it. Unfortunately, many retreat locations stuff in as many twin beds as possible to maximize revenue.
(2) Small sewing space. A 2’x4′ space is simply not big enough with the machines most attendees bring to retreats. There’s no room to work. Again, the smaller sewing spaces usually go hand-in-hand with dormitory style sleeping arrangements. A 6′ table is the minimum size. An 8′ table would be ideal.
(3) Requirement to own a specific brand of something in order to participate. I can use many AccuQuilt dies in my Sizzix cutter with an adapter, thank you very much.
(3) Additional items required in order to attend the retreat that are not clearly disclosed up front. There’s a retreat that looked promising until I was informed I had to spend another $100+ on rulers I’ll probably never use again. No thank you.
(4) Retreat location. A BYO project retreat at a church camp 2-3 hours away twice a year is perfect. Same retreat that requires a stay at an expensive resort is not worth it to me. (Been there, done that!). I will gladly travel to take a class with a specific instructor or to attend an instructor-led retreat at a location on my bucket list.
(5) Other options closer to home. I have two groups of stitchy friends that I join at least one day a week for sewing and fellowship. We meet at a church or the library. My bee group meets in private homes or at a local quilt shop. Two shops near me allow quilters to use their classroom space for a small fee ($5-$10) if no classes are being held. I’ve done this to take advantage of large work tables and to just get out of the house. I’d definitely attend more quilt retreats if I didn’t have my local sewing groups.

In an ideal world, I’d attend at least two retreats a year – one local and one where I have to fly or drive more than 6 hours to attend.

For 2025, I know I’m going to Road to Virginia in late June.
I’m in need of some vitamin sea, so I’m looking at any and all beach retreats/classes this fall/winter.