Come Stitch With Me

Seem a little early to start thinking about quilty travel and projects for 2026?

Destination Retreats, Major Quilt Shows and Guided Tours
It’s not too early to plan for retreats – especially if you want to attend a retreat in spring/summer 2026. Retreat organizers have begun advertising and some events have already filled. I’ve booked a retreat for January and am considering adding another one for late July – after our big quilt show in June. Both retreats are reasonably priced (to me anyway), within a 6 hour drive of ATL and offer private room accommodation options.

Keep in mind that travel expenses can increase the cost of a retreat exponentially – especially if you have to fly, rent a car and cover additional nights of hotel to accommodate your flight schedule. In my experience, regional events tend to be much more budget friendly, particularly when traveling by car. My only advice is to make sure the event/destination is worth any extra travel costs and time required to attend the retreat.

QuiltCon returns to Raleigh, NC in February (not attending this time). AQS – Daytona Beach, FL is about the same time in February. Major shows such as Road2VA and A Mountain QuiltFest (TN) should post instructor, class and quilt show information in March. All are great events to attend. In 2026, other commitments will keep me from attending these shows.

Projects
Many fabric manufacturers release their new lines from November – January. A companion sew along event is usually scheduled along with the fabric launch. Check the Moda Fabrics and Riley Blake Designs websites for collection storyboards and accompanying sew along announcements. Fat Quarter Shop, Pat Sloan Quilts and Missouri Star Quilt Company also have information about upcoming QAL events. Perhaps your local guild, sewing group or quilt shop is hosting an event in conjunction with the scheduled QAL. For a modest fee ($5-/$10), you can hang out, sew that week’s block and drink wine with your stitchy friends on Thursday nights. Bad weather or not able to get out? Join stitchy friends virtually. Check out Jelly Roll Club and Patchwork Posse for virtual sew-with-friends events.

Here’s what’s on my project calendar for Winter/Spring 2026:

New Years Day with Stitchin’ Heaven 11:00 a.m. – 4 p.m. EST. on YouTube. I usually make one of each block during the simulcast and turn them into placemats to donate to Meals on Wheels.

2026 RBD Block Challenge with Riley Blake Designs. Blog post, video and block pattern released most Tuesdays, beginning January 6th. A new one for me in 2026 – challenging blocks from some designers I know and several I’m not familiar with.

Lori Holt Farm Fresh QAL (featuring newly released Farmer’s Daughter fabric collection) starts January 26th. Weekly blog post, introductory video and lots of social media. This will be a QAL project in real time with 3-4 members of my Friday sewing group. I’m sew excited!

The event with Stitchin’ Heaven continues what has become an annual tradition for me. The RBD Block Challenge will provide a weekly challenge through late May and what I anticipate to be a gorgeous finished quilt. The Farm Fresh QAL will will provide a weekly outing, plus opportunities to deepen friendships with fellow quilters outside of my guild. All three projects will enable my de-stashing endeavors. Since I already have the required Lori Holt books and am sourcing materials from existing stash for all 3 projects, this makes the cost to participate minimal. Money saved here means more money for quilty travel!