Retreat...what a treat!

Our Guild Retreat is over for another year. Its hard to believe this was our seventh one! And each one seems to be better than the last. Every year the Committee look at one another, when all is said and done, and we always say the same thing: "This was the best one yet!"

We have a very congenial group, and most of us go for the same reason- to relax and enjoy time spent with our like-minded friends. We forget about the outside world and just immerse ourselves in our projects. We sew from morning till night- some start well before breakfast, and others are still there at their machines well after midnight. In fact if you wake in the middle of the night and cannot get back to sleep, you may as well head down to the sewing room and you'll likely not be there alone! The food is wonderful and we enjoy 3 meals and 3 snacks a day- and best of all- we don't have to prepare it or do dishes!!

Our optimum number is around 30, for a nice cozy "fit" in one large room. This year we had 32 attendees. Everyone has their own table and it is just amazing the amount of work that gets done. It's fun to walk around the room to see what everyone is working on. There is always a great variety of projects- from hand applique and paper-piecing to quilt-as-you-go, I Spy quilts and, well, you name it- it is there. There were batiks, flannels, plaids, and scraps. There was everything from baby quilts and lap quilts to king sized bed quilts. There were Christmas projects, kitted projects, UFO's and projects just begun. There were jelly rolls, charm packs and layer cakes. But most of all there was laughter. They say "laughter is the best medicine"..well if that is true, we must all have come home very healthy and no doubt we've all added a few years to our lives, because more than anything, we LAUGHED!! We are so fortunate to have several in our midst who have the wonderful talent of making others laugh. With Willa's costumed antics, Helen's stories and Marg's poetry, we were well entertained. We are blessed to have members who are so willing to share their gifts of humour with us.... We even had our own private nurse to give us all our H1N1 "vaxine" shots.... for the cost of one fat quarter!

Some worked on original designs; others worked with colors, fabrics or techniques that were outside their comfort zone. Others worked with their favourite colors or fabrics. But no matter what the project, we all enjoyed being there together, sharing our common love of quilting. Can't wait for next year!!