I usually try to do as many as I can afford and time allowing also, so it's usually 4-5. It's somewhere to enjoy, relax and get some UFO's done. I know some take Quilt cruises, and others do retreats. Now I am thinking of the money I spend to "getaway" when I can lock my sewing room door and stay in there. Think of all the fabric I can buy. Thoughts please...
I always went to Illinois for the Project Linus one also but this year it is 596.00 plus travel and rooms. And this is my charity one. So not going again. To me that is money well spent on the charity itself. Prices of everything, going up and up.

Hi Debbie,

What a lucky lady you are! If you have the funds then enjoy the time with your quilting friends.

With that said, since the economy is changing you should do what you feel is best. Having more fabric can be very rewarding. More fabric, more quilting. You might want to choose to cut back and attend one or two retreats where you truly have a grand time. If you've not taken a cruise, that could be the reward for attending not so many of the shorter local retreats.

One particular club in our area has a sew-in every Sunday at a local hospital. They get to use the community room with lots of tables. I look at that time as a mini retreat every week.

I am truly envious as I've not been able to attend even the first retreat. One local guild has two retreats each year, spring and fall. I hear the guild ladies returning from the retreats, they tell their stories with laughter of their time together. Oh well, maybe someday, until then I'm happy to be able to sew at home

Pam M

One, my guild's in the spring. I want to find one for the fall that's not too expensive and not too close to the holidays...

I have never been on a quilt retreat. The closest thing to it is the monthly classes my quilt guild offers.

I always go to at least one. My small guild has open sewing days every Wednesday and the second Saturday of the month plus we have a 4 day retreat once a year. The larger guild where I'm moving to next month has a retreat once a year that I'll also be going to after we get settled.

Debbie, I felt the prices for the Institute were high, also. As much as I would like to go to one, the cost is prohibitive. I am not comfortable asking my donors to pay for me to go somewhere and you can easily tell that the registrations aren't filling up too fast or they wouldn't have included regular attendees other than chapter coordinators. Then there is the cost of the hotel. My idea of a retreat is when I go to my sewing room and look outside the window at the bird feeders and those darn squirrels pulling the lids off the feeders.

I have been on 3 in the last yr. We go for 3 days spend the night, do lots of sewing, talking, eating. Relax. some are cheaper than others. Make new friends & relax

There are 12 of us that get together one Sunday a month from 9 to 5, small fee, about 30.00 for 6 months.

Twice a year I go away with 3 other women, we each bring a meal to make. We go from Fri to Monday, at one time it cost $75.00 per night divided by 4 or 5 of us, plus we would go out for dinner. Now the place we stay at there is no place close to go for dinner. Road trip each time to keepsake in NH.

I would really like to go the the Elm Creek Retreat but then they would have to put me in one of the books, and I don't see that happening!! LOL
Could never see the point of spending all that money for travel and hotels and food, when like you said Debbie, look at all the fabric we can buy instead.

Debbie, I felt the prices for the Institute were high, also. As much as I would like to go to one, the cost is prohibitive. I am not comfortable asking my donors to pay for me to go somewhere and you can easily tell that the registrations aren't filling up too fast or they wouldn't have included regular attendees other than chapter coordinators. Then there is the cost of the hotel. My idea of a retreat is when I go to my sewing room and look outside the window at the bird feeders and those darn squirrels pulling the lids off the feeders.[/quote]


Hi there. I know things are getting higher. I figure I do PL twelve months a year, we hvae 4 major hospitals we have Quilt days at and 3 meetings a month so I am ok with not going. We learn lots of fun things but I think it's mainly to meet others. WE have an account at home office, but we were told we could not use them for Conventions. Too bad too since I am the one who handquilts the raffle quilts we make our money from. LOL. The last few years, we pay our own way. SOrry to miss this year. Maybe Carol and Mary will figure it out. It was supposed to be less this year. I also think it is because they opened it up to non-coordinators also. Last years was really low attendance too. So I will use my money here for our chapter and continue to support PL locally.