Way back when I asked for suggestions on what to do at a quilt retreat that our group was planning.....many of you gave me great ideas of activities, projects, etc. and I've filed them away in the "Retreat" file. Well, tomorrow 10 of us leave for our 4 night, 5 day beach retreat . Our rental house is right on the beach, we are 1 mile from major shopping, fabric and grocery stores, have a jacuzzi, fireplace and a ton of room to spread out and sew, sew, sew. I plan to take a million pictures and get a bazillion things done.

We , as a group, are working on two projects for part of the retreat. One is to finish up the Christmas Socks for Soldiers so we can drop them off at the coordinator's and the other project is a new one we started last month making Doo Rag and knit sleep hats for our local cancer center patients. I called the Oncology Center looking for a hat for our daughter and ended up with a pattern and a promise that we'd supply hats for the center. So far we've made about 40 hats. Hopefully we'll have lots more to hand over to the cancer center when we get back from our retreat.

Wish you could all join us. We are so excited about the trip!

Sounds like wonderful fun! Not sure how much sewing I would get done if I were in a beach house, I'd want to be out playing in the surf and sand. Enjoy yourself and relax, you've had a tough summer too and we need these joys to keep our spirits high, don't we?

Would love the pattern for the hats when you return and get a chance to see how things are going. We have two big cancer centers here in our state that can use all the support they can get. Thanks!

Hugs,
Sharon

Hi MimiSharon:
Thank you for your encouraging words. It has been a tough summer and it could be an even tougher winter but we pray for best possible outcomes for our DD and for my mom.

I would love to send you the pattern for the Doo Rag and the night hats for cancer center patients. I would maybe call the cancer centers you speak of to see if they have their own pattern or if they even want the hats. I heard recently there are some centers who don't want to mess with the hats but tell the patients they can call so and so to get hats or hat patterns to make their own. You don't want to give anything to someone who doesn't want it as your items just get shoved in a closet or cupboard for a few years then are discarded.

Just PM me your address and I'll send you the pattern for both. I used to have your address as I sent you a quilt block way back when Roy got sick but I'm pretty sure I didn't keep it.

Feather

Feathers-

Your retreat sounds like Heaven to me. I used to be a part of a group that traveled from near and far once a year for a retreat/reunion and we always had the best time catching up with each other, doing show and tell, and sewing, sewing , sewing. We also managed to find a lot of time to chat, shop and eat, too!!!

You are going to have a blast!!!!! Be sure to post lots of pics when you return so we can all live vicariously through you!!!

And best wishes to you and your daughter. I hope her recovery is swift and permanent.

Have fun feathers! Hope all you sewing machines are pointing toward the beach!

Well, the burning question....did you get all of the projects completed?? It sounded like so much fun!

Yes....where are the pics Feathers???? I wanna enjoy your fun! :wink:

We're back from the retreat and I have to say, the 4 days we spent at the beach were glorious beyond words. We sewed early in the morning until late at night. We beach combed, ate, went casino-ing, ate, took shopping trips to the factory outlet mall, ate, jacuzzied, ate, laughed and giggled until our sides hurt, ate, sewed, quilted, appliqued, Kaleidescoped, ate, wined and dined on the beach house deck, ate, watched deer forage in the yard, ate, took long walks, short walks and no walks and we , you guessed it, we ATE!

We made 178 Christmas Socks for the soldiers over the 4 days and about 16 Cancer "Doo Rag" hats for our cancer center as well as worked on our own Christmas, and other gift projects. The retreat was a blast and the 8 of us who went can't wait to do it again next year. Same time, same place.

More socks and beach retreat pictures.

Wow! What a great group and a great trip! That sunset takes my breath away!