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!

WOW...I don't think I've seen so many socks in one place at one time! How on earth with all that beautiful beach, star fishes, sunsets and yes...yummy food...did ya'll ever get all that done! I can sure see why you'd want to do it again next year!

Wow, looks like a fabulous time was had. Thank you for sharing the pics. I am fortunate to go to a retreat each year, but it is in a hotel, no side trips or scenery. Can't figure out how you got so much done with all of the added activities.

And the added perk of looking forward to it for next year - the anticipation is half the fun, lol.

I think all 8 of us had the same great idea...cut out our projects before the retreat and then just set them out and let whoever wanted to sew them up. I think I had about 30 hats cut out and about 30 socks but so did everyone else so we just had to zip them up. When the project is already cut out it cuts down the time of completion considerably. And yes, we did everything we wanted to do but still got lots accomplished. It was so fun.

I'm so glad you had a great time! You all did get a lot finished despite the wonderful surroundings! The beach and the starfish are beautiful!

No, I don't know the Starfish story. Can you share it with me? it was this retreat trip that I learned that Starfish are carnivours or flesh eaters. They drape themselves on barnicle covered rocks and eat the the mussels by sucking them in somehow.

Wonderful stockings and pictures. You've inspired me to cut, cut, cut! I'll get my stockings cut for the troops and the county seniors! I've needed the inspiration to get me back on track, I haven't touched my sewing machine since I got home the first of October! Thank you!

Love your beach shots, I live so close (20 minutes at most) and yet I rarely go anymore unless I have company from out of state. Isn't it the most soothing place to be?

Hugs,
Sharon

Hi,

Wow, did you have fun on your retreat? Tell us all about it!

Karen

have fun

Craftybear: Yes, we had a wonderful time at our retreat. We played QUILT Bingo, sewed, sewed, sewed, quilted, quilted, quilted, ate, ate, ate, did some casino gambling, walked on the beach for hours, enjoyed the sunsets and sunrises over the ocean and nothing about the retreat was less than GREAT. I just make reservations at the same house for our group to go back and do it again in Sept. I highly recommend reatreats. We had such fun...9 of us went.