Wow, it's only an hour and a half from me! I couldn't get the calendar on their website to work and would love to know what's coming up.

--Heidi

http://www.flickr.com/photos/32113973@N05/

Sounds like a lot of fun!

Karie, we have also played Quilt-O. It's a real game for quilters. We use M&M's as our markers (I always run out of them :lol: )

Another game we play is called the left/right game. Everyone brings an unwrapped fat quarter and stands in a circle with their fat quarter. Someone reads a story of the Wright family. Every time the word "left" is said, you pass your FQ to the person on your left. Every time the word "right/Wright" is said, you pass your FQ to the person on your right. At the end of the story, everyone gets to keep the FQ they have in their hand. Fun game! If anyone wants the actual story, PM me. I don't want to spoil anyone's fun by posting the entire story here.

We play another game with mini clothespins. Everyone puts one clothespin on their collar/shirt (somewhere visible). We choose a word that if that word is said and someone catches you, they get to take your clothespin. We play this game at our Christmas gathering and often choose the word "snow" as the word you're not supposed to say. I have a blast with it because I try to say the word almost immediately and then lose my clothespin. Then I can say the word all night long and people think they can get my clothespin, but by this point, I don't have one! Of course I can take someone elses if I catch them saying the word. When you deem the game to be over (we choose a specific time to end it before it starts, say an hour or so), whoever has the most amount of clothespins gets a prize.

I absolutely love going on quilting retreats and go on as many as I can afford. They are so much fun!

Sounds like you had a great time. I just got back from a retreat too. I can't believe how much I got done. And let me tell you, it was a tough weekend for my credit card. Having a quilt shop right there was waaaaay too handy. But I got some great fabric and ideas for a few projects.

And in July, five friends and I are going to Sisters for the outdoor quilt show there. We rent a house and spend a whole week sewing. We usually take some classes, but this year we all decided to just go to a few lectures and spend more time actually sewing. We rent the house from vacation rentals.com. The gal who owns it is so nice. She knows we go every other year and she doesn't rent the house out for quilt show week until after she hears from me whether we want it or not. Of course, every even numbered year, we want it.

If you have a chance to go to a retreat GO. They're a ball.

Carol Doak tells a hysterical story of a trip she and her friend went on one time. Carol is a very funny lady in addition to being a talented quilter.

I am lucky enough to have two groups who love to retreat. One is a group of friends and the other are my sisters+others. Actaully I went to a third retreat this spring to fill a spot for someone! So that means at least 4 retreats a year.... whooohoooo! We laugh, eat, and laugh some more! It's only 20 miles away and DH calls me a couple times a day but I love pulling an all nighter quilting with friends.

You need to turn your phone off, everyone has voice mail! :lol:

I live outside of Dallas. Where was the retreat you attended? Which group?

I love retreats. I have one in less than 3 weeks.

We had seek a word and crossword puzzles that were downloaded from the internet and they related to quilting words. Last year there was a tray loaded with sewing notions ( maybe about 15-20 items) and we got to look at it for just a minute or so and then had to write down the items. We also had a scavenger hunt while sitting at the sewing tables and had to hold up the item. Fat quarter, charm pack, sewing needle, spool of black thread, bobbin,etc. It was fun.

I guess I am just plain 'Lucky!' Living here in Arizona not only do I have access to several retreats through my guild, local daily workshop/retreats at the LQS's - we have over 13 quilt shops in the Phoenix area. My friends and I also have our own little mini-retreats at each other's homes.

We also have Quilt Camp in the Pines and Quilt Camp in the Desert. Both of these provide national and international quilters for classes varying from 1/2 day to 6 days long. I think you'd like the experience. I know I have. The link is: www.quiltcamp.com If your family doesn't know what to give you as a nice treat this is always welcome.