We're preparing for our first retreat, and don't want anyone to get bored. Do you have fun ideas for small projects, food, games, etc?

I have been saving some ideas, let me find some of them and will post for you.

Some Ideas from these links that I have been saving:

Quilting Board Retreats Ideas:

Creating Tips Etc. on my Blog: http://quiltinglibraryworldwide.blog...g-retreat.html

1. Check List What to bring: http://www.besewcreative.com/What%20...0Checklist.pdf

Games:
1. http://www.quiltguilds.com/games.htm
2. Word Search: Craftybear created http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-51603-1.htm

Other Ideas & Tips:
1. http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-1463-1.htm
2. http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-47023-1.htm
3. http://creabunda.typepad.com/quilter...retreat_ideas/

Stash Bash ... everyone brings a set # FQs (or could be any size) from their stash. Turn them in when arrive. Someone sorts them into groups of coordinating colours or types (eg. all novelty prints). Each person gets a new bundles to take home.

Mug Rugs! ... many haven't done one, though they've heard of them. Could do a mountain of them and give them away for charity.

Mystery Quilt Project ... doesn't have to be a huge quilt. If you're wanting small, what about a table runner? wall hanging?

Bag/Tote ... everyone needs another bag, whether a market bag, tag-a-long, or more purse-like

We made a little friendship bag and learned a new technique (for most of us anyway - smile). We also played the Mr. and Mrs. Right game and had small gifts, etc. We also had a "mini" auction. Fun for all.

What about a scavenger hunt, you could pass out a list at the beginning of things like "Red fabric with fish" or three triangles side by side" or more interesting stuff than that. You could have teams and see how many things people can come up with by the end of the retreat. maybe have a little goodie bag for the winners.

Good luck!
Rachel

We all just bring a UFO and go quilt shop hopping. The food is kinda pot luck - it's just winging it. And it's always fun.

Tell me about the "Mr. and Mrs. Right" game, please.

I like the idea of a little auction, everyone could bring something they no longer wanted and auction it off, or a swap fo some sort! That would be cool!

I just googled about the Mr. and Mrs. Right game, look at this link and scroll down

http://www.quiltguilds.com/games.htm

Fabric Bingo - you can either premake the boards or have kits ready for participants to sew a board up. When done, the boards can be saved another retreat or used as 10" blocks for one or more quilts.

You need 25 2 1/2" squares for each Bingo card. One should be black for the "free space" in the center. You should have 5 blue, 5 red, 4 pinks/purples, 5 yellow, and 5 green. Each fabric should meet one or more of the following themes: batiks, dots, florals, geometrics, hearts, leaf prints, metallic, holiday, novelty, paisley, plaid, solids, tone-on-tones, stars, strips, reproductions (like either 1930's or Civil War) or any other theme you can think of. Sew 2 pinks/purples on either side of the black piece to make the center column. Sew each of the other columns together so that you've got a blue, red, green, and yellow column. Then sew the columns together keeping the center column in the middle, but ordering the other 4 anyway you want.

Here's a tutorial for making the board: www.amqg.org/pdf/bingofabdir.pdf

To play: instead of calling out a letter & a number, you'll call out a color and a pattern, like "Yellow tone-on-tone". If you want, you can just call out the pattern. Participants use buttons or other small marking devices to cover the board. Regular Bingo rules apply to win - must cover a straight line or any other variation that is used in Bingo.

We always have fun at our retreats without games or planned activities. We sew, visit,sew,eat,sew,visit and so on. We usually do a "road trip" to the LQS and everyone brings food. We all work on our UFOs and help each other if we are having problems...

Used to belong to a guild that had large retreats and they would have everybody bring items for a table plus they would have items donated by LQS. Several in our area. Everyone would sew, snack, wait for door prizes, etc. Now go to smaller retreats and we just eat, sew, shop, visit. Lots of fun that way too.

mltquilt

Strip Poker is always fun. We each bring about 25 2.5" strips and play poker. We got the directions off the internet. We've also had a mini auction. Have everyone bring a few items from their sewing room they no longer want. We have a gal that is absolutely hilarious and she was our auctioneer. We bid with fat quarters which we then donated to our church's quilting stash (church quilts for charity).

I am keeping track of this post, a group of us are thinking of getting something together soon !

These are great ideas. Thanks for posting them!

We have a white elephant exchange. Gently used or new item is wrapped or bagged and gifts are placed on table and names are drawn to go pick a gift. Good way to recycle extra unused rulers, tools, books, etc.
We also do a simple quilt relay using strips or squares. Divide into even groups and see which group can put together the quilt top the quickest. Once they are completed they are given to charity or neo-natal hospital units. Simple prizes given to everyone.

great ideas, thanks

I am making each person one of the canning jar pincushions and giving them a small notepad and pen with the challenge to write something complimentary about each person and put it in that person's canning jar. We have a small group, usually 10-12, at a bed and breakfast so meals are provided. We take snacks and donate items for drawings that we have thru out the weekend. This year we were given a fabric square when we signed up with instructions for making a block which there will be a drawing for and someone will win all the blocks.

Our girls sew during the day. When they need a break (mid to late afternoon) we do a few small demos (volunteers from the group) of new techqnics (gets everyone away from thier project). This is our most requested time. Plus at night we gather around (with a sweet treat-of course) and go around the group and "Tell Something About Yourself That No One Knows)--My mouth hurt from laughing for days after that!!!
Plus we do a Table Runner Challange- We give a small amount of fabric months before. Everyone brings to the retreat in a bag and we display and vote (I only announce top 3 voted ones-so nonones feeling get hurt). So.... neat to see what they come up with. It is small project and it is something completed. Over the past 3 years there is things that we added and omitted from our retreat. I have fun planning and organizing this event each year.

My two sisters and I accompany my mother (now age 85) to two quilt retreats a year...it is a wonderful way to spend quality time with our mom and siblings doing what we love most!! And my mother just beams with her chicks sitting around her!!

Great ideas!!!

At one retreat we divided up into teams and played a trivia game for strips and used the strips for the pineapple blossom blocks from Bonnie Hunter's website.

We've played bingo and quilto for small prizes. We did a dirty gift swap one time that was loads of fun. Everybody that wanted to participate brought a wrapped gift in the $10 to $15 dollar range. We all drew numbers and the first person started off by picking a gift but not opening it. Then the second person could either take that gift or get one off the table. There was no limit to the number of times a gift could be taken since none of them were opened until the very end.

do you know the dice game "Left, Right, Center"
Played with fat quarters. If you throw dice and L comes up you pass a fat quarter to the one on left, or Right or put one in center.
Can get the game at toy stores, Bed Bath and Beyond, etc.
Last one with a fat quarter wins all in the center.

We play that same game with 2 and a half inch strips. We start the game with 3 strips each. Whoever is left with the last strip wins the jackpot. We call this game "Strip Poker". I enjoy the looks on people's faces when we tell them we played strip poker at our retreat.

we usually don't have much time for games, etc, because we are either sewing, eating, laughin, or sleeping. we have take a puzzle a time or two. just make sure you have enough threats. we do not have a project for the retreat beause we all have enough UFO's to keep us busy for weeks.

We have done a "strip bingo". Every one brings in several 2 1/2 in. strips which are put {1 per game} into a pile in the middle of a table. Person who wins the game gets the pile. Our bingo game was made up of sewing/quilting terms in each square such as...binding,rotary cutter,selvedge,rulers,etc. Have fun!

I have been to several retreats. Here are my suggestions:

Skip the games. Especially if they are physical. There are a lot of older women at the retreats I go to that can't do physical games and felt left out.

Show and Tell. Have everyone bring one of their projects and show off. I think it is one of the best parts of the retreat.

White Elephant exchange. Everyone brings some unwanted quilting supplies in a package of some sort. Then whoever draws #1 picks a package and opens it. #2 can either pick one out of the pile or take #1. A package can trade hands 3 times then it is dead. It can be a lot of fun.

Seret Pals. Bring a bag of small items to shower on your secret pal. Drop them off on her sewing machine several times during the retreat then everyone meets their secret pal at the end.

Plenty of time for sewing. The ladies who put on the retreat are always walking around talking or helping with questions.

Make sure there is a lot of coffee and drinks and TP. My last retreat we ran out of TP. With 30 women drinking coffee that was a disaster.

Have fun. Even if you just sew and talk and eat you will have a good time.

craftybear-- I have a whole page with just your stuff I save-- thank you - thank you - thank you for all your info you share :thumbup:

Glad you saw these, you may wanna bring some games. YOu knwo the ones I have planned. LOL. So many wonderful ideas. Thank you for this post.♥♥

Thank you Ladies. My guild is having a retreat in October. This will be a second time around for us. So very much fun.
I am on the committee and you'll have given some great ideas. I will let you know how it turns out. Thanks again.

This has helped me understand the ones you have planned and I am getting the supplies I need to make a few more for you. I'm sure we can come up with "prizes" too!!!

My LQS when I lived in California has had mystery quilts complete with a murder mystery, where most of us had a part. They also did a "spa" retreat at the quilt shop.

I know the guild I belonged to in California has members offer classes in their specialties, like mini-seminars. The new one I belong to in Las Vegas is having an mystery quilt option as well as just a sew-in. They also booked a one day long-arm class somewhere near the hotel (that had limited seating).

I like your idea!

First night... each guest writes down all of his/her fears and trepidations about quilting. Place them in a small paper bag. Build a camp fire, fire in fire place or open one large trash bag. Add the small paper bags.

I'm the coordinator of our annual TOGA - Treadle On Gathering & Academy, and I'm LOVING these ideas! Every year we do a raffle (people bring things to donate), and an ugly fabric swap (to get rid of your hideous stash, we pull names and those pulled first gets to pick first). We're also doing a theme this year - it's in Blue Ball, Pennsylvania, so our theme is "Blue" (blue quilt block swap, blue food, drink, decorations, etc.). Just a few ideas... How about everyone brings a fun hat to wear? We also do a lot of demos & classes, and have an 'afternoon tea' the day before.

Our Guild organizes a quilt retreat every year, we work on our projects and usually work on a common quilt that will be raffled at our next show for a couple of hours, We are divided in teams for the meals,the team that prepares Saturday night supper prepares a meal with a theme, Polish, Caribbean, Cajun, we are given the recipes and it help us to know each other better. It is also a way to put in evidence new members or the discreet girl!

I'm a fuddy dudd...haven't enjoyed any of the silly games played at quilt retreats, especially the ones involving fabric. My mom and I both take good fabric cut to the correct dimensions and almost always come home with junk fabric cut poorly. We go to retreats to relax, sew and learn. The best thing we have seen non-sewing wise so far - a huge snack table where everyone just put out whatever! We have done some great classes where the purpose is to start the project and learn a new skill, then take it home to finish it and we have done one really nice mystery quilt. I prefer an open area with the ability to smooze at one's leisure, not forced interactive games.

I went to a camp in MI and everyone had to bring 5" charms...that year the theme was polka dots. We had to bring as many squares as there were people. The leader took all our charms and sorted them so that we all went home with an assortment. I think there were 60 in our group, so now I have 60 polka dotted charms...and strangely enough, there were only 2 repeats!!!

Strip poker - everyone brings fabric strips and plays cards to see who can win the whole pile!

I have a puzzle table with a quilt-themed puzzle for any one to work on when she needs a rest.

Everyone is asked to bring a used, unwanted magazine, one FQ, and one small tool or notion. I bring extras and put together gift bags for everyone to take home. (I buy gift bags at the $ store.)

We do one small project and everyone brings one or two UFO's to work on. We have time for show and tell.

we swapped walmart bags full of scraps we were tired of. I found some potholders with turkeys on them at a yard sale and since it was close to Thanksgiving, I gave everyone a potholder or two.