I love all the different answers! Everyone experiences retirement differently. I've been retired for 9 years, and fall into the "how did I get everything done when I was working?" category. We are busy almost every. I design/sew/quilt mostly at night. 1. My sewing area is my dining room, so it needs to be packed up for holiday celebrations. 2. No large blocks of time set aside unless I'm on a deadline, or working on an alteration or mending project. 3. My stash is good sized, but I never seem to have exactly what I need, so I shop! 4. My stash doesn't bore me, but I don't want it to be lonely, so I add to it! 5. I have lots of magazines and books, and no...so far haven't made much from them. 6. Classes and sit and sews never really happened. Tried it, didn't like it.
Here's the thing...your dreams are what you want them to be. Keep trying, and figure out what you want/need out of quilting. You just may find yourself staring at the birdfeeder and watching butterflies for hours on end!!