Thursday, April 4, 2019

Retreats..The What, Why & How on Off the Wall Friday

Today's post come's from my comfy Victorian room in Millersburg, Ohio in the heart of Amish country.  Yes, I decided to take a quilting retreat because it was long overdue!

THE WHAT

For those of you who don't know, a quilting retreat is where you take a break from your real life - grab your current project and head to some out of way place to sew!  There are all sorts of ones out there with all levels of amenities.  Also, you can take them with your guild, quilting bee, just a few friends or by yourself!  You can pick one that is close to home or one that is in a place with other tourist attractions.  They can last a couple of days or a whole week!  One thing I found, is that if you call the hostess of the retreats usually they will accommodate your needs.

THE WHY

Why retreat?  Because its a great way to just escape for a while and immerse yourself in your work.  I don't know about you but when I'm in my studio I still feel the pull of the rest of the house encroaching on me.  There is something about schlepping all your stuff to retreat that really makes you settle into your work. Plus its a way to be with YOUR PEOPLE.  You know who they are.  They are the people who actually understand what  you do and  how you do it.  Their eyes don't glaze over
when you mention fabric or Bernina.  They GET YOU.

THE HOW

Still the how might seem a little daunting to someone who hasn't gone on retreat before.  Sometimes
it pretty easy.  Your guild sets it up and you just join the group.  But what if - like me - you don't have a group.  What I did was do a google searches of quilt retreats in a 3 hr radius of my house.  Luckily I don't live too far from the midwest so there were most than a few to choose from.  I called the coordinator and asked her to help me plan a retreat for myself (and later a friend joined me).   I told her what my needs where and what I was looking for and she just set it up for me.  I talked to three different coordinators who were all great with all sorts of options and just chose the one that worked best for me.

All that is left is the packing and deciding what to bring.....more on that next time!

So What Have You Been UP to Creatively?

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5 comments:

Claire said...

Hope you enjoy Millersburg. I used to shop for fabric there (and in nearby Berlin).

The Inside Stori said...

FYI - I see others have been able to link today but no link icon shows up for me. It also shows your site isn't secure....whatever that means. My link would have been: https://marystori.blogspot.com/2019/04/from-photo-to-wall-art.html

Frédérique - Quilting Patchwork Appliqué said...

Enjoy your retreat!

Nina Marie said...

Hi Mary! I added you to the link up. Linkz has finally made me move over to their updated system so maybe that is it. Last night was the first time I tried it!

Jen @ de Jong Dream House said...

I love Millersburg! We live just up the road. So many of your posts are about the places around me. I keep wondering if we've passed each other along the way. Did you get a chance to stop at Zinck's Outlet when you in Amish country? It's a dangerous place for quilters as they have lots of discontinued prints for a great price!