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Our first In-Town local Quilting Retreat was held on Friday, April 11th and Saturday, April 12th at the Kinburn Community Centre. Lucy Shorey, our program director, organized this as an opportunity for members to gather and sew together for longer than a few hours in a nearby location. The space was perfect with three tables for each group and a full kitchen. With 19 people attending, it was a busy, buzzing hive of activity! Despite the rainy start, there was lots of energy as a whole lot of material and patterns were brought in, sewing machines, two ironing surfaces, four irons, donated food and the fun began!                       Our delicious meals were lunch and supper on Friday, and lunch again on Saturday. The delicious lunch on Friday was thanks to soups made by Anne and Jacquie, and the sandwiches were made by Nancy and Joyce. Snacks and delicious desserts were shared as well. Friday night, Carp pizza arrived hot and yummy! Saturday lunch was a home made chicken Caesar salad made by Lucy.    We got a chance to share ideas around quilts that were being made, and some finished there. Some particular quilts of interest were Marilyn‘s quilt, that she has had in her UFOs for a while and it’s about to be for her bed. Renee brought fabulous Tula Pink patterns with 41 colours in it. She just started it and we can’t wait to see what that looks like completed.   Emma also completed a project she has had as a UFO for a while.  Gwen’s green and blue quilt was amazing.   Gwen  Johanne  Annie made a unicorn crib size quilt for her granddaughter that she made start to finish. We are excited to see Linda’s animal baby quilt finished, and Georgene’s One Block Wonder quilt.  Betty and Georgene  Early Saturday morning keener group arrivals: Martha, Georgene, Linda It was so much fun to be able to share ideas, sew together, with lots of laughing, and even singing. Everyone went home happy and the sun came out too! Thanks so much for organizing this Lucy. I know there will be more to come!
-- Martha Palmer I thought I would write a short blurb about the retreats. Mostly for those of you who never get to go, or have never gone yet. I am not sure what I like best but it just might be when one of the worker girls comes to the door and says "Ladies, lunch is ready". The service is wonderful. Three meals a day and no dishes to do. We all have our own room and bathroom so all we do all day is make our bed. This retreat is held at Spruceholme Inn, a lovely complex in Fort Coulonge. About an hour from Arnprior. They have cabins, Carriage House, Toller House (which is like a nice motel, with a kitchen and meeting room), and two old mansion houses filled with antique furniture. In the Bryson House you do share a bathroom with one or two.  There is a large room where we get together to sew. There are windows down 2 sides and I have seen over 30 people there and you still have lots of room to set up. They are very accommodating with extra tables and chairs though many bring their own. There is a snack corner where they always have coffee, tea and ice water and many of us provide extra snacks.       The last retreat cost $425 plus $25 for the tip for the 4 days. I just spoke to a friend who had to stay in a hotel for 2 nights in Whitby and the hotel bill alone was $428, for 2 nights nothing included. I travel a fair bit and really believe you get a good deal. Think of it as a short vacation for yourself. It is a wonderful thing to spend the whole day quilting, sharing with everyone in the room and you never come home without learning some new technique or wanting to go searching for some new gadget. It is almost necessary that you spend some time checking out other projects. When something gets completed we all gather to congratulate and compliment. Of course we also spend a short few minutes getting together to play strip poker or some other game. Last time it was for 6" squares.  The real best part is the camaraderie of spending time with friends with the same interest. You not only get to know gals but pick up tips as well. We all take a placemat and these are mixed up so you have your meals with different folks every day.
Hope to see you at our next retreat. -- Joyce Murray Editor's note: Photos are from the January 2025 retreat and provided by guild photographer Emma  Our winter 2024 retreat was held at Spruceholme Inn, Fort-Coulonge, in Quebec, from January 29 to February 2nd, thanks to the efforts of Sue Hodgins, the organizer. Sue sent us a list of everything we needed to bring and also snacks and treats. 22 sewers attended, 16 from our guild and 6 others that quickly became our friends too! There was something each day to bring everyone together from walking around to check in on each others’ progress to a bit of clothes shopping at Jane Toller’s store in town. We shared tips and tricks throughout the time together, including: how to square up with the stripology ruler, shown some neat borders, and easy patterns to use scraps up. We had different activities each day: Show and Tell, strip dice game, and a trivia game, organized by Lucy. One of the most enjoyable aspects of coming together as a community was the communal eating time. We were told to each bring a placemat, which would be moved around by the staff as they set the tables. This enabled us to chat with new people at each meal, getting to connect with pretty much all the people at the retreat. It was a wonderful experience and we are grateful to Sue for organizing it. Looking forward to the next one in the fall! -- Martha Palmer Click/tap a photo in the gallery to see it in full. Our first Guild retreat since January, 2020 was held at Spruceholme Inn in Fort Coulonge, Quebec from February 14 to 17. We were a small group with nine Guild members and two guests. A number of us worked on our Block of the Month, Mystery and Charity Quilts and others worked on projects ranging from bags to small wall hangings to table runners to larger quilts. I always enjoy attending these retreats; it is an opportunity to maybe get to know other Guild members a bit more, to have some laughs and to learn something new. There is always someone who will help you out if you need it or to provide an opinion out if you ask. For those who have not been to a retreat at Spruceholme Inn before, it is a lovely place with plenty of accommodation for everyone to have their own room with bathroom, a very large conference room so everyone has plenty of space to set up their sewing equipment and the meals are quite good. We hope that if further retreats are planned in the future that a few more Guild members will be able to attend; it is always a fun time. Thank you to Joyce Murray for organizing the retreat. -- Emma Russell       Our January retreat at Providence Point near Lanark was once again a big success. We always seem to come away with more knowledge and a sense of having accomplished either some UFO’s or gotten a new project started. I was asked to teach some of the ladies how to make three dimensional Christmas trees with fairy lights in them. The technique is the same as the jelly roll rugs I make. On the Saturday afternoon we had a massage therapist come in and give to those who wanted, a back massage. It fells so good that it makes you want to go and have a snooze afterwards. It is such a treat to have our meals prepared for us and they are always delicious. We do enjoy getting together at the retreats. It is something I and others look forward to twice a year. -- Joanna Vlaming Retreat Coordinator Click or tap a photo in the gallery to see it in full. At the retreat, November 3 - 7, which was attended by 17 ladies at Providence Point in Lanark, a good time was had by all. We played a game with 2 1/2” strips black and white which were won by Ann Poll and Mary DeVries. There were also door prizes won which were donated by Sew Inspired. It seems that each time we come together for a retreat someone always goes home with a new technique learned or a simpler way to make a block. It seems that we do all get many projects started or completed. We do all enjoy spending this time together. -- Joanna Vlaming, Retreat Coordinator    The game!  Ann and Mary - Winners of the game             Click or tap on a photo in the gallery to see it in full. Our retreat held at Providence Point in Lanark on November 5-8 was once again enjoyed by all. The food was great—Jeannette goes out of her way to accommodate our needs. We all come away from the retreat having learned some new trick or something pertaining to quilting and we also get to know our fellow Quilters better. We played a game called strip poker with 2 1/2” strips. The two persons at the end with strips are the winners of all the strips. Our winners were Joyce Murray and Marilyn Erskine. They each walked away with 40 plus strips—a great amount to make a quilt with. We also had a demo on a small bag by Mary DeVries. Everyone who came went home with some of their projects completed. It is a great time to come and quilt to your hearts content with no interruptions. The food is prepared for you—you just have to go and eat it. -- Joanna Vlaming, Retreat Coordinator   On Thursday January 10, 2018, 18 ladies arrived at Providence Point to begin their time of quilting and fellowship. We arrived with the weather fairly mild and left with ice on our cars and cold. We did not let the cold affect our time quilting. The food was delicious and a good time was had by all. We worked on our individual projects, and we also made some blocks for the quilt that our guild is donating for auction to benefit the Arnprior & DistrictMemorial Hospital. -- Joanna Vlaming, Program - Retreats      The November 6-9 retreat at Providence Point Retreat and Conference Centre near Lanark was enjoyed by all. The food was great. We all worked on projects that we brought. We shared techniques with one another. Played a game of BINGO each night and enjoyed the camaraderie of fellow Quilters. I think I can truly say we all had a great time! -- Joanna Vlaming       Click or tap an image in the gallery below to see it in full. 20 lucky ladies enjoyed this winter's retreat January 12-15 at Providence Point Retreat and Conference Centre near Lanark. Tips, quilting help and ideas were all freely shared with new and old friends. The 5 "newbies" fit right in and enjoyed the weekend of time to just quilt to their heart's content; some started very early in the morning and others sewed late into the night. Breaks from quilting included fabric shopping, neck and shoulder massages and everyone loved the delicious food. A happy group of ladies headed home with many projects completed and new friendships made. -- Gwen Pennings  Anne Cruickshank  Brigid Whitnall |
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