Hi there. I'm Nicole Gilbert and you've joined the stop scrolling start sewing podcast. Are you new to sewing and want to start quilting but have no idea where to begin? Each Wednesday? Join me as I share the ins and outs of that quote, like, if you don't have a sewing machine, have no idea how much fabric you need. Or you're just trying to figure out where the heck to stick that bobbin This is the podcast for you. Hey folks, Nicole here and welcome to Episode 59 of the stop scrolling start sewing podcast. Today we are chatting about quote retreats. But first, a quick reminder. Before we dive in, I just wanted to drop a quick reminder that our podcast thrives on reviews by amazing listeners like you. positive reviews allow my podcast to reach more new listeners, which in turn allows me to create more and more episodes. So head on over to wherever you listen to podcasts, and leave a review today. Okay, guys, let's get going. So, quote retreats, totally on my mind, because one, I just booked my quote retreat with my quote guilds in November. So I'm so excited, My room is booked and I am raring to go. I'm also thinking about it a lot because I just found out that quote market, which is the industry portion of the International quilt festival in Houston is canceled. International quilt festival is still going on. So for those of you who want to go check it out, totally do it. But prior to the festival, there's market, which is just for people in the industry. And it's like a time where we can you know, we can shop for our stores, we can network, it's it's pretty cool. And I am so bummed that it's not there, which is why I'm it's not happening. And so now I've kind of like dived all in on my excitement for my retreat in November now because I am been dating for some quilty getaway get togethers. And quite frankly, since COVID hit I am even more isolated than usual. And quilting is kind of a solitary sport, you know, I mean, so that getting these retreats and get togethers and festivals and markets that we usually have is beginning to be a bit of a bummer. But side note, just to clarify before I like you know start the rumor mill. For those of you who are attending international quilt festival festival is still on, it's just market that is cancelled. Okay, guys. So let's dive into like all things retreat. So first of all, what is a quilt retreat. So a quote retreat is basically like quilty vacation. Usually they're a weekend, sometimes they're a week long. But it's at either a hotel, or an event center or a designated quilting retreat center. And they're kind of just a way to get together with other women, or other quilters that are kind of like minded or you get together with a bunch of your friends or you go with your quilt Guild, and you basically just sew all day long and hang out. legit, you just hang out. It's wonderful. It's such a good time. It's pretty much my favorite way to vacation. Don't tell my husband, but it's pretty awesome. And I'm always looking for different ways to retreat. Like bucket list is to do one of the big like, there's retreats everywhere from your local quilt guild going to a bed and breakfast for a weekend, all the way up to going to France with you know rock star level. Fabric designers think like Anna Maria Horner or Tula pink and like Sewing with them for a weekend. bucket list level, like bucket list level. But there's so much fun. So how do you find a quart retreat? So the easiest way and the way that most people get into the whole quilt retreat of it all is through their quilts Guild. So I actually the retreat that I'm attending in November is through my Court guilt. And so we are renting out a in, it's kind of not quite a bed and breakfast not quite a hotel hotel. But it's like a little cute little country in. And it's, you know, a couple hour drive away. So it's a way without being like a way way meaning like it's not a huge expense to get there. We're all just drive you know. And that's it's nice because when you go you know everybody because it's your your guilds, you're going together. Now, another way is just to Google, if you googled right now quilt retreat, you would come up with so many designated retreat centers, and designated companies that host retreats. So there's one big one called quiltville in, and they've only been in operation for like two years, but they are taking the retreat world by storm. They're in Virginia, it's this gorgeous old Victorian home. And it's got kitchens, it's got you know, it sleeps 12 the dining room sits 12 there's multiple living areas where there they have a quote studio setup, so that all 12 of you could be in there with design walls and, and cutting mats and all everything that you kind of need is in there already. The living areas are set up for like hand sewing, it's really cool. Really, really cool. And it's a beautiful location. And that one is really, really popular. There's a lot out in the Midwest and West like Utah and stuff that are really cool. Like I said, there's always like big destination ones as well that you can find just by googling, quote, retreat, you'll, you know, cruises will come up, quote, cruises will come up, which I have no idea if cruising is even ever going to be a thing again, thanks to COVID. But those sound kind of cool. Even though it does kind of defeat the purpose I I would take like a quote cruise to Alaska, I don't really know how I feel about like the quote cruises to like the Caribbean because like I'm going to be inside sewing all day, I don't need it to be like gorgeous outside, you know what I mean? Maybe I'll English paper piece, I don't know, I roll nothing out because it sounds like fun. And then obviously the big like European destination ones which are like actual photos and stuff, which are always really, really cool. Now you may want to narrow down your search. Now what's interesting about those ones, a lot of times you should bring a buddy, you should like go into it with those ones that you just kind of search and find and you may be traveling destination styles who you might want to bring a buddy because they fill up the rooms by just selling the vacation package kind of like travel agent style, like how you would fill up an excursion. That's how they fill them up. Meaning the people that attend are usually from all over the country, if not the world, depending on what kind of destination that you're doing. And you may not know anybody, and that may or may not be a turn off for you. Again, that's something that I think bucket list, I might want to do just go by myself, not really know anybody. really immerse myself in the sewing and just make great friends, new friends, new stories, new experiences, I'm here for it. But that might be the male spouse and me going because if I'm really being honest, the quilt guild that I'm part of right now, I haven't been a member of for very long, because we haven't lived here for very long. So while I know these women, I don't know these weapons, and now I'm going away with them. So I think it might just be also a personality thing. But that's definitely something to keep in mind. Okay, guys, so what do you bring with you, like, think about all the things I'm actually currently sitting in my Nicole Gilbert Colts studio, which is like my everything. It's my office, it's my podcast, recording studio. It's my sewing studio, it's a classroom, you know, it's everything for me. But I've got everything in here and it is like densely packed. So think about you know, comfortably sewing somewhere else for four days, you know, you got to really think about this. So I'm going to break it down kind of by category. So what should you bring for your sewing machine. So you should obviously bring your sewing machine. You should ideally, have it serviced before the retreat. Just because you just never know and you want to in tip top shape. The last thing you want is to be like out in the middle of nowhere and not have any way to fix your sewing machine. And now you're at a sewing retreat and you can't so you know. So we definitely want to make sure we're doing that and bring your manual because you just never know. You never know what gonna come up, bring your manual, it doesn't take up much space, just bring it. Okay, make sure obviously you remember your foot pedal on your power cord, bring an extension cord and power strip, you know, outlets or outlets, you don't know how the room is going to be set up, you don't know, if you're going to be able to just like plug up right in front of an outlet, you just bring the extension cord and a power strip. And if you didn't need it, at least you had it, you should bring extra needles bobbins, a lint brush, sewing machine oil, your little screwdriver. You can bring an extension or tilt table for your machine. I especially always want to remember my extension table for my machine, mostly because my machine I'm so used to it, my husband made me a custom table. And so my machine sits flat shin. Oh, let me back up a second in a moment. But it's it's flushing. And so I like having the extension table just because I'm so used to working with it with a certain amount of floor space, if you will, which wouldn't happen if it was just sitting on top of a table which is obviously going to do and we get to the retreat for retreats where I'm driving. And it's more than 48 hours, I bring my big machine, I do not bring my travel machine I bring my big machine. If it's a flying one, I prefer my travel machine because my big machine is big. I have a jomi m seven, which is quite large. And I don't I honestly I wouldn't trust it on a plane straight up. So yeah, so I bring my big machine. And that's just a personal preference. Most people will bring their travel machines still, I just don't want to feel hampered like I'm making nothing but like little bits or only working on parts of projects, because I'm on my travel machine because my big machine has so much more capability. Make sure you're bringing any feet you may need for your machine. So think walking foot, quarter inch foot zipper foot, you know, etc. Bring a pad or a cushion for your chair. I love my sewing room chair so much. And it is like perfectly molded to Mateusz and obviously when you go to a retreat center, the chair you got is the chair you got. So you should bring a cushion just to make sure that you are nice and cozy. Now, for your projects themselves, you should bring the thread that you'll need for each project. You'll want to bring buttons zippers, bedding interface, you know, whatever you're actually the actual materials that you'll need for your project. Scissors for cutting fabric, a pick up you know think a pair for paper as well as a pair for fabric and cutting threads. Or if your hand sewing because you just never know what the situation might bring and the center might not be stocked with anything. So keep that in mind. You might need paper scissors as well as your fabric scissors. Cutting Mat small or medium size. I mean you We can't all go with a gigantic one. There's just not going to be space for it. In an ideal world there is but you know it's not an ideal world. A rotary cutter and extra blades and your rulers. seam ripper Some people think some people use thread catchers Go for it. My thread catcher is my belly quite frankly. And I just pick it off. But you know if you are wanting to thread catcher, bring a third catcher, pin cushion and pins, hand sewing needles and thimble if you're playing on English paper piecing or any sort of hand sewing, I always bring hand sewing. Because you know after dinner, you might be sitting around having drinks, I still want to sew, I still want to be sewing. I want to sew every single moment of my sewing retreat. Okay, set it marking pens and pencils, measuring tape, masking tape or scotch tape, basting glue or glue sticks, your basting spray batting safety pins and backing if you're planning on actually making a quilt sandwich while you're there, I would avoid bringing what you know you're not going to get to, you know what I mean? Like if you're just starting a quilt top, you're not going to quilt that thing in three days. You know, so I mean don't bring excessive amounts of things. But also remember you're going to be there for three or four days. So if you want to quilt something you can This is not like you know a sew in day at your quilt guild like you actually could get some stuff done. So keep that in mind. Ziploc bags in a variety of sizes will be a game changer for you for organization especially because everybody's is out a travel iron and a small ironing board or mat. See, you know, if you're a starch person, a light and magnifier, if that's something that you'd like, personally, I bring my desktop ottlite with me. Regardless, everywhere I go to brighten everything up just because you never know, some places are specially designed as quote retreats. And so they've got like those lights style LED lights in the ceiling already. So it's like, it's lit up like the Fourth of July in there. But some places are just normal places. And so you want to make sure that you're optimizing your light, because you will be sewing all day. Let's see. And then obviously, don't forget your pattern, your books or your instructions for your projects, the worst thing is getting there and then you're like, Okay, now what do I do, because I'm kind of screwed, you know, you don't want to be in that situation. Okay, now for the miscellaneous things. Bring paper, a notebook, graph, paper, pens, pencils, felt it marketers post it notes. A lot of times at retreats. And when I say a lot of times, I would say like 90% of times, there's at least one program that is scheduled, but would be a lecture or a workshop from a designer or somebody who's got an interesting new quilt technique for you to learn. And so you kind of want to have all of your learning accoutrements with you. So that you're raring to go bring your glasses and your sunglasses, because I've seen many a quilt retreat center that has a beautiful open porch, and I am here for sewing on the porch, you know, any medication that you need water bottle that you can refill so that you could just have it next to your machine all day. band aids because let's be real, we're working with rotary cutters and needles, people. Tylenol, ibuprofen, any other painkillers, you know, again, one, you're sitting in front, your sewing machine all day, and every once in a while, you just got to pop it Advil. But to again, you're going to be away from the house, you want to have that kind of stuff. Kleenex, hand lotion, nail files, lip balm, you know, charging cables for everything, you know, clothing layers, again, we're not you never quite know what the space is going to be like, Is it good? Or is it going to like freeze you out? Because you're in a hotel ballroom? Is it going to be hot because you're in this like cool barn setup, and it's August where you are. So I like to bring layering items so that you're comfortable no matter what. Bring comfortable shoes and slippers. This ain't a fashion show. We're showing people snacks to share snacks for yourself and snacks to share. Because that's how you make friends. Like you could totally kidnap me if you had a box of apple cider doughnuts. Mmm, chocolate. wine. Just saying I said it. You could you could pick that up or leave it where it is. But wine. And, yeah, a good attitude. Really. That's all you need. It's it's a good time. It's a really good time. So that was kind of a lot for the packing list. Now let's move on, what should you expect to finish while you're there, you're actually going to be there for four days, what three or four days. I mean, it's not set in stone somewhere, you know, Friday to Sunday, like Friday afternoon to Sunday. So that's maybe 48 hours. But a lot. Excuse me, a lot of retreats are four or five days, even seven days long. And you can actually get a lot done when your only thing that you're doing is eating and sewing. If you're only eating and sewing, that's a lot of hours to get projects done, I actually suggest bringing a main project and then bringing a couple of side projects as well. Just in case you get finished earlier than you thought you still have things to work on, you still have things to do. So I would definitely bring a couple more projects like if you think oh, this is the project I'm gonna work on the whole time bring two more. However, you think you're going to get through in that time period add two more just to be on the safe side. Okay. So there's quite a few things that you should ask the host before you attend a quote retreat. And I say this. Regardless of who the host is, the host could be your you know the person in charge of events with your quote, guilt. The host could be a company that just like puts these packages together and then send you on your merry way. And you're, you know, at a five star resort, and they happen to have all this setup for you, your host could be a designated, quote, retreat center. So really look at your situation and figure out which is your your actual host. But if you're going to stay overnight, which most of the time you will. But if you're going to stay overnight, be sure to ask if you need to supply your own bedding, towels, paper products, and utensils for food. Not all quote receipts are created equally. And also, there's some like that quiltville place I told you about beautiful, well stocked, you have to cook your own food. There's many other ones that are all inclusive, you know. So that's got to think about that as well. So, so think about how that's going to work out. If you're saying somewhere that is a dedicated sewing retreat, many large items like your cutting mats, ironing boards, irons, even sometimes the design walls may already be in place. So you may not have to pack those items. And that will save you so much time and also prevent you from taking unnecessary items, jam packing your cars making a whole thing. However, it's always a good idea to like triple check that because nobody wants to show up without a rotary cutter or a cutting mat, you know what I mean? Okay, so if you're staying at a new location, and you aren't sure about the lighting conditions, you should definitely ask about the lighting. If there are not a lot of windows for natural light, or you plan to so late into the night, you may want to consider bringing a portable lamp with you. Like I mentioned earlier that I bring my ottlite with me some things for you to consider about quote retreats. So be sure to read through your pattern instructions before you pack so that you know if your pattern requires any specialty tools like templates, or fusible or marketing tools, whatever. That way you make sure you have weird things. Because a lot of times when we're packing, we're like, well, this is the stuff that I use normally for sewing and it's like, Yeah, but this particular pattern is going to make me use that one thing that I almost never use, make sure you use. So you want to be able to make sure that you pack that with you. Um, Ah, yes. Another thing is consider bringing, okay, no, I touched on that already. If you're not a hand piecer or an English paper piece or or you know, you're not a hand binder or a hand quilter start. I said it. Because there you're going to get sick of your machine. Or there's going to be a time when you guys are just sitting around on the porch or sitting in the living room. And you kind of have drifted away from your sewing machines. Maybe somebody bought amazing apple cider doughnuts. Can you tell it's fall and I'm just thinking about apple cider doughnuts today. Um, but you may want to just sit around and maybe you don't want to sew. But I personally do, I like to squeeze out every second of sewing time uninterrupted that I possibly can get. So I bring hand projects as well so I can still feel like I'm making progress progress on something. Make sure that you protect your sewing machine. When you're moving it. Like I said earlier, I like to bring my big sewing machine which also means I carry a most intense case you've ever seen. It is a gigantic Pelican footlocker locker with high density foam that's been custom cut for my machine. It rolls it's just it's a humongous thing. And it's because I love my sewing machine. So so much so so so much. And so I really think about how you're going to transport your machine. If you're like me, where I usually put my travel machine I created a bag, like I made it myself a bag for it. And I use a Samsonite luggage trolley trolley, which is all fine and good. But when I'm going on Sewing retreat, I'm bringing so much stuff and I'm packing so much stuff into my vehicle that I really, really, really want to make sure nothing happens to my machine. So if I was to take my travel machine, I would probably pack it in something a little bit more heavy duty, or isolate it somewhere, you know, in my car, so that it there's like at So in no chance of it getting banked so that's I just gave you a lot of information, I just realized I just like a scrolling back through all of my notes and I'm like, Holy moly, that was a lot. Um, but really, what you really, really, really want to think about is, how can I get through this weekend and have the absolute most fun I possibly can. How can I bond with other quilters like myself? How can I learn new things and just enjoy my time, because i and this is me speaking from my personal experiences, and my stage of life where I am right now with three small children. And being a military spouse for my husband is gone quite a bit. And I'm running myself ragged, getting four days to do something that is totally for me that I absolutely adore. I don't take that lightly. And so I'm squeezing every last bit of it out. So I just want you guys to do the same. Alright guys. So you have just finished another episode of the stops rolling start selling podcast. Thank you so much for hanging out with me and make sure you never miss an episode. By hitting subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Now stop scrolling and start selling