Girls just wanna have fun.

There is no word sweeter to an appliqué lovers heart than "Retreat".
There is so much to love about our quilting retreats and it is great to get together and compare notes, try new venues and talk about our old favourites.

A few of us have been away on retreats this week and it us got us thinking about all the great places there are to escape too.

To start off, Just look at where our Membership Secretary and all time fabulous designer and teacher Irene Blanck from Focus on Quilts has been....now if that doesn't look like heaven on earth we don't know what does.
It looks tropical and warm and perfect for those in the colder states to enjoy a mid winter break...
It is so easy to search for cheap airfares online now so is easier than ever for us to get together with our favourite group of hard core appliqué fans and spend a few days sewing in luxury.
Another group has been enjoying the delights on offer at Millrose retreat this weekend and there is nowhere lovelier for total luxury. And as if luxury and beautiful interiors are not enough....Millrose retreat is right next door to Millrose fabric shop....now retreats don't get anymore temping than that.

But it is not all fun and games and heading off on retreat does come with some hard decisions that we have to make....we would love to hear from you all about the places you love to go and your handy tips to make retreats fun.
Do you like self catering venues or do you like to have your meals included....there is so much more time for sewing if all meals are prepared for us, but it is great fun to all get together and share some cooking and swap some recipes.

And then there is wine o'clock...does happy hour start at 3.00pm or 5.00pm, or does the sound of champagne corks start at lunch time.

Now we have to talk about packing the car...good grief.  Military logistics officers could learn a thing or two from a frenzied sewer packing for a retreat.

Do you like to take your sewing machine, just in case you may need it, or do you just like to pack every single appliqué project you have started since the last retreat you went on.
Then there is the extra fabric we have to pack, just in case, clothes and lovely posh PJ,s in case we want to spend all day sewing in comfort.

We have to pack our irons and lamps and a special carry case for every gadget we have ever bought.
There has to be room in the car for chocolates, the cakes we have made to share, the cheese and biscuits and assorted nibbles that will be needed at wine o'clock...and at least one corner of the car has to be put aside for safe transport of the wine itself.   There also has to be room left in the car to bring back extra fabric purchased on our journey, as retreat rules dictate that  we have to stop at at least one fabric store on our journey and multiple visits are a must if our retreat is close to a fabric store....and if you are flying make sure you have plenty of luggage allowance.  It is always fun to travel with a friend but many times we all arrive alone in our cars because there is simply no room in the car for all our requirements.

How many times a year do you like to go away...one retreat a year is surely not enough....two, hhmmm, still not enough...we think the answer to this question is simply as many times as we can manage it.

And always remember the golden rule...WHAT HAPPENS ON RETREAT STAYS ON RETREAT.
Please tell us some of your retreat tales, we would love to know about some of the lovely places you go to and some of the fun things you do while you are away....we would love to hear from you, and who knows how much fun we will have if we start to swap retreat stories.