There's nothing like the hum of a sewing machine. 34 sewing machines to be exact! I went to my first quilt retreat this weekend and met 33 other wonderful ladies! I have definitely caught the retreat bug and can't wait for my next one. Here's how this one went!

May 15, 2026

I left my house at 6 am and took the drive from Mena, AR to Tahlequah, OK. It wasn't a bad trip, certainly didn't feel like 2h37m, but I did get stopped up in construction a few times. 

I got to the retreat center at Camp Egan around 8:45 am. I walked into the building and immediately introduced myself to a girl simply based on the fact that I liked her outfit. Her name was Alanna and she invited me to sit at the table section she was sharing with her sister Meridan, and another lady, Misty. Eventually, Christina came to sit with us as well. 

During the retreat, we did a Quilt Fairy thing, similar to a Secret Santa, where we surprised each other with gifts throughout the weekend. I was very excited to learn that Meridan was at our table because I was her quilt fairy! Easy access. 

My first project that I started on was Mod Mountains by Suzy Quilts. At first it seemed very intimidating because it was the first time I had done 60° triangles and there were a LOT of words on the page. Once I figured it out though, I got the project done within an hour or so. I will be adding one more row to make it the correct size after some discussion with my mom. It will be the table topper under my wedding cake!

I started getting some quilt fairy gifts of my own.. popcorn and some gummies! And later on 2 Ruby Star charm packs! I also picked up some scrap fabric and a Missouri Star baggie to hold scissors/pens/etc. from the "free" table. 

I was planning on making my table runner next, but I realized I had forgotten to bring the Wonder Under, so I started on the Camping Sampler by Quiltcore Patterns instead.

I made myself a sandwich for lunch, snacked a lot, listened to a lot of podcasts, and got up several times to chit chat with new groups of ladies every time I needed a break.

Note for next time: BRING A SEAT CUSHION. 

For dinner we had a Mexican bar, and it was SO GOOD. 

I finished about half of the Camping Sampler by the end of the night, and cut out the rest of the templates to prepare for the next day. 

I read a few chapters of my book, and then I went to bed around 10:30.

May 16, 2026

After a fairly good night sleep, despite being a little hot (not unusual for me), I woke up around 8am and went back out to the sewing room. I got through one more block of my Camping Sampler before I went to Front Porch Fabrics in Stilwell, OK with Tina, Therese, and Hazel. Hazel had won a $25 gift card the previous night, but she didn't find anything she wanted she wanted, so she graciously regifted it to me! I bought a book on fabric dyeing, a scrappy mug cozy pattern, 3 1-yd cuts, and 4 Fat Quarters. 

When I got back, I had another gift from my Quilt Fairy! Pipe cleaners, lint roller, a pop-up box made with Ruby Star fabric, and some heat erasable pens. I soon found out that MY quilt fairy was Alanna! So it worked out perfectly where my Quilt Fairy was at my table and the person I was Quilt Fairy for was there too!

Lunch was another sandwich, and I kept trucking along on the Camping Sampler. Dinner was a baked potato bar. I finished the top of the sampler soon after dinner and got to ring the bell! There was a bell to ring anytime someone finished something, so we could show it off to the rest of the ladies!

I was going to just be finished at only the top, but Christina had some fusible fleece with her and convinced me to finish it completely. I fused the fleece onto the top, basted the backing onto that, and then quilted a diagonal cross-hatch pattern. I was going to save the binding for the next day, and just get it prepped, but Misty convinced me to face it instead of traditional binding. This was DEFINITELY the right idea. She sent me a PDF to explain the process, and I got it finished all the way to the point of hand stitching. 

I watched a few Youtube videos, and went to sleep again around 10:30. 

May 17, 2026

This morning I was apparently extra tired because I didn't wake up until 9:30. I got back out to the sewing room where I cleaned up my space (since I knew I wouldn't be using my machine anymore) and said "good morning" to the girls. 

Christina taught me how to hand stitch CORRECTLY, and what used to be my least favorite part of quilting is now quite lovely! I got the hand stitching done in about 45 minutes (which is a far cry shorter than how I was hand stitching... at my old rate it probably would have taken me 3 hours...)

After I completely finished, I rang the bell again to show off the quilting and facing. I finished cleaning up my space, started packing my car, and ate a sandwich. 

I didn't really want to leave yet even though I was done with my projects, so I brought out my crochet baby blanket and stitched a few rows. Finally, the headache and tiredness caught up with me, so I said goodbye to everyone, gave out plenty of hugs, and promised I would try to make it up to Northwest Arkansas to some guild meetings and workshops. 

I stopped by Dollar General to grab some caffeine, and then headed home, full of love, quilting, and lots of new friends!

Thoughts on Next Time

I won't be able to make it to Fall Retreat since it is EXACTLY the weekend of my wedding, but I am definitely planning to go to some workshops and meetings this summer, now that I have people in NWA that are willing to let me stay at their house overnight!

I have plenty of ideas for things to bring to my next retreat, and also what not to bring. I definitely don't need to bring as many changes of clothes as I brought... just comfy stuff! And I am going to design and write up a pattern for a seat cushion. I haven't found one that I like online, so might as well just do it myself! My butt will thank me!

I also want to make a lot of things that help with my setup. A lot of girls had the By Annie - Take A Stand tote that held their scissors, rotary cutter, and a lot more. I want to make a thread catcher/pin cushion combo like the one Craft with Bethany has, and more things to help with organization in general. 

I absolutely can't wait until my next quilt retreat! Or really anything that involves the community. 

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Have you ever been to a quilt retreat? Let me know what your favorite thing about it was, or what you would bring to a retreat! Sign up for my newsletter to stay tuned for when the seat cushion pattern releases!