The Quilters Retreat 2011

Well, another Retreat is under our belt and I must say, it was one of the best yet. Little did I know when we started this after Quilt Canada '84 in Halifax that we would still be having a Quilters Retreat in 2011 almost 27 years later! The weather, the quilters, the teachers and the staff at Pictou Lodge were all terrific, wonderful and amazing! There just aren't enough words to describe the experience.

It didn't take long for the quilters to arrive and settle in. Soon we gathered in the bar for our usual welcome and dinner and then the fun began with our auction. Many thanks to all the quilters who donated fabric, books, magazines, preserves, notions and all sorts of other goodies. The PDQ's (Paradise District Quilters from the Annapolis Valley) were once again our able auction specialists. Lots of fun and bargains!

Linda, Ruth & Ruth had a great time at the auction!

Faye, Debbie and Sharon with the Pictou Lodge quilt.

We were thrilled to present to Pictou Lodge a quilt to hang in the main dining room, a thank you from all the quilters who have been at the Retreat over the years, it is the frst thing you see when you look into the diningroom. Thanks to Faye Palmeter who pieced and donated the top, to Debbie Vermeulen who did the applique and the machine quilting (be sure and look for the PEI ferry crossing the Northumberland Strait in the quilting) and to Ann Carmichael who did the binding. We hope that the staff and guests will enjoy it for many years.

 Daphne Greig's class at work.

Jackie & Lois at work in Jane Sassaman's class.

Patsy at work in Elaine Quehl's class.

Patricia & Bernie hard at work in the "Hermits" classroom.

The workshops started bright and early Thursday morning with Daphne Greig, Elaine Quehl and Jane Sassaman. Each quilter spent 3 days with one teacher, a great indepth way to really learn something. The staff at Pictou Lodge bent over backwards to accommodate us and our unique needs. We aren't their usual conference setup!

Sharon & Mary's room.

Jerri minds the fort!

Ginny's New York Beauty.

A few of the PDQ's, Joan, Isabel and Rosemary.

Anne's wonderful and unusual plants quilt.

After dinner Thursday night we were joined by some of the local quilters as went went around from cabin to cabin on our "Progressive Show and Tell", kind of like Hallowe'en for quilters. There was lots of variety, lots of different techniques and some pretty incredible quilts, large and small. Be sure and check out our photo link on the right hand side to see lots more pictures.

Lorna shops at our merchant Timeless Stitches in River John, thanks to Sandy Rice for bringing her shop to us!

We had some incredible support from our many donors for door prizes which were given out each night. Please see the donor list link on the right hand side for a complete list.

Friday night we had a free night with a couple of options for those with the energy! Classrooms were open for those who wanted to sew, Teri hosted a wine and cheese reception for SAQA and had a travelling show of members works to share with us and many quilters chose to relax in their cabins with new friends and old!

Saturday night was our closing banquet, highlighted by the "Mug Rug" challenge. I must say I was thrilled with the results! Our quilters certainly rose to the challenge and came up with some wonderful, creative and useful mug rugs. A spontaneous auction was held for those mug rugs donated to the cause and several hundred dollars was raised! Thanks to all who participated and to Elaine, Daphne and Jane for being our very able judges!

The Silent Auction of special items was held in the lobby and even the staff got into some pretty competetive bidding! Thanks to all who dontaed items and all who made the successful bids. (see our quilt hanging in the background!)

Many thanks to our fantastic teachers who helped to make our Retreat so special.

Jane Sassaman, Daphne Greig and Elaine Quehl.

Plans are well underway for our 14th Quilters Retreat at Pictou Lodge, mark your calendars for September 25-29, 2013. Keep an eye on this blog for the announcement of who the teachers will be and important dates for registration etc.

Special thanks to the Retreat Committee who are the best and who give so much to make this event the success that it is. Thanks to Meredith, Ann, Sandra, Faye, Fiona, Barb B and especially to Marie who is "retiring" from the committee. we will all miss you Marie!