Favourite moments

I've been teaching at guilds, retreats and conferences for over 20 years and I put the Pictou Retreat at the top of the list for my favorite venue. I like it so much I go as often as I can even when I'm not teaching.

The Pictou Retreat has it all: friendly students, organizers and staff, great food and accommodations, the sea, the beach, a pool, a lake for paddling, trails for walking, bikes to ride and lots of inspiration. There are always fun times planned and you really get to know everybody. I've made some great quilting friends in all my times there.

When I think of past retreats I remember all the good times.

• Trips to the local antique store where I talked the owner out of his favorite frog salt & pepper shakers
• Swimming in the heated pool and seeing our breath, during a snow storm that had us all sleeping under our quilts with the fireplace blazing
• Sharing cow stories with Doreen Speckmann watching the hurricane send the lawn furniture into the ocean while we were all snug in the class room
• The skits in the evening that keep us laughing
• Learning how to hang spoons from not only our noses but from ours eyes and chin as well (my record is five)
• Making a bikini out of 45-degree triangles
• Seeing kites fly in the bright blue sky
• Making Halloween masks with Terri Mangat
• Taking part in the quilters triathlon - swimming , biking and drinking (and you thought it would be piecing, appliquéing and quilting)

The list could go on and on but to sum it up I guess I could say that if all retreats were this good I would be worn out from trying to get to them all.

Anne Morrell-Robinson

A creative revelation

Attending my first Retreat about 18 years ago was a revelation. How could a gathering of quilters have so much to offer on so many levels? For starters, there was a 3 day workshop with one amazing teacher. One gets so much more from a longer workshop - beyond the quilt project - to actually knowing more about the teacher's ideas and philosophy.

Then, there was sharing a cozy, step-back-in-time, log cabin with my quilting pals, who were up for a load of fun. We loved to share and learn from each other.... and laugh! We laughed till we cried. I came back from that first quilt retreat fully charged up with creative juice.

Since then, I've been fortunate to return a twice as a teacher. I adore the rare opportunity to teach longer workshops and to get to know the participants well. We take time to work through design issues. We share stories and life and laughs, and celebrate our long friendships.

The Pictou Retreat is a treasure. It's a beautifully organized quilting event in an historic location that is the essence of Nova Scotian atmosphere and hospitality. I can't wait for my next retreat.

Best,

Valerie Hearder

From scavenger hunts to show-and-tell: what to expect

The Mayflower Quilters Retreat features a choice of one of three workshop streams, as well as independent study during which quilters gather in the cabins to collaborate and share ideas. Each workshop stream is three days in length, giving students in-depth teacher guidance as they explore new avenues of creativity and skill.

The Retreat has hosted American, British, Canadian and Nova Scotian teachers, with a goal of variety—ideally, we offer a choice of design, sewing machine or hand technique workshops. Evening activities bring the whole group together—teachers do brief presentations on their own work, and a 'Progressive Show and Tell', always a highlight, leads us on a cabin-by-cabin visiting evening to display and admire our own quilts and quilt-related treasures.

A 'Get Acquainted' event (such as a scavenger hunt) is always entertaining. Finally, on the last evening, we tour the workshop rooms to see what each class has accomplished—always a treat.

A community effort

At a 1985 meeting of the Mayflower Handquilters Society (now the Mayflower Quilters Guild), I made a motion to start a Quilters Retreat. Inspired by the collaboration within our group, we all agreed that a dedicated ‘working holiday’ in an idyllic location would be a huge creativity boost.

Here we are in 2006, planning for the 2007 Retreat—our eleventh bi-annual. Our original philosophy—let’s bring the teachers to us—works towards affordability, encouraging more quilters to join us. Over the last 20 years we have raised approximately $50,000 to further reduce costs, and we’re very grateful to the members of the MQG for their support of all our ventures; to the guild itself for assisting us for several Retreats with a grant; and to the provincial Department of Culture for their support.

Our fundraising has included raffle of a complete Retreat package, ‘Quilter’s Quarters’ (a tour of quilter’s homes to see their sewing rooms and view their work), raffles of quilts and baskets full of all sorts of goodies and supplies, and during the Retreat, we hold an auction.

A community effort, many quilters have given freely of their time, ideas and encouragement as part of the Mayflower Quilters Retreat Committee. Over the years, they have dedicated many hours to making the event as special as it is. As we approach our eleventh gathering, my appreciation and sense of collective accomplishment is greater than ever.

Barbara Robson, Convener