The Denver Metro Modern Quilt Guild hosted its second-annual "in town" retreat this July and it was a blast! I highly recommend sewing with friends if and when you can.
I packed for the retreat at the last minute and realized it would have been helpful to have a sew day/retreat packing list as a guide. So I created one that you can use too (for free)!
I have been to a couple of sew days and retreats and had a pretty good idea of what to pack, but, as usual, I forgot something. At this retreat, I forgot to bring extra fabric. So, when I sewed and cut some half rectangle triangles incorrectly, which happens when you're talking with friends while sewing, I wasn't able to remake the block. See below for two kite-shaped units that should be half rectangle triangles -- oops!
When creating the packing list, I erred on the side of including everything I could think of. That way, you can cross off anything you don't need and hopefully remember all of the things you do!
Our guild is also good about coordinating with members to have a few people bring ironing boards, irons, cutting mats, rotary cutters, rulers, and extension cords so that everyone doesn't need to bring those big items. If you're sewing with your guild mates or friends, I recommend doing the same!
Thankfully, the retreat committee had organized a fun project to make a quilted name tag to wear at guild meetings, so it didn't matter that I wasn't able to finish my half rectangle triangle project. Before the retreat, the committee cut out letters from the Ruby Star Society Selvedge Magic Multi Letters Yardage collection and provided magnets and a pattern so we could each create a custom name tag. Another friend and guild member donated the accompanying Ruby Star Society Selvedge Magic Multi Letters Yardage so that we could add some fun images (clouds and flowers, in my case) to our name tags. It was such a fun project!
When I have been to sew days, retreats, and conferences in the past, I sometimes bring all of my sewing supplies, and other times, I bring a hand-quilting project. Both are enjoyable. It kind of depends on how much stuff you want to pack and carry around with you. Hand-quilting projects are great for trips that require airplane rides. I once bound a quilt while on an airplane and it really helped the time to fly! (Pun intended?) And a local sew day can be a nice way to get out of the house and have some deep focus sewing time with supportive friends nearby.
Download the Sew Day & Quilt Retreat Packing List
Have you been to sew days and quilt retreats before? Or taken a class that required you to bring your own supplies? What are your essential sewing-while-traveling items? Did you forget a crucial item? I'd love to hear about your experience in the comments! Happy sewing. :)