I am so excited to announce plans for this year's Buckeye Sewing Retreat. We are going to Amish Country this Fall!!

Date: October 31, November 1-2, 2008 (Friday – Sunday)
Place: Charm Countryview Inn, on Rt. 557 between Charm and Farmerstown, Ohio in Holmes County

I recently visited this beautiful bed and breakfast, and I cannot wait to hold our retreat there. The dictionary defines retreat as "a place affording peace, quiet, privacy or seclusion", and that definitely describes the Inn. To see for yourself, check out their website at: www.charmcountryviewinn.com.

The package includes 2 nights' stay (Friday and Saturday), a catered family-style dinner at an Amish farm Friday evening, a full country breakfast and evening snack on Saturday, hearty continental breakfast on Sunday morning, box lunch to go Sunday noon, registration and demonstration fees, and our usual prizes and surprises. Dinner Saturday evening is on your own. Price: $294/person, based on double occupancy. This is a REDUCTION IN COST FROM LAST YEAR! I'm hoping this will help offset rising gas prices, and I encourage carpooling if possible. To register, and click here for a Registration Form to download and print.

They have a limited number of rooms available, so I will accept reservations on a first come, first serve basis. Also, the quilt shops in the area are having a Shop Hop that weekend!! Retreat registration will begin at 12:00 noon on Friday. In the event you would want to come a day early and stay Thursday evening too, I have reserved a very few rooms for that night at a reduced rate. The Inn does not have televisions; however, OSU has a bye that weekend. Great timing!

We will have all new demonstrations and projects, including a "stash swap", things to do with a fat quarter (fabric, not money!), and of course, show and tell. An agenda with more details comes later.

So line up those unfinished projects, grab a friend or plan to make new ones, and mark your calendar for this great getaway weekend. The Charm Countryview Inn is described as "the perfect place to restore your spirit". I can't say it any better than that! I look forward to seeing you there.

A Look Back

2007 - Held October 26-28, 2007 at the Hilton Garden Inn Columbus at Polaris, north of Columbus and just west of I-71. We came from as far away as Texas and Michigan, and all parts around Ohio. We got a lot of projects finished, and a few new ones started. The most frequent feedback was that the retreat wasn't long enough, so I'd say we really enjoyed ourselves.  See photos of the 2007 Buckeye Sewing Retreat.

2006 - The 3rd Annual Buckeye Sewing Retreat was held October 13-15, 2006 at Marblehead, Ohio.  When we asked "What did you like about this retreat?", we were delighted with the responses...

• Meeting new people and seeing old friends.

• Time to share and learn new ideas, from the retreat staff and other retreat members.

• Plenty of space to sew.

• Sewing all day, on whatever you want and getting projects done.

• Jan and the Nautical Needle Quilt Shop.

• "The food was really good."  "Food service staff outstanding."

We were please when we asked "What did you like least about the retreat?" and heard...

• "Going home at the end of the weekend."

• "That it is over!"

Click here to see photos of the 2006 Buckeye Sewing Retreat.

2005 - The 2nd Annual Buckeye Retreat was a huge success.  Everyone had such fun, even those of us who were "working".  When you love what you do, it's tough to call it work.  Check out the 2005 pictures and see for yourself.  One person even commented, "I've had two-week vacations and have never felt as rested and good about myself as I did after this two-day retreat."

2004 - Our 1st Buckeye Sewing Retreat was held on September 17-19, 2004 at Cherry Valley Lodge.  Wow, what a great weekend!  We had 26 women from around Ohio and Indiana who cut, sewed, ironed, laughed, ate, had lots of fun, and even rooted the Buckeyes on to victory.  There were a number of mother/daughter duos, several groups of friends, one set of sisters, and a number of individuals who came and made new friends.  See photos of the 2004 Buckeye Sewing Retreat.