With any luck, the work with the retreat registration is over for the Bonnie Hunter retreat we are hosting in early August. Â We have had a couple people who initially were going and have since changed their mind but those places are all full again. Â It’s a relief but it’s not over until all the final payments are made and that doesn’t happen until
A week or so ago we had a cancellation for the retreat.  That’s when I had an idea.  I told Kelli that we should pick a blog reader who regularly comments that showed a want to go but wasn’t registered and send her to the retreat for free.  We talked about it and decided we liked the idea.  We didn’t want to make it a giveaway with everyone yelling “pick me, pick me!”.  We didn’t want people who were just pretending to care about our blog but really only wanted free stuff.  We wanted a true sincere reader who deserved a chance and didn’t even know she was being considered.  We read through the comments and picked Stoney Monte.  We loved this comment that she wrote after we had told you our frustration with getting everyone registered, “You’ve made it clear how you feel and you’ve described how people are treating you. For your sake, I hope everyone thoughtfully considers how to conduct themselves going forward. And no, I’m not about to ask there is an opening for this retreat. I don’t have the money to travel beyond the end of the driveway but I have computer access so I can enjoy your wonderful stories about life and quilting. Thank you, Jo, for sharing your world with me.”
So Stoney Monte is coming to the retreat on us. Â We couldn’t be happier. Â We’ve been in touch with her and she is super excited….we are too. Â We love to meet good hearted people through Stoney’s comments, we can tell she’s just that.
People have begun to write asking all sorts of question regarding the retreat. Â People have wanted to know which projects we are sewing-we wrote in the initial retreat information that we are making Bonnie’s Moth in the Window, her Spider Web quilt and a project we are teaching. Â If you keep up with the blog, we’ll reveal that project later this week.
As anxious as retreaters are, we highly suggest not cutting out your quilt before class. Â Bonnie often has tricks to cutting or alternate instructions that make cutting easier. Â Everyone is welcome to do whatever they want..but that is our suggestion. Â Kelli and I took the Smith Mountain Morning class with her through the Mississippi Valley Quilters Guild several years ago. Â I cut my quilt out before class…I Â wish I hadn’t. Â Bonnie said that the publisher had insisted that she write the directions one way but Bonnie preferred another. Â The alternate way she explained made block construction much easier. Â If you want to cut a block and test it before coming that’s great but I wouldn’t cut out a whole quilt.
Something else about the retreat that we’d like to announce. Â You might know that we are having a trunk show featuring Bonnie but you might not know that we will have Julie from Me and My Stitches also presenting. Â She does the most amazing paper pieced jewelry. Â Here is a link to her website. Â Check out this little pin.
She does earrings, necklaces, and scissor fobs too.
She does quilt patterns too. Â She’s an Iowa girl and is going to be retreating with our group too.
I love her work and have a couple pieces. Â I absolutely adore it!!
We are trying to jazz up the trunk show. Â Something else fun we are adding to the night are vendors. Â We’re in the process of inviting quilt shops to occupy booths. Â If you’re a shop owner and reading this and you want a space let us know. Â Julie with be there with her amazing jewelry. Â Bonnie will be selling her books too. Â My daughter Kalissa will be there with her LuLaroe and plans are for my niece Ariel to be there too. Â If anyone wants to vend let us know. Â We aren’t charging much for a space. Â We simply ask that you donate a door prize and be patient with us.
One more thing we are adding is a silent auction area. Â People attending can bring donated quilting related things that they no longer love or things they want to donate. Â It can be a UFO, a pincushion you made, patterns you know you won’t use….anything. Â All of it is going to be put out with a silent auction bidding sheet. Â People can bid on it. Â The proceeds will go to our charity quilt project to help cover shipping, batting and backing fabric. Â This was Connie’s idea and we liked it. Â There might be a few items or there might be a lot.
I know I’ll be passing on a few things that have been gifted my way that I simply know I won’t get time for. Â The things are great and awesome but I don’t have all the time in the world that I wish I had.
I’ve also been collecting shirts…100% cotton shirts from my thrift stores. Â People are always telling me that they can’t find them at a reasonable cost. Â They will be bundled and people can bid on them. Â Here’s my latest haul.
I think it’s a win-win. Â Kelli and I end up with more money for the charity quilt project and retreaters end up with some reasonably priced shirts!
All this is happening August 4th in Oelwein, Iowa. Â If you’re within driving distance we sure hope you can be there. Â Pack up a load of girlfriends and head our way. Â Kelli and I will be around and would so love to meet our readers. Â If you’re in a guild, please tell your guild about our event. Â We we love to have you…and I think it will be awesome to see Bonnie’s awesome quilts and Julie’s amazing jewelry.
Now that the registration process is over, we’re starting to have fun with this.
Bless your big hearts!!! It was so sweet of you ladies to let someone who cannot afford it, come to the retreat for free!!!! I love all of your ideas for the silent auction and also having some unique vendors! Sounds like a wonderful time!
I am looking forward to the retreat even more now than I did before.
Your retreat sounds like so much fun! Congrats to Stoney! What a wonderful surprise! Have a wonderful time!!
Genuine good hearted people. I see and feel that with the passion each of you and your true followers are. So great and what a treat for you all and Bonnie in the same trip. What more could a girl ask for!
WISH I LIVED CLOSE ENOUGH TO JOIN YOU ON THE RETREAT SOUNDS LIKE SO MUCH FUN, YOU BOTH PUT SO MUCH IN TO ALL YOU HAVE A GREAT TIME. FOLLOWING
YOU FROM PICKERING ONT. CANADA
Great ideas are flowing! And what an awesome surprise for Stoney! Congrats, girl! See you at the retreat! Can’t wait!
So looking forward to this fun weekend. It just gets more exciting as the time goes!!!
Ohhh,Jo! You make it sound so fun! Wish I could be there!
I have followed Bonnie for years and I too love Julie’s jewelry.
Glad your planning is humming along. We’ll look forward to hearing about it all!
So happy for Stoney!! I know the retreat will be wonderful.
I don’t comment often, but do read you daily and have sent a top you used for a silent auction, but just have to say that is the sweetest thing you are doing for Stoney! A retreat is an invaluable experience for her and I am so excited for her! Bless you and your girls!
Thanks for the website this morning! I just ordered two pairs of earrings! Yu hould get a commission!
Awarding a retreat to a someone who comments frequently is a great idea! You know she will really appreciate it. A much better idea than a give away for this kind of prize. I’m sure all the ladies at the retreat will have a great time. What else could they do with Bonnie, you and Kelli! What a wonderful group.
Ellie
Stoney, you are going to have an amazing time. My friend and I drove out 2 years ago for the first retreat (from the DC area) and had a blast!
Enjoy ladies!
Marvelous, simply marvelous! Sounds like grand plans surrounding your star teacher Bonnie K. Hunter are being made. August will be here before you know it. Congratulations to Stoney!! I’ll be off to retreat with 17 other ladies this Thursday – Friday in Rainbow, Texas at Brazos House Retreat. T.H.E.N. in two weeks time, a retreat with Bonnie K. Hunter in Temple, TX at the Rocking R Retreat Center February 23-26 to do Midnight Flight. We will have her for one whole day! Whoo-hoo!! Allison C. Bayer, Plano, Texas
Jo, I’ve read your blog almost daily for several years and I enjoy it. It’s hard to say why your blog is the one I read daily and other’s much less frequently. Your simple benevolence and humanity toward life but also your very “normal” daily stories. So yeah like you something you mentioned recently, it’s a weird one-sided friendship. I think I’ve commented once before… that’s all…lol
Anyways, I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you did for the reader…
but more for sharing yourself, your talent.
You bring a little light to the internet. It’s full of stories to read. But I connect to yours and I appreciate having that kinship…even if your many prairies away.
Christina
What a wonderful tale about selecting Stoney to attend this retreat. I LOVE IT! Thanks for thinking about people instead of just making money in the upcoming retreat. I wished I lived within driving distance so I could drop by the silent auction.
I hope all of the folks at the retreat and silent auction and trunk show will have a MAH-VA-LUS time. How could they not when they get to hang out with Jo and Kelli?!
Good for you! I enjoy reading about the going ons around your house. Very sweet of you and Kelli to treat a blog reader/commenter to a great experience!
What a wonderful idea! It will be a good way to purge things we don’t want anymore and it goes to a great cause!
You guys are the best to do this for Stoney…..Stoney, you are going to have just the very best time….Reading this has just made my whole day…
Your retreat sounds like so much fun and I’m excited for Stoney to be able to go. It’s wonderful for you and Kelli to arrange it for her.
Good advice about not cutting out whole projects before the class too. I’ve been known to get too far ahead and then wishing I hadn’t. I really don’t understand why a publisher would insist on directions being done in a way other than the way the author wants to write them. After all the book is about how the author’s methods.
Congratulations to Stoney!. God bless you for paying kindnesses to you forward. Wish there were more people like quilters out there.
No–I can’t attend the retreat, but I wondered if you would accept items for your silent auction from those of us who won’t be there?
Sure…we sure would. Thanks for offering.
Hey, Jo, I have lots of quilting books that I would like to find a home for and know it will not end up in the land fill. Would you like 4-5 for your auction? I’ll pick the best of the lot (I have plenty). I could mail them media rate so they don’t cost me as much and there is plenty of time to get them to you. Let me know and send your snail mail if you are interested.
Sure…That would be great!
Love all your Ideas!.. I have some things already in mind I can donate to the auction.