As a mom of 4 guys I love taking a peek into the world of male quilters. Guys are coming into their own as part of this fabric based movement and I for one could not be happier. Today Paul Léger and Jeff Rutherford let us know about the Quilt Guy retreat!
When you pack up your sewing machine and and leave for a quilting retreat, does your husband take off for a hunting or golfing trip?
Did you know there’s an all-male quilting retreat that happens twice a year in New England?
Six planes, nine automobiles and 12 sewing machines are what was required to get 12 guys from seven different states and two Canadian provinces for the 9th bi-annual QuiltGuy Quilting retreat that was held from March 14-17, 2013.
The retreat was held at the Shaker Meadows B&B in New Lebanon, NY, a now familiar place for the group. The first QuiltGuy quilting retreat was in August 2008 in Woodstock, NY. Five years later, and the retreats are going strong.
To date, 23 different quilters have attended the retreats – with quilters from 11 different states and two Canadian provinces. Quilters have come to New England from as far away as California and Oregon. Some drive as many as 12 to 13 hours each way to join us. Paul Léger from Ottawa (https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.19999855582.38694.697285582&type=3) is the only one who has attended all nine retreats. Jim Hahn has the record for distance traveled; he has flown from California to New England seven times to attend the retreats.
So what is QuiltGuy? It’s a Yahoo Group that was started by Kevin Britton in January 2000. The membership is moderated. Sorry ladies, only quilting guys allowed. For years, Quilt Guys would share photos of their works in progress, trade ideas, and yes, talk about their unique experiences as guys who enjoy quilting. (It seems we all have a funny anecdote about the surprise of female quilters when we’re shopping, not to mention when the shop owners or other quilters suddenly realize we actually know what we’re talking about). In addition to conversing digitally, we also regularly participate in fabric swaps – mailing fabric across the U.S and internationally. And, eventually, the discussions on the email list resulted in the very first QuiltGuy quilting retreat in 2008.
The latest QuiltGuy retreat started early Thursday morning and finished Sunday afternoon. Some sewing machines were humming as early as 5:30 AM while others were turned off as late as 1:30 AM. It is safe to say that many, many pieces of fabric were sewn.
Quilt tops of all shapes, sizes, patterns, and colors were worked on. When needed, and sometimes unsolicited, there was always someone willing to give a suggestion, share an idea, or lend a hand with pinning, etc. It’s hard to say how many quilts were started, worked on or completed. It seemed every time you turned around the person sitting next to you was working on a different quilt project.
Some guys enjoyed listening to music while they worked, and tunes were blaring from computers and iPhones, and the music genres were wide ranging.
It wasn’t all sewing and tunes though. During the weekend we played two rounds of Right-Left-Centered (RLC) and had a charm pack race. Jim Vander Noot won both rounds of RLC and is now the proud owner of 80 fat quarters (winner takes all).
Michael Michalski won the charm pack race with Jim Hahn as runner up (it was surprising Michael won, with all the sabotaging that Ron Bedard tried to do during the race). Andre Emmell agreed to quilt the charm pack quilt tops, and they’ll be donated to a Vermont charity. To accompany all the sewing, the innkeeper Jean prepared some amazing feasts. All we had to worry about was what we were going to sew next and how not to overeat with all the delicious food.
On Friday morning during the retreat, we took our usual road trip to the local quilt shop, Foofsique Quilting Emporium, where Michelle, Diane and Jenny met us with open arms.
These QuiltGuy retreats are now more than just a weekend to meet and sew. Strong friendships have formed, and it’s a chance for us to not only sew, but also to catch up with friends. Like most retreats, as we work throughout the weekend sewing and quilting, we also talk. And the topics are wide and varied, ranging from politics to sewing and quilting tips, to families, work, and life.
At the end of the weekend, everyone is sad to leave, but we’re already thinking about the next retreat.
One final note, several of the QuiltGuy members who have attended the retreat were featured in Joe Cunningham’s recent book Men and the Art of Quiltmaking, including Andre Emmell and Holice Turnbow. Click on the book image to take a peek!
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Thanks guys!… and keep stitching!
