Quilting Retreats, Lost Quilts, and Lessons Learned

I just got back from my annual retreat with my quilty friends. This year we spent the week at Box Car Quilts, and while I can’t show you what I worked on just yet (two secret samples for Market!), I thought I’d share one of my all-time favorite retreat stories instead. It happened three years ago, and it still makes me laugh every time I think about it.

The Year of the Smiley Face

That retreat was at Lisa Bongean’s  of Primitive Gathering’s retreat named The Gathering, and let me tell you, I was on a roll. I cranked out three or four samples, including a Smiley Face quilt using Maureen McCormick’s fabric and a yellow version just like the pattern. I was feeling pretty smug about all that productivity. One of my friends made a quilt from a One Sister pattern, and we were both pretty excited to send our tops off to the quilter as soon as we got home.

One of the quilts was on a rush order so it would be ready for Quilt Market. Easy enough, right? Box it up, ship it off, check it off the list.

Well… not exactly.

The Case of the Missing Quilt Tops

Turns out, the quilter had moved. She told me. I knew she told me. But in the Market hustle, I mixed up the addresses and sent them to the wrong place.

When the package didn’t arrive, I begged. I pleaded. I asked if maybe a neighbor or even the realtor could check. Nothing. Crickets. Finally, after far too many unanswered calls, I gave up.

So, I did what quilters do when time is short—I made another sample in record time. I reimbursed my friend for her quilt by paying for her next retreat, and I mourned the yellow Smiley Face quilt as lost forever. I felt horrible for doing such a knucklehead move.

Three Years Later…

Fast forward almost exactly three years, and I get a phone call from a New York number. A sweet woman named Julie was on the other end, and she said, “I think I have something that belongs to you.”

Turns out Julie had bought the quilter’s old house online. She moved in, had hip surgery, and hadn’t been upstairs in months. When her daughter came to stay, she started going through some boxes left in the hall closet. Mine was at the bottom of the stack—complete with my long-lost quilt tops!

Can you imagine the surprise of opening a box of quilts when you’re not a quilter yourself? Julie even had a few questions about quilting, which made the whole thing even sweeter. She boxed them back up and I am thrilled today they have arrived at home!

Moral of the Story

So here’s what I learned:

• Never give up—sometimes quilts find their way home years later.
• And for goodness’ sake, always double-check the mailing address!
• Always include your contact infant return address inside the box.

Back to This Year

The quilts I worked on at Box Car Quilts  this year are still hush-hush for now, but I promise there are some AWESOME projects I can’t wait to share—mine and my friends’. Because really, the best part of retreat is not just what you make, but the stories and memories you bring home. It was a blast! I laughed so hard and ate so much and will catch up on my sleep sometime!

-modalissa