Retreat Info For Those Who Could Not Go This Time

While this is still fresh in everyone's mind.........could those of you who went to the retreat at MSQC last week share some info with us.......Such as....
How many retreat rooms do they have........how many guest to a room?
What is the cost per room or how to they charge for staying overnight at the retreat?
What was the most expensive part of your trip......besides buying fabric :lol:........travel, hotel, gas, etc...
Did you bring your own sewing machine or do they have them available at the center?
How many of you stayed at the retreat center?

Thanks in advance for inside scoop............Hoping this information will help the rest of us try to plan for a possible trip next year. If anyone has questions for the group of ladies that went.......this might be a good time to ask......feel free to add your questions too.

Good questions Pam I am interested in this info also.

The retreat center sleeps 38. That is in 8 dorm style rooms upstairs and 2 semi-handicapped friendly rooms downstairs. These rooms are not completely wheelchair accessible.

As far as price that has not been set in stone yet, but $119.00 a night for a downstairs room and I think $69.00 for an upstairs bed was mentioned. A daily usage fee will be charged for those that come to sew that aren't staying there. You can bring your own machine, it's encouraged, but there are some Babylock machines available for a daily use fee.

For me the highest expense was gas since I drove from New Mexico, but I;d do it again in a heartbeat and plan on being there next year.

There is a kitchen for kitcheny things too... Jenny's lingo.

Great questions... Just the ones I would have asked myself... Thanks.

Is this only going to be once a year. Can you stay there anytime. Do they plan on having any private rooms. Did anyone take their machine via plane -is it even possible

You can take your machine as a carryon as long as it fits the size requirements.

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Originally Posted by Kgrammiecaz

Is this only going to be once a year. Can you stay there anytime. Do they plan on having any private rooms. Did anyone take their machine via plane -is it even possible

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I believe they said it would only be opened for groups of 10 or more and there could be two groups at one time.

So, if your guild was 20 people, and another group of 10 also wanted to book for the same weekend, they could.

Our group here on M* didn't say anything about doing more than one a year yet. The two rooms on the first floor are private. But, they are more $119.00 per day. They have an inroom bath and open to the common rooms. Sewing spaces.

But don't quote me... as it was all so new and there were so many people there, hundreds of people passed through that retreat center this week... probably on Saturday alone. They said they will be releasing information on their website once it's all settled. We were the test group.

I like the idea of doing a group. Sounds great!

The only "private" rooms are the ones downstairs.

I was only asking because I am a terrible snorer and sleeper and I would want to be respectful of others. I do not mind sharing space at all so I lile the group idea. I can take one of my girls to be the one closer to me to deal with my restlessness and noise lol

The prices are actually $69/night for a twin bed and $119/night for a queen bed. The two rooms downstairs have a queen bed in each room, so they would be $119/night like Karen mentioned. Upstairs, there are a mix of twin beds and queen beds in the rooms. I don't remember the configurations of each of the rooms, but the room we slept in had just three twin beds in it. I remember one room had two queen beds, and another had three twins and a queen. Hopefully, Stitching Woman or JLMasCasa will read this and give you the exact configurations.

There are two public bathrooms downstairs. The downstairs rooms have their own private bathroom. Upstairs, the 6 bathrooms are grouped together in one area, instead of each room having a bathroom. I like that, because you aren't stuck with sharing a bathroom with your room mates. You'll share 6 bathrooms with everyone on the floor so the chances of having a free bathroom is greater. (I hope that makes sense.)

The beds are very comfortable. There was plenty of hot water. I felt safe staying there too.

I brought my machine - Ididn't want to bother kerning how to use a new machine and figure out a quarter inch. For me, the expensive part was gas to get there, but I'll do it every year we decide to get together.

It's like a Lovely top of the line boarding house!!

My FIL always gives me a nice little check for Christmas, this year I am tucking it up for my M* retreat fund! Asking all my 7 kids for M* gift certificates to use for purchasing fabric! See... my trip now will just be gas and food! I'm on my way!

Oh but wait... between Christmas and the retreat is my Birthday and Mother's Day... So...

Thanks snippet. That info helped a lot!

Hopefully I will be staying at the retreat next year. Depends on if I can be downstairs, and not have to climb the stairs. But definately going back next year. So mark your calendars for the first week of Oct, again

The 1st through the 4th is a Wed.-Sat. I also want to reserve my same table in the corner... Baby puts herself in the corner! Best spot ever! I didn't get much done, but I got to visit with EVERYONE!

I'm coming again. if anyone in Texas wants to ride together, let me know!

For those of you worried about the stairs, they are very wide and you can certainly take your time. Someone will always be available to carry your bags up, just ask! Once we came down in the morning we didn't need to go back up. Everything we needed was in the main area.

I drove a little less than 7 hours and here were my expenses:

Gas: $50.00

Room: $97.00 (We got a deal of $30 a night since we were the test group)

Food: $30.00 (We put money together to purchase pizza and I went to the grocery store next door. The store has a great selection of fresh fruits and vegetables.) I'm hoping next year we can get a better idea of who will be attending so we can assign meals. I would love to bring lasagna as it is easy to prepare in advance and will travel well in a cooler. There is a wonderful kitchen area and plenty of room for dining.

Fabric Shopping: That's a secret between me and the people at M*.

I spent money on the little gift I gave each participant but you certainly wouldn't have to do that.

I brought my own machine from home since I don't like sewing anything on two different machines. They do make a sewing machine travel tote that is roughly the same size as a carry on piece of luggage for anyone wishing to fly with a machine. It was recently on sale on Quilt in a Day website.

It is my understanding, if two different groups (guilds) use the center, rooms will be assigned per group.

Robin

Hey Robin.........I guess you have a "confidentiality shopping agreement" with MSQC! :lol: Does that agreement come with the room rental??!! :D Lots of good info for us.........thanks!

Don't we all have that confidentiality agreement with MSQC?

I walked into the shipping department last Tuesday looking for our retreat manager. I said " Is Jean here?". They looked at each other and said " Jean Heckmann?". ( That's me!) how scary is that when the shipping clerks have my name at the tip of their tongues! Guess I am one if the "frequent buyers" they are really used to seeing my name!

Hi All - thanks for the great information and travel tips. I too will be asking for gift certs and retreat funds from my family. The whole place was set up wonderful. Nice big space for sewing and tables to gather at to eat and visit. Then the comfortable beds for when you drag yourself to bed after a long day of sewing. It all looked so inviting, sorry I missed out on this one.

I live very close, a little more than 1 hour drive. I was just able to visit on Friday this year but hope to be there to sew next year.

Is staying at a hotel nearby a possibility? I'm not able to share sleeping quarters.

Cameron, MO is about 15 miles West of Hamilton. Chillicothe, MO is 25 miles East of Hamilton. Both places have hotels. I don't know about Cameron, but Chillicothe has several hotel and restaurant chains.

What are the use fees like? I have family in the area.

Glad someone began asking questions as those of us who didn't attend want to know stuff so we can plan ahead. I like the idea of the 2 downstairs rooms because going up and down stairs takes me a lot of time and energy, both of which I would rather use sewing. Wonder if DH could room with me if I got a downstairs room? I think he would rather we stay at a hotel/motel in one of the nearby towns but I would miss out on the nighttime high jinx. I could drop him off there and drive back to the center to join in the night time fun.

I would prefer to use my own machine but we'll see as that is one of the last things on my list. Ah, my plan is beginning to take shape.

Thanks for all the great info! I would be willing to stay upstairs in a dorm room if I was coming by myself, but if Tobeysmama also wants to come, then we probably need a hotel room - she snores, and can't climb stairs due to bad knees. We would either fly or drive based on ticket costs - but its a full 2 day drive for us. Wouldn't be so bad if anyone else in the NE wanted to carpool.

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Originally Posted by Quilted Fantasies

Is staying at a hotel nearby a possibility? I'm not able to share sleeping quarters.

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Cameron is 12 miles away and has several hotels and restaurants. Some of us had booked rooms there long before the retreat center was slated to open so we stayed at the Quality Inn. It was a quick trip to Hamilton.

Firm prices haven't been set for the daily use fee, but I think I heard $10 to $15 a day mentioned. However, depending on how many are planning on coming there is limited space and people rooming in the center would have priority. The center sleeps 38 and I think they said that there was sewing space for 50, with a possibility of a couple more tables.

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Originally Posted by K. McEuen

Cameron is 12 miles away and has several hotels and restaurants. Some of us had booked rooms there long before the retreat center was slated to open so we stayed at the Quality Inn. It was a quick trip to Hamilton.

Firm prices haven't been set for the daily use fee, but I think I heard $10 to $15 a day mentioned. However, depending on how many are planning on coming there is limited space and people rooming in the center would have priority. The center sleeps 38 and I think they said that there was sewing space for 50, with a possibility of a couple more tables.

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well, Karen, you were in the room. Next to me, and I was staying in the Comfort Inn!

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Originally Posted by Jean Sewing Machine

well, Karen, you were in the room. Next to me, and I was staying in the Comfort Inn!

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Hahaha, I never could keep the name of that hotel straight! All I could keep in my head was the "Inn" part and I knew it wasn't Holiday Inn.

Cameron is 11 miles away and they have a number of hotel motels.

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Originally Posted by Quilted Fantasies

Is staying at a hotel nearby a possibility? I'm not able to share sleeping quarters.

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