Sewing Camp?

Sounds like a great idea.....at your house, or mine??? BTW, I'm downunder so it might take a day or three to travel. LOL

Br> My friend and I were thinking how nice it would be to get away for a week

I like the idea, too. There are quilting camps at various times and places in the USA, but I'm downunder as well!

"Beth In Alaska" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@corp.supernews.com:

really, really, really want to go!

I always wanted to take a sewing cruise. I don't care about ports of call (unless there are quilt shop hops involved). I just want to be stuck on a ship and be able to sew 24 hours a day if I want. I want my bed made in the morning and turned down at night. The possibility of a massage if I need it, and a few drinks in the evening with a bunch of friends who are there for the same reason as me.

Food there when I need it without thinking about what to order or if it's lunch time yet.

To be able to sew without interruption or distractions.

Bliss.

Maybe a cross Atlantic cruise or something. Not many ports of call out there.

That's what my heaven looks like.

Cindy

Hi Beth, There is a "Quilter's Retreat" at the Carol Joy Holling Camp in Ashland, NE. I think this year's retreat is past, but their website is:

if you want to ask about upcoming retreats. They also have had a UFO workshop, for unfinished projects with the option to just work on your project at camp.

One of my daughters was a camp counselor there several years ago. They have this awesome quilt auction every year to raise funds for the Lutheran Outdoor ministries. It is a sight to behold- I love going just to see the variety of quilts and of course get caught up with the whole auction! There are pictures of this years auction on the website.

And I loved the suggestion for a quilting cruise- complete with port of call stops at quilt shops!! Hope this is some help! Pam

Bronwyn, I'll be in Victoria in December??

Even better than sewing camp!! Non-rustic, needs taken care of!! I love it!

Organize your own. A local hotel. The lower in stars they rate the more desperate they're likely to be. Slower season would also help. Many have smaller ajoining rooms for conferences. Electric usually not a problem.

Girl Scout camp. Yes, they have cabins available. Some smaller ones, usually intended only for day camping are close to cities. For the purpose of having to rent a room if they won't let you sleep there. Local eateries could also cater. Mosey Wood in PA has an 'Arts and Crafts' building. There is a large dining complex that could not only have the sewing area in it but also space for dining and could have the sleeping area at the other end. You wouldn't even have to use latrines. There are actual flush toilets in the building. How do I know this? I worked there as a kitchen aide one summer. Great experience! This would work just before or after the regular camping season.

Boy Scouts? They tend to be a bit more reclusive.

A college might like to rent out some facilities during the summer. I read an article a few years ago about colleges renting out dorm rooms for travellers trying to do vacation on the cheap side.

Some ideas, AK in PA

hi AK! I think I just might. Alaska has a long and dark winter with cheap hotel rates.

G'day Melinda

Without giving your exact location, where are you? I'm on the north coast NSW and often think of a sewing weekend at a beachside caravan park not too far from my home. They have a great function room onsite and the park itself is right on the beach...perfect for a stress break during the day.

Bronwyn ;-)

mel>

Beth, come on up to NSW and we'll organise something.

Bronwyn ;-)

Beth>

Down near Newcastle, we're actually in a suburb of Lake Macquarie but pretty much central to most areas of Newcastle.

There was a thread a short time ago about adapting T-shirts and making them actually fit and someone mentioned Pamela's Patterns T-shirt makeover pattern. Sounded fabulous so I scooted over to her site and ordered it.

Pattern $8 (that's fine) Overseas Shipping $8.00 (Ok, maybe it's a very FAT pattern) Postage $5.00 ( I didn't notice that when I ordered) Total $21. (Gulp!)

It arrived today and the actual postage cost was $2.70. For a shipping and postage charge of $13. I'm not a terribly happy bunny - why do suppliers think that overseas customers are just milk cows.

But it looks like a great pattern, just not a great $21 pattern.

That's just a rip-off, isn't it? They apparently don't really want to do international shipping. It would be so much better if they would just say so, rather than punitively charging buyers. I wonder if the little money they made from this one sale will compensate for all the readers here who note that Pamela's Patterns is a greedy outfit?

Ya know, they do have to go down to the post office and fill out a Customs declaration when they send a package overseas, so maybe some of that money is for their time, given that they don't have a steady stream of international clientele.

International mail IS a little more trouble than domestic, but not that much. When I sold on eBay for several years, I kept a supply of customs forms at home with my other mailing supplies, and it only takes a couple of minutes to fill one out. Selling internationally increases one's customer base, and some of my most interesting sales and nicest customers were those out of the U.S. I think any merchant who discourages international sales is making a big mistake.

Doreen in Alabama

Well, I doubt every last one of them are highly experienced in international trade, and I don't begrudge them that lack of experience. If I were not in the US, I might choose to not do business with them, but I wouldn't hold it against them, especially given what I know about overseas packages getting lost (many users of Wild Ginger's Pattern Master programs in Australia never received the products they purchased, which I think had something to do with their eventually offering digital downloads of their full products, which is not something they initially wanted to do because of the HUGE file sizes.

When you sold >

Certainly, but the surcharge on the OP's purchase does seem excessive to me. Maybe as a small-time seller I just considered my time as part of the cost of doing business. I was going to the post office to pick up business mail, anyway, since we had rented a box (after at least two correctly addressed payments had been returned marked "No such address"...by a USPS carrier who eventually was terminated).

Obviously something about my methods was lacking, as selling on eBay didn't make me rich. ;) It was fun, though.

Doreen in Alabama

How about a seller who charged $20 for a Priority Mail envelope? The item: a shirt and skirt, silk, lightweight.

Ebay's feedback section now lets you ding them on "excessive shipping charges." so I did.

--Karen D.