Episode 35: From Group Chat to Sewing Retreat

Summary

The Sewcial Hour Podcast

Episode 35: From Group Chat to Sewing Retreat

Hosts: Bethany McCue (A), Audra Chaimson (B)
Guest: Missy Lucanin (C)
Date: December 16, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this lively episode, Bethany, Audra, and their friend Missy record live from their Airbnb at the end of a “girls sewing weekend.” The trio shares their experience of turning a group chat friendship into an in-person sewing retreat, diving into everything from logistics, planning, sewing setups, and managing life at home to the deeper bonds formed through prioritizing friendship and creative self-care. Practical tips, authentic stories, and warm laughter fill this candid peek behind the scenes of their weekend.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. How It All Started: From Group Chat to Retreat

• The trio met online in the sewing community, forming a close group chat named "Stitching."
• Bethany: “We all live in different states. We become friends and started having like a three person group chat on Instagram and we talked every day.” (08:33)
• Planning began about 8 months before the trip, with schedules coordinated well in advance.

2. Location & Logistics (09:41–10:51)

• Chose Peoria, Illinois, as a geographical midpoint between Duluth (Missy), Madison, WI (Audra), and Nashville (Bethany).
• Audra: “I just googled what is the halfway point between Duluth and Nashville, and it is Peoria, Illinois.” (09:45)
• Opted for an Airbnb with enough space for each to have their own room and for sewing setups.

3. Setting Up the Sewing Space (03:50–06:08, 11:54–13:44)

• Brought their own foldable tables and mini ironing stations; rearranged the Airbnb to accommodate sewing needs.
• Bethany: “We brought tables to set up for our sewing, so we needed an open floor plan...we did push a couch over, so we had an actual sitting area here with the tv. So we had that front area all open.”

4. Sharing & Choosing Supplies (17:42–19:52)

• Coordinated who would bring what, but everyone ultimately packed their favorite tools.
• Audra: “I really approached it like I was going to show somewhere else, and I needed all my stuff, because I can assume that you're gonna have rulers and you're gonna have rulers, but what if we all three need the rulers at the same time?” (18:13)

5. The Embroidery Machine Saga (02:38–06:13)

• Audra debated bringing her new Bernina embroidery machine (“Bernice”); Bethany encouraged her to bring it for hands-on help.
• Set up the embroidery machine in the kitchen on a sturdy counter.
• Audra: “I'm so glad I brought it. There's so many things I've learned...there's the, like, moral support of not being alone and then also knowing that, like, you're here with your embroidery knowledge.” (04:52)
• Missy: Inspired to invest in her own embroidery machine after seeing it in action. (03:12–03:15)

6. Food, Roles, and Barista Skills (13:42–16:31)

• Divided up cooking, cleaning, and beverage-making duties. Bethany handled most meal planning and grocery pickup.
• Audra: “I play the role of chauffeur and resident wine drinker.” (13:51)
• Missy: Brought her espresso machine and played “barista” for the group. Mocked up coffee order announcements:
  • "Peppermint mocha for Bethany." (14:23)

7. Group Projects vs. Solo Sewing (20:19–21:49)

• All brought individual projects; no pressure to work collectively or keep identical schedules.
• Audra: “We just kind of are ebbing and flowing together with no expectation...It feels very uncomfortable. There's no expectations of, oh, God, it's quiet, someone has to talk or, oh, God, everyone else is sewing, so I have to sew, too.”
• Missy: “We just start doing what we want." (21:17)

8. Building Friendships & Emotional Support (21:49–25:29)

• Talked about how in-person time deepens friendship after months/years of virtual interactions.
• Bethany: “This is an opportunity for us...to fill our own cups and find, learn some new things or do a project that's been on my list for years.” (22:00)
• Shared an emotional moment when Bethany announced a big career leap:
  • “Today I hit send on that and I made that happen. And then I broke down and cried. They came running over and they're like, you did it.” (23:49)
• Reflected on the value of invested adult friendships and choosing to spend time together.

9. Self-care, Managing Home Life, and Making It Happen (25:40–29:38)

• Planned months in advance to coordinate with family, partners, and pets.
• Agreed that investing in themselves and their friendships ultimately benefits everyone.
• Suggested virtual alternatives for those who can’t travel, and encouraged listeners to “just put it on the calendar.”
• Bethany: “The first step is putting it on the calendar, out of the group chat and onto the calendar. And booking the Airbnb.” (26:10)
• Missy: “It doesn't have to be friends that necessarily sew with you. I have a group of friends that I get together with at least once a year. But not everybody sews. Some of them just literally bring a book...It's just a weekend to get away and to be with friends.” (29:55–30:12)

10. Reflections, Looking Ahead, & Encouragement (34:28–40:28)

• Shared favorite local quilt shops (Quilt Corner, Morton, IL).
• Already making plans for next joint adventures, including QuiltCon 2026.
• Bethany: “I love booking places on Airbnb, and, like, I'm like the Airbnb Sleuther. I can sniff out a sus place in a heartbeat.” (36:42)
• The episode ends with encouragement to listeners to “Make it happen. No regerts”—to prioritize themselves, real friendship, and creative fulfillment.
• Missy: “Make it happen. Making it happen is like putting it on the calendar and just do it.” (39:00)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the retreat’s value:
  “It fills my cup. Yeah. My coffee cup. Yep. Multiple times. My barista does.” – Audra & Bethany (25:23)
• On building friendships:
  “Adult friendships are so much harder to cultivate...But they're so much more special because...we are choosing to invest in each other's lives.” – Audra (24:30)
• On taking a risk:
  “It absolutely could have crashed and burned. It absolutely could have. But it was absolutely worth the risk.” – Audra (32:34)
• On making it happen:
  “Make it happen. Making it happen is like putting it on the calendar and just do it.” – Missy (39:00)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Matching Pajamas / Weekend Vibe: 00:33–01:14
• Embroidery Machine & Kitchen Setup: 03:50–06:08
• Airbnb Planning & Layout: 09:41–13:44
• Dividing Roles: Cooking, Cleaning, Barista: 13:42–16:31
• Supplies Packing & Sharing: 17:42–19:52
• Group vs. Solo Projects: 20:19–21:49
• Friendship & Emotional Moments: 21:49–25:29
• Self-care & Managing Home Life: 25:40–29:38
• Encouraging Community & Next Adventures: 34:28–40:28

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Tone & Takeaways

Warm, humorous, and encouraging—true to the style of sewists talking shop but also opening up about life, friendship, and self-care. The hosts urge listeners to invest in friendship, take creative risks, and “just make it happen,” whether that means a sewing retreat or a virtual sew-along. They highlight the joy of bonding over creativity, sharing knowledge, and simple comforts—like matching pajamas, coffee, and cheering each other on.

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For listeners:

This episode is for anyone dreaming of deeper connection through craft—whether with old friends, new acquaintances, or your virtual sewing crew. The message is clear: Take the leap, get it on the calendar, and fill your own cup—you won't regret it ("no regerts!").

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Transcript

[A]

Hey, guys, and welcome back to the Social Hour podcast, a podcast for psoas by sewist. I'm your host, Bethany.

[B]

And I'm your host, Audra. And today we are joined by Missy Lucanin because we are on a girls weekend. So we are recording live from our Airbnb on the last day of our girls weekend because we've been too busy sewing, and now we're finally getting around to recording this.

[A]

And if you're not watching on YouTube, you might want to hop over because we are all wearing matching jams.

[B]

Aren't they cute? I know.

[C]

They're so soft.

[A]

I had someone ask if we planned the pajamas.

[B]

I had a question too, and I

[A]

was like, honestly, that was like an impulse buy at Target on day one.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So.

[B]

Yeah, because they're fuzzy or not fuzzy. They're soft.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Jinx. One, two, three. You'll be a Diet Coke.

[A]

I mean, you can't have mine, so.

[B]

So we'll start with an icebreaker. But really what we did was we put it out on our Instagrams, asking people, because we were getting a lot of comments about our girls weekend, and we figured we would just answer your questions about girls weekend because we got quite a few. So for icebreaker, did we ever finally decide our icebreaker was gonna be.

[A]

I don't remember.

[B]

Oh, I think I liked mine. I'm just gonna. I'm gonna dominate. The icebreaker was. What is one thing you didn't own coming into the weekend that now you will be buying before you leave or immediately upon your return?

[A]

Well, mine and you both look at me. We'll save yours for last.

[B]

Okay. Well, we also know who spent the most at the quilt shop.

[C]

Only by $10. You were right behind me.

[B]

You were by, like, $40.

[C]

I thought you said 10.

[B]

No, it was, like, 40 bucks.

[C]

All right, I win.

[B]

Gold star.

[A]

Mine is your phone stand, Audra, because it gets really tall and it, like, bends and it's. It's very versatile, and I haven't seen one like that. And not that I need another phone mount. Phone stand. I have so many, but I don't have one that does that. So now I need that one. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And when I'm pointing over there, it's because it's behind the camera. But we'll link it like it's. It's so good. Well, it's been stealing it.

[B]

I mean, it's no big shock. We all.

[A]

We.

[B]

We all share and record our content, so we're all, like, recording various projects at a given time. And it's like, hey, can I borrow your mount? Hey, can I borrow your phone? Hey, can I borrow this? So we're like, trading mounts and everything.

[C]

Do you have a zipp?

[A]

I mean, do you have some fabric? Yeah.

[C]

It's been the theme of the weekend.

[A]

Audra, what is the thing that you're going to, like, have to go get now that you've spent your weekend here sewing with us?

[B]

I think just an. An endless supply of embroidery thread.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And we can talk a little bit. We'll talk about me bringing my embroidery machine, but having endless color options and embroidery thread. I just. I need to dive in and make a bigger investment. And so if you have recommendations on your favorite embroidery thread, please send it over and let me know. Because, I mean, I'm loving what Bethany brought, but if you've got, like, a favorite embroidery thread, tell me what it is.

[A]

What about you, Missy? What's your. What's your. Like, I feel like I need this now in my life, besides the phone

[C]

stand, because I need that.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

But I need an embroidery machine.

[A]

She's the oddball.

[C]

Oh, they both brought them, and they're amazing. And the things you guys have made are so cool.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. It's definitely own brand for, like, the types of sewing and stuff that you like to create, but it's just. They're just a different method of doing it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then, like you said, the options are, like, endless. Yes. And it's fun to watch. Like, it's so fun. I'm over here sewing, and then it gets real quiet, and I look over and you guys are gone, but you're in the kitchen with Audra's embroidery machine on the counter, and you're both just sitting there like. Like this, steering and watching, just watching it work well.

[B]

And so I think we need to back up here a little bit. Like, I actually wasn't gonna bring my embroidery machine, but then you messaged me, like, the day before we left. You're like, hey, are you bringing your embroidery machine? And I'm like, well. And I called you, and I'm like, I wasn't planning on it. And you're like, well, you should, because if you have questions, I'm gonna be there. That's a great idea. So I bought the. Brought the embroidery machine, and we've taken over this Airbnb, which we can talk about a little bit, but we're kind of out of table space. We brought, like, four foldable tables, plus we have the dining room. But then we're like, where do I put My embroidery machine. And Bethany's like, well, just put it in the kitchen.

[A]

I'm like, there's plenty of counters.

[B]

Really? Okay. So the embroidery machine has been in the kitchen.

[A]

Well, you needed, like, a really sturdy table, like a folding table was. Yeah, the folding table wasn't going to cut it. And so I was like, yeah, that's. That's where you need to put it nice and stable so it sits nice and flat and even so that your arm is connected properly. So, yeah. So, Bernice.

[B]

Yeah, Bernice, the embroidery machine is on her first vacation. She's my new Bernina 700. That I just spot.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I'm so glad I brought it. There's so many things I've learned that I. I know I could have learned at home by myself. But a. There's the, like, moral support of not being alone and then also knowing that, like, you're here with your embroidery knowledge. If something does go wrong or I have questions, it just. I think it's the. The group camaraderie and, like, I'm not alone.

[A]

We're cheering you on, learning something new that's so different than any other type of sewing you've done. There's a bit learning curve. Right. Like, am I using the right stabilizer? Am I using the right thread? Am I following the steps correctly? This is something I've never done. Am I really supposed to cut this here? Like, all of those kind of things you start to question because you've just never done it before. And so, like, having just that person that can just hold your hand and be like, you're doing it. Do what it says. You got this, like. And if you need to know more than what the instructions tell you, like, I'm here to help. And I even brought, like, a bin of embroidery thread so you could just play with more colors if you wanted to. And then some sample packs of stabilizer I had so we could talk about different types of stabilizers, because you. They. You gotta touch and feel those. Right. So there's just. It's a lot of new knowledge and vocabulary to learn.

[B]

Yeah. And I've tried a lot of things this weekend, and when we're done recording this, I'm going to be trying some more things. So it's just been really great.

[A]

Oh, you just have become, like. Like the embroidery, like, addict this weekend.

[C]

It's just.

[A]

It's been files.

[B]

I'm like. I'm like, I'm doing all kinds of. I'm just having so much fun with it.

[A]

I'm surprised she has an embroidered, like a towel or blanket that's hanging in this Airbnb.

[B]

Thank you for having us.

[A]

Every pillowcase in this house is gonna

[B]

have monograms on it as a parting gift.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

All right, so we put questions out there in our Instagram stories and we really wanted to see. We were, I think we were kind of amazed at the amount of comments we got. People that were like, I never thought about doing this, or I wish I could come with you guys, or I wish I could do something to be. Yeah, I think first and foremost, we'll talk about the PJs that we're all matching in.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

We just got here. We went to Target. We grabbed them. So it wasn't pre planned. One of the questions I got was, did someone buy them for you? All right, Was it pre planned? No. We were in Target and it was a complete impulse.

[A]

We went to Target for what? Milk.

[B]

Milk.

[A]

And like, maybe one other thing.

[C]

Popcorn.

[A]

And popcorn. Like, oh, and peppermint.

[B]

And peppermint. Yeah.

[A]

We didn't go for pajamas, but we made a full lap around.

[C]

We shopped.

[A]

We shopped.

[B]

Yeah. And now we all have matching pajamas. So that was the low hanging fruit. So what other questions would you get?

[C]

Oh, go ahead. I was just gonna say, do we want to talk about, like, how we got here?

[A]

Yeah, I would say.

[C]

Or are we saving that for later?

[B]

Well, I think that was one of the questions was like, how did you plan something?

[A]

Well, the first comment I got on my was, no question. Just love seeing the fun y' all are having. And I, I think that that is just something I want to highlight because we are having fun. We love sharing it with everybody online. But it's obviously in a hopes that, like, other people will start prioritizing, taking time to do these kind of trips. Like, I love doing trips with my girlfriends, whether it's a planned retreat and I'm going and learning, or I'm hosting or if it's like a casual thing like this. I think it's just so important to, you know, make this a priority if with your friends to do this, you know, And I know we're going to talk about this, but everybody's in different stages of their life, but when the timing is right, you'll make it happen. And that's what we did. We were, we were all in a group chat. I had never met Missy before in person.

[B]

I've never met Missy before.

[A]

I never met either, no. But I obviously met Audra before. But like, we all live in different states. We all Live far apart. And we become friends and started having like a three person group chat on Instagram and we talked every day.

[B]

Do we want to say what our group chat name is?

[A]

Sure.

[B]

So our group chat name on Instagram is Stitching.

[A]

It's fitting. It's fitting. Anything goes and it's a safe space for us to all talk about anything that. Because we all like work in the industry too. So we all have a lot that we relate to and we, we just, I don't know, we just click and so we had mentioned. And I don't remember who threw it out there originally. I don't even remember.

[C]

It was so long ago. I mean, we planned this like eight months ago.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, we booked the date. We booked the date. And of course we all have different planning things that we do, but Audra jumps right onto Airbnb and is like, we shocked. No, shocked, because actually I'm shocked that I didn't beat you to it because you and I both are love doing that. But yeah, we jumped right in. We booked the dates, we found an Airbnb that we're all good with and we just like, it was just a done deal.

[B]

Well, let's talk about location too, because

[A]

so that was one of the other questions that I got.

[B]

Yeah, we're in Peoria, Illinois. And the reason we're in Peoria, Illinois is, as many of you know, Missy is in Duluth, Bethany is in Nashville. I am in Madison, Wisconsin. So I just googled what is the halfway point between Duluth and Nashville, and it is Peoria, Illinois.

[A]

So that was the only draw.

[C]

That's it.

[B]

There are a lot of like, why are you in Peoria? How'd you choose Peoria? It's like, quite literally, it is the halfway point between Duluth and Nashville. So if it ever comes up on Trivial Pursuit, that's the answer.

[A]

Funny enough, up until we drove here this week, I kept thinking I was going to Indiana. I didn't know where Peoria even was. I was like, that's a GPS Explorer. But yeah, that was one of the common questions is how did you pick Peoria? Was it proximity to each other or was there another draw? I don't know that there's. I don't know much about Peoria, but it wasn't somewhere that we were coming to, like, explore something that was already here. It was just a middle ground for us to be because we knew we wanted to drive somewhere that we could all drive to. So we could.

[C]

Because we all love our cars.

[A]

I couldn't even see out of My backseat. Okay. It was very full, so I got that question quite a bit. It's like, how did you pick a perfect spot and all of that. One of the other questions. We've had several great questions, but one of the questions was, how what do you specifically look for in an Airbnb? And I think. I think it's personal preference and those kind of things, but we each have our own bedroom. We're sharing a bathroom. Audrey's got a bathroom upstairs. But also, I think what was really helpful in this space is we. We brought tables to set up for our sewing, so we knew we would. We needed an open floor plan in the main area so that we could kind of rearrange, so what you can't see on camera, like, we did push a couch over, so we had, like, an actual sitting area here with the tv. So we had that front area all open for all of our tables and everything. So it just. You have to kind of look at the layout of the house and make sure there's a room big enough that you can spread out and so. And set up those kind of things. But other than that, I mean. And always.

[B]

And I think it's. It. Obviously, there's typical things. You look forward.

[A]

Oh, yes.

[B]

To stay, but you want to be clean. You want to. I mean, we really do reviews. Bethany brought two folding tables. I brought two folding tables, and thankfully, we did. The way we set it up is Missy. We move the dining room table. Missy's got the dining room table. I have a folding station, so folded table, sewing station. Bethany has a folded table, sewing station, and then another folding table. That's the pressing station, another folding table. That's the cutting station.

[A]

And what was great about your folding tables is they had the extendable legs so that we can make them taller than a standard folding table. So we use those for cutting and pressing so we're not bending over and hurting our backs. So that actually worked out really well. And then you and I both brought, like, all three of us bought, like, mini ironing stations. So we have, like, little mini stations, too. And then obviously, the kitchen counter. So we've just kind of commandeered the space. But. But we also, just so you guys know, we. I took photos of how everything was so that we put everything back. And they'll never know that we rearranged their furniture. Nope.

[C]

It'll look just like it did when

[A]

we walked in, but works for us. And so I think you. I think if we had a fourth person, it might be a little crowded, but. But Three people in this house was perfect. Yeah.

[B]

We could probably make it work.

[A]

We would make it work. Absolutely. Maybe a little cozy. Yeah. But other than that, I thought it's been great. Now we don't have a dining room table to eat up, but we've been eating in here and hanging out and it's been super casual and fine. And so that was one thing. How did you decide about food? Who will cook and get groceries?

[C]

Bethany volunteered.

[B]

So Bethany volunteered to cook, and then Misty volunteered to cook some things. And I'm just here to.

[A]

Audra made the spreadsheet.

[B]

I made the spreadsheet. And then I play the role of chauffeur and resident wine drinker.

[A]

Yes. So she's a chauffeur. You're the barista. I'm the cook and dj.

[B]

Yeah, the barista. So, Missy, your barista skills are pretty incredible.

[A]

Thank you.

[B]

Yes, thank you. We've been getting peppermint mochas and vanilla lattes. We can even place pre order. Order. She doesn't have an app yet, but she does have pre orders.

[A]

We're working on it.

[C]

But her.

[A]

Her voice for calling out our orders is pretty on point.

[B]

Can you do it?

[C]

Peppermint mocha for Bethany.

[A]

Yeah. Okay. There you go. There you go. It's perfect. Where is it?

[B]

Yeah, where's.

[C]

I'll go get it. I'll be right back.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Missy, you actually brought your espresso machine along with you.

[C]

Yeah, I travel with my espresso machine.

[A]

And if you hadn't brought it. If you hadn't brought it, I was gonna bring mine because I. You just. I just love my coffee. Me too.

[C]

Like, I gotta have my coffee.

[A]

I know, I know.

[B]

See, and I. I'm just a black coffee drinker. I am the most.

[A]

She does the hard stuff.

[B]

I. I like the frou frou, but I do. I do the hard stuff. It's just black, darkest coffee, and I.

[C]

I can't do that at all.

[A]

That would happen. I need the fru. Yeah, I could see the fru.

[B]

Fru is like a treat for me.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. But I start the day with a treat. These are. I'm telling you, these will be the

[B]

only peppermint mochas I drink probably the rest of the season.

[A]

That's. It's okay. We're gonna have to get Dave on.

[B]

You have this machine at home. I know, but we just make espressos or lattes or cappuccinos, but just plain or americanos.

[A]

We'll just send you home with a peppermint. That we bought. So you can have peppermint lattes.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Cause I have some at home. She has some at home.

[B]

Mike makes it at home.

[A]

Yeah. But no, I think we split it up really well. We started. We started a spreadsheet of, like, things that we all wanted to do, and I was like, well, if it's okay with you guys, I'll just, like, handle the dinners. I like cooking, and I've done it quite a bit this year with my retreats. I cook at my retreats. And so I was like, oh, I'm gonna bring my crock pot. We're gonna do two crock pot dinners and a simple fiesta dinner. Like, we had something different. I kind of listed some options, and you guys said what you liked. And so I was like, well, if I'm ordering that, I might as well order the rest of the stuff for, like, lunches and snacks and drinks and breakfast. And so I went ahead and did the grocery order. And since I was coming into town, I just pre ordered the groceries through Walmart and picked them up on the way in. And then anything else we needed, we could go out and get or I did an Uber Eats today. We ordered a few more things. So, yeah, we made it work.

[B]

We'll just settle it all up at the end.

[A]

Yeah, it's all split. Yeah.

[B]

So, like, I booked the Airbnb and we settled that up, and then food will settle up. So it's just a matter of, like, just making sure everybody's kind of in it, you know, equally in it.

[A]

And I think it's important to mention that, like, there's no question that we will. Won't do that. Right? Like, so I think it's important that if you're gonna go on a retreat, you need to make sure it's with people that you trust that are gonna. Everybody's gonna pull their weight, so there's no questions. So there's nothing weighing. Like, it's just been the most relaxed, enjoyable weekend. You made a yummy dip today. That was.

[B]

We just had too much dip.

[A]

Breakfast has been good.

[B]

There's a caveat you didn't mention.

[A]

Oh, what?

[B]

I don't know if Missy remembers, but the thing was, I'll make dinner if someone else cleans up.

[C]

Yes.

[A]

Yeah,

[B]

I don't mind doing dishes. I don't mind.

[A]

That's my least favorite part.

[C]

I'd rather do the dishes than cook.

[B]

Yeah, I'll just keep sewing, and then when dinner's ready, you'll tell me.

[A]

I think love language is to feed. Like, I love like serving and feeding others. But I absolutely loathe doing the dishes. I find it so repulsive and gross. And so in my house, if I cook, somebody else cleans. Like, that's. That's the rule. So I love it. I go cook, and then we all eat, and I go back in there later, and it's all gone. And I'm like, yay.

[B]

What other questions did you get?

[A]

Another question. Okay. Do you bring supplies to share, like irons and cutting mats, or. Another question similar to that was, did you decide what supplies to bring? Did all three take irons? Cutting mats? And I would say we kind of. We all brought it together. We all kind of just brought our own stuff, but we've shared everything. Everything. So I brought the big. I think the big pressing mat I told you guys I was gonna bring.

[C]

And I brought my little one.

[A]

And you brought a little one. I brought a little one, and then I brought.

[B]

I brought another one as well.

[A]

I think we all, like.

[B]

I brought two irons. You brought two irons. You brought knights? Like, we all brought our own stuff. I think just in preparation that. I mean, I really approached it like I was going to show somewhere else, and I needed all my stuff, because I can assume that you're gonna have rulers and you're gonna have rulers, but what if we all three need the rulers at the same time?

[A]

Or you wish you had your favorite

[C]

ruler, that you're a specific one for a specific type of cut, you know?

[B]

Yeah, exactly.

[A]

So I think we did a good job with, like, bringing everything that we needed. We definitely have more than we need, but I think it was helpful. I also brought, like, I had, what, three flip and fold cutting mats, but you also brought yours. And you brought yours, so. And then I brought extra tools like that just because I always have them. And it's good to have just in case.

[C]

You just never know what you're gonna need.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

And I think you can always do the same spreadsheet approach of divvying it up. Like, you bring the irons and you bring the cutting mats. Yeah. I think it's just nice to know that, like, if an iron goes kaput, you've got a spare. If the cut, the cutting, the ruler is there, you don't necessarily love it. You can use your own.

[A]

Yeah, I brought a slew of, like, rotary cutters and scissors and everything. But you're. You know, I'm. But I'm also used to, like, taking all of this stuff to sewing club every month that I host in Nashville. So I'm used to packing the. Like, I brought the power towers and all that, but we all brought our own extension cords, because we didn't even talk about that. But I brought power towers just in case.

[C]

I think we've all done retreats or something, so we all are like, oh, we're probably going to need extension cords. Or, you know.

[A]

Well, and it's nice because we're driving, so we can put all this stuff.

[C]

Yes.

[A]

In, like. I didn't know that the Airbnb would have a crock pot, and I assumed it wouldn't because most don't. So I brought my crock pot and my favorite kitchen tools that I need to make sure that come home with me.

[C]

That's nice to have, too, though.

[A]

Yeah, it is, because I knew I was cooking and I didn't want to not be without or have to go buy something else that we didn't need. So, anyways, that was the other one last question that I had that is different was thoughts on group projects versus solo work.

[B]

Yeah. So we. We all brought our own stuff, and we didn't. Actually. None of us talked about what we were. I mean, we kind of knew what some of us were going to be working on, but, like, we all brought our own stuff. And I think this is key to knowing who you're traveling with. We have this really nice balance of, all of us might be working, some of us might not. We might all stop and, like, be randomly chatting. We just all kind of are ebbing and flowing together with no expectation. All three of us might go on a walk. Two of us might go on a walk. One of us might go on a walk, and, like. And then one of us might be sewing while the other one's doing something else. We just kind of naturally dance with each other, coexisting. It feels very uncomfortable. There's no expectations of, oh, God, it's quiet. Someone has to talk or, oh, God, everyone else is sewing, so I have to sew, too. Or, oh, everyone's in the living room, so I have to go in there, too. It feels very. Just.

[C]

We just start doing what we want.

[A]

And.

[B]

And I think that speaks a lot to knowing again who you're traveling with, because the reality is, is the three of us have never traveled together before, ever to. And two of us haven't even met, you know, met before, so.

[A]

And we decided to spend four nights together.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

In one house in the middle of nowhere.

[C]

Well, Illinois.

[B]

Illinois. But we've talked enough to know each other, to know personalities, to know kind of how people are and you're not really too surprised by anything, you know?

[A]

Well, and like, we've all taken like, calls from our significant others and like, we can be on the phone. I mean, we were FaceTiming with Brett picking out tiles. That will hopefully be done when I get. But that's okay. But yeah, no, like, we've, we just. I don't know, we just all get along really well. And I think it's important that you are. Feel confident and comfortable with those that you're. You're going to go spend time with. I think for me, having the free sew time was really important to just work on some fun stuff and prioritize my sewing time. This is an opportunity for us, who we're. We're always giving back to the community to fill our own cups and find, learn some new things or do a project that's been on my list for years. Years. And so that's really fun. I, for me, like the plan projects and those kind of things are when I'm like teaching a class or going to a retreat or something like that where I'm wanting to learn from others or share with others. And it's a little more structured and I think both are great. It's just, they're both very different experiences and you have to figure out what's important to you. But at the end of the day, the common denominator for me between a girls trip like this and a retreat is just building friendships. Yeah. And there. And yes, we have built our friendship virtually through Facetimes and DMs and all of that over the years. But to be able to take our friendship to the next level, it requires doing something like this and spending quality time and having those heartfelt conversations. I mean, today I made a huge step in a big career change for me that we've been talking about in my, in our group chat for months and months. And today I hit send on that and I made that happen. And then I broke down and cried. They came running over and they're like, you did it. I'm like shaking because it was just such a big risk and leap of faith to believe in myself. But I couldn't have done it without y' all's support. And I'm not gonna cry again. But just to say, like, it brings our friendship even closer to be able to share those big life moments with you guys, which I know if I had done it from home, you guys would have cheered me on. But it's even more special to have you guys reach over and give me the biggest hug and bring me a glass of wine, which I needed. I knew you needed it. Yeah.

[B]

Well, and even it's the little stuff, too. It's learning more about, like, each other, like Zach and Nicholas and your kids and what's going on at home and, like, learning about our friends and our neighbors at home and, like, just learning about each other beyond sewing, beyond the industry.

[A]

Deeper level.

[B]

Deeper level. And it just. Adult friendships. We were talking earlier today. Adult friendships are so much harder to cultivate.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But they're so much more special because it's not like when you're younger and you're kind of like thrust into a group because it's your class or it's your team or it's your whatever. Like, we are choosing to invest in each other's lives. We're choosing to hear each other's good, bad and ugly. We're choosing to spend time together and

[A]

choosing to drive eight hours. Yes. To spend four day. Four days together. Because we know, like, it's important to us. It's. It's the impact that we be had on each other's lives. You know, it's so important. And we don't. We want to nurture that and continue that.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Moving forward.

[B]

Not only is it self care.

[A]

Oh.

[B]

But it's also just like, soul filling.

[A]

Yes. You know, it fills my cup. Yeah. My coffee cup. Yep. Multiple times.

[B]

My barista does. So that kind of segues into the question I got if I can find it quickly enough. Oh, there's Beth. There's Missy. In my stories. Hold on, let me find.

[A]

It was.

[B]

Tell us about what you do ahead of time to manage what goes on at home while you're away. Like caring for children, partners or parents. Oh, wait, actually, children, partners or pets is what it says. Parents as well. Because there are people also doing that. And that goes back to the. We started. We booked this in, like, spring.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And early spring. Early spring. And Sergi. We knew it was on our calendar. We gave ourselves plenty of lead time.

[A]

And that's us saying we're prioritizing. The first step is putting it on the counter, out of the group chat and onto the calendar. And booking the Airbnb.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Because then you're created a schedule. It's scheduled. It's like a work trip or any other kind of thing like that. Like if you're planning a yearly family vacation, it's the same concept of just making. Picking a day and making it happen. And then you've got all this time to prepare. Right.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like you were saying. And.

[B]

And we realize there are people who have higher priorities at home than us per se, or may not have partners. They might be as supportive. I know I. I always feel the guilt of like, oh my God, what about this? And what about this? And what about this? But like, I also know that I have an incredibly supportive partner and an incredibly supportive daughter. And I know they're having a great time at home. And I know Walter is getting all the cuddles. I know Dave is not kicking him out of bed like I usually do,

[A]

so he's like, please don't come home. I'm getting to sleep on your pillow.

[B]

Right, exactly. So I just. It's. It's trusting in, not only in, it's trusting in your partners, in your kids, and hopefully having a reliable support system. But you have to know it's. You will come back better. I've always looked at when I had parent friends who their kids were like 4 years old and they're like, we haven't been on a date since our child was born.

[A]

Never left them. Yeah.

[B]

And I'm like, but you're better for investing time in yourself because I'm gonna come back refreshed. I know from a career, from a business perspective, I am going to come back more knowledgeable. I am going to back ready to dive into work.

[A]

We all need those breaks, you know.

[B]

We all need those breaks.

[C]

Yeah, definitely.

[A]

Well, and we're all three of us like similar but different walks of phases of life too. But not far off, right? Not far off. Yeah. So, you know, it's easier for us to kind of plan and go. But like if you, I don't know, like, I think, you know, if traveling with friends isn't an option, there's opportunities to create that connection in other ways. Maybe you do a virtual like thing where you get together and you sew together on a zoom and you chat and. Or you have a little coffee hour together.

[B]

Whatever it is like missy sewing squad,

[A]

sewing squads or you know, those kind of things. But like small group with your close friends and they. And then you don't have to worry about where you're gonna go. That's in between everybody. And maybe that's something you do in between to work up to meeting in person and planning that and, and building those relationships. Because I think some. So many comments, I think that surprise a lot us in our, our cab, like comments to our posts and things was just, I wish I had friends like that that I could go travel with I wish I had friends in my life that like to sew and would want to travel and spend a weekend together. And I think that was kind of eye opening to all of us to see that. And it's like, how can we. That kind of brought up the conversation that we chose to have today on the podcast was how can we encourage you to make this happen for yourself? And it really is just putting yourself out there and taking that leap of sending that DM to that friend that you been following and starting that conversation. Yeah, well, I think.

[B]

And I think we always, you know, you always say, like, oh, it'd be great to get together. Oh, it'd be great to get together. Oh, it'd be great to get together. But it's like, no, but you got to put a date on the calendar. You got to hold yourself.

[C]

You have to make it happen.

[B]

You have to make it happen. I mean, and you just came off. Missy just came off an Italy trip. So, like, you basically came off like a two plus week trip and then rolled into a girls weekend. So, like, I know you're like, yay, but I'm tired.

[C]

Yeah, but I've been busy for months. So it's just like, this is the icing on the cake, though.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

End of the busy. But that's okay. But I was going to add. And it doesn't have to be friends that necessarily sew with you. No, I have a group of friends that I get together with at least once a year. But not everybody sews. But we all come and do different things. But some of them just literally bring a book.

[A]

Book.

[C]

To just sit and read her book. Because it's just a weekend to get away and to be with friends and to just relax and take care of yourself and do whatever you want to do. And that's. Yes, we're all sewing and doing that here. But it's just been relaxing. Like, like you said, there's no pressure to. We all have to sew at the same time or we all have to do this, or I have to be in the living room. Like, we're all pretty much just coming and going. We've taken over the house. We lay on the couch, we watch tv, we look at our phones.

[A]

We've been in pajamas all day.

[C]

I. Whatever we want to do. And it's just felt very comfortable.

[B]

Very.

[C]

I mean, I was even thinking about the night I got here. You were already here. Somebody was not here yet. She had a commitment. You had a commitment you had to fulfill.

[B]

Yeah, like it's. It's the best laid plans when you're a theater mom. And rehearsals aren't necessarily. The schedule doesn't go as planned. It's.

[C]

You do what you get.

[B]

But I got out of bed at 4:20 in the morning.

[C]

You did.

[B]

And got in the car and I was here by 8:30. You were here.

[C]

We were barely rolling out of bed.

[B]

Yeah. So I was like. I sewed till like 11 o' clock that night.

[A]

I know you rallied.

[B]

I was so impressed because I am. I am the old soul that's like in bed early.

[A]

Up early.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[C]

Well, I like to be in bed early too.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

But I also like to also sleep in where you like to get up early. And I'm like.

[A]

She's like, I'll take all the sleep.

[C]

But what I was going to say is I got here and it was just you and I and we just hung out like, it wasn't even weird

[A]

after driving all day. No, but it wasn't like.

[C]

It was like we've known each other forever.

[A]

We have, but we haven't. I know we haven't.

[C]

It hasn't even been a year since we first met.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And.

[C]

But we got here and it was like we were just. It was so easy.

[A]

It was. It was.

[B]

And then. And then you FaceTimed me and told me how you were not having any fun with us.

[C]

We did.

[A]

We were trying to have fun. We were trying to keep straight faces. And then she was like, I don't believe you. And we couldn't keep a straight face.

[B]

No, I just flipped you off. I'm like sitting at theater rehearsals and they're like, we're not having any fun without you. And I just, like flipped you off. I was like, whatever, shut up.

[A]

Well, there you go. We were having fun. We were having fun.

[B]

I mean, I think there's always the nervousness too, because even though, like, you know somebody, like virtually, would you really know somebody?

[A]

And.

[B]

Yeah. It absolutely could have crashed and burned. It absolutely could have.

[A]

But it was absolutely worth the risk.

[B]

But it's taking the truck and going back to the question of, like, how do you manage it at home? I really didn't manage it any differently than if we were taking Dave and I were traveling or if I was on a work trip. It's just making sure all your things are covered at home and, you know, and just trusting that you gotta, you know, you kind of lay it out like, oh, this is gonna happen. And this and this and this. And communicating appropriately. So I didn't really approach it Any differently?

[A]

No, no. I know Brett like Brett was. I always try to balance my trips around his work trips and his work trips are always kind of last minute. So as long as he knows when I'm going to be gone, he can kind of work around that. So someone's home with the dogs so we don't have to bored him. It just helps. That gets expensive.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

But when I'm gone and he's at work all day and they're used to me working from home and going out during the day. Like my parents live close, so I just let them know, hey, can you come over and let them out? And they do. So like it's just like again, it's just the planning. Just like we plan meals, just like we planned where we were gonna stay. Just like we planned this whole trip. So yeah, we just all did our part.

[B]

But it's also knowing if you forgot something, there's a store, you can probably find it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Or a local quilt shop. We knew if we forgot something, there's a local sewing shop.

[C]

So we.

[B]

Yeah, we hit the quilt corner in Monroe, Illinois.

[A]

Morton, Morton, Illinois.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

It's like 10 minutes away.

[C]

No problem spending money in there.

[B]

Definitely go to the quilt corner in mor, Illinois.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. We had a lot of great recommendations. There's no way we could have gone and visit them. Visit all of them. But we could have.

[B]

But then we weren't going to do.

[C]

Yeah, we wouldn't have gotten anything done.

[A]

We would have spent all of our monies and that would have no room

[B]

in your car to begin with.

[A]

I don't know.

[C]

And I'm gonna do together for the embroidery machine. I'm going to buy.

[A]

This is true. Merry Christmas to you.

[C]

Well, I'll just tell Mike.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was really good this year.

[C]

I want to pick it out myself.

[A]

Well, yeah, Just send in the link.

[C]

Yeah. Here's the L to what I want for Christmas.

[B]

It's on the credit card. If you could pay it, that'd be a great Christmas present.

[A]

Or you just go pick it up when it's ready.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

From the store. Yeah. No, I think we. We've had the best time. Yeah, we've had fun. We've definitely grown our relationships. I don't know. I just. I'm already thinking about, like, what are we going to do next year?

[C]

I know.

[B]

Someone asked if they can be friends with us. Yes, you can.

[C]

Absolutely. We like new sewing friends.

[A]

I know. I mean, that's how this all came to be. Yeah. All new sewing friends. Yeah. For sure. You can never have too many.

[C]

Well, our next adventure is Quiltcon, because we're all going together.

[A]

We are going to Quiltcon together.

[B]

And we have an. Again.

[A]

Either. Booked the Airbnb a year ago.

[B]

So how this came out is I didn't go to Quiltcon. It was the first year I had missed in quite a while, so I didn't go in 2025, and I was having some serious FOMO. And then you, Bethany, and I were

[A]

chatting, and I'd never been. And she's always aligned with other work trips. And I was in Sydney, Australia, this year, so I couldn't go.

[B]

So I just knew. I'm like, okay, everybody is at Quillcon. They're not even thinking about next year. So I'm gonna hop on Airbnb right now and lock in a great place. So I found a place, like, a mile from the convention center. So we don't even need to, like, get a car.

[A]

Nope.

[B]

And Missy can get her steps in. Yeah, yeah. And there's. There's gonna be. There's six of us in the house.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

Because it's myself, my mom, you two, and then your two friends named Jennifer.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So there's me. Is there a room for six? There must be room for six.

[C]

There was. We checked.

[A]

We might be bunking together.

[B]

I'll bunk up with my mom, so it's fine. So, yeah, we've got a house that's walking distance and locked it in before everyone else was scrambling because they were

[C]

all distracted and the rates probably weren't.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Crazy. Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

They were all distracted by Quiltcon 2025, and I was booking Quiltcon 2026.

[A]

As soon as they said when it was or where it was, we're like, done, done, done. I love it because I love booking places on Airbnb, and, like, I'm like the Airbnb Sleuther. I can sniff out a sus place in a heartbeat.

[B]

When I sent it to you and

[A]

you sent it to me, and I'm like, ooh, she did good. She did good.

[B]

She passed the test.

[A]

We're on the same. And that's. Yes. That's hard to find people who, like, have an eye for Airbnb, like, finding good Airbnb.

[B]

I got you.

[A]

Yeah, I got you. I love it.

[B]

I love it.

[A]

It's my love language right there. So hit me up with a good Airbnb quiltcon.

[B]

2026 is the next time the three of us are together and we'll expand the crew. That will not be a Sewing trip, though, that will just be a shopping trip.

[A]

Shopping. Social trip. But it'll be so fun to see so many people. And hopefully, if you guys are going to be there, please come say hi to us and come find us. We'll be hanging out, but yeah, I feel like we need to do another. I'm sure before we finish this one. We're already planning the next year.

[B]

Are we gonna be back in Peoria, Illinois, in a year?

[A]

I mean, I'm not mad about it. The weather has been nice and the colors you guys can't see out the window, but, like, the leaves were beautiful.

[B]

So, yeah, if anyone's got an Airbnb in Peoria, Illinois, that they want us to stay.

[C]

Yeah, well, we were invited to that one in North Carolina, so we're gonna have to look into that.

[B]

Beautiful.

[C]

It was like a castle.

[A]

I know.

[C]

So we're gonna have to check that out too.

[A]

Yeah, we have options.

[B]

I mean, are we driving to North Carolina? All of our stuff?

[A]

I mean, I would.

[C]

That's a long drive.

[B]

It is a long drive. We did it for spring break last year. Year before last. Well, you're five hours closer to that. It was a 14 hour drive for us to get to Asheville.

[A]

Well, you guys just come to Nashville, hang out, and then we'll caravan to North Carolina. Still not that far.

[B]

There's still all the stuff. That's what he talked about, remember?

[A]

We'll get a truck.

[B]

You need a semi.

[A]

I. I'll run a U haul. Okay. We'll just. We'll redneck it.

[B]

Run a U haul to go on a girls weekend. I mean, it's fitting. So we're skipping stitch and share or spool school this episode because we felt like this was enough. But I mean, and I think our collective. You love to see it. Is this girls weekend.

[A]

This trip.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Make it happen. Making it happen.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Is like putting it on the calendar and just do it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Make it happen.

[C]

Make it happen.

[A]

No regerts.

[B]

No regrets. All right. Regerts.

[A]

Have you ever seen that tattoo where they spell no regrets backwards and it's no regerts. That's why I always say no regerts.

[B]

All right, well, the sun's starting to go down and we have sewing to do and a couple reels to shoot.

[C]

Yes, we do.

[A]

And some wine to drink.

[C]

And some wine to drink. Definitely the wine.

[A]

Definitely the wine. So I hope you guys have enjoyed this episode and seeing a little bit inside, like our personal trip of just our friendships. And if you've done something like this, please put comments on YouTube, Instagram, or in our Facebook group, the Social Sewers. That might encourage others to take that leap of faith to do the same. Because it does take prioritizing yourself. And as women, we know that that can be hard sometimes. But we really want to encourage you and set that example to show that it's really worth it. It's worth more than you ever think it will be. I can't even put it into words. There's no numerical value other than it just fills your cup and fills your heart and. And then we're just been laughing and smiling more this week, all weekend.

[B]

And dancing and dancing.

[A]

The dancing and the eating and the. The fun and the sewing, it's just. It's been so good, and I'm so grateful for you guys and. And for y' all listening. Thank you so much. So I think that's it for us.

[B]

That's it.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. Well, we're gonna go sew.

[B]

Happy sewing,

[A]

Sam.