2025 Camp Black Needle Society Retreat Registration Fee

$265.00
by The Black Needle Society

 

The time has come to enroll for Camp Black Needle Society! This year's retreat theme is "Murder Mystery" and we'll be on the edge of our seats, searching for a murderer (or murderers!) throughout the weekend. We'll have games, prizes, shopping, and of course plenty of time to stitch and chat! And maybe a surprise or two!

PLUS, we have reserved seats at a local dinner theatre performing Clue for the evening of July 30 for those wishing to join us for a pre-camp show (this is an add-on).

Space is limited for this year's event. This year's retreat will again be held in Kansas City, Missouri. July 31- August 3

Tickets for the dinner theatre will be sold separately after registration is complete. Tickets include your ticket to the show, your meal, an endless refill beverage (non-alcoholic), dessert, and gratuity. Tickets are $65 per piece.

Retreat sales close May 31, or when we sell out.

This listing is for a single seat at the 2025 Black Needle Society Retreat. This is NOT for a retreat in a box. Any swag from this event will not be mailed to you, and this should not be purchased if you do not plan on attending the retreat.

If this retreat sells out, you can join our waitlist and you will be notified if a space becomes available. First come first serve, and you will have 48 hours to respond to our email.

WAITLIST: https://forms.gle/6Xv2kpzrWPzdoq9f6

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Camp BNS 2025 Dates: July 31 - August 3. The stitching room will be opening at 2p.m. on July 31.

Location: Embassy Suites by Hilton Kansas City Plaza, 220 West 43rd Street, Kansas City, Missouri, 64111 

Your fee includes:

  • 🪡 a Special kitted project by The Black Needle Society, plus our bonus Snail kit
    🪡 a Camp T-Shirt
    🪡 additional swag
    🪡 a single seat in the stitching room for the weekend
    🪡 entry for giveaways
    🪡 and more!

This one-time fee does NOT include the cost of the hotel, travel, food, or any other costs you have during your stay. You are responsible for making your hotel reservations. You are responsible for finding your own roommate, however we will have a Facebook group, and will include a “Roommate Finder” post to facilitate matching up stitchers.

The Hotel:

  • We have an exclusive rate with the hotel for the weekend. Double Queen rooms are available for an average of $169 per night, or King Rooms are available for $159 per night. You may have up to four people in a room, however additional fees may apply beyond 2 people in a room.

  • Our check-in time is 4:00 PM, check-out time is 11:00 AM.

The Stitching Room: 

  • Registration: Thursday, 2p.m.- 4p.m. After this time, you must find a member of the BNS staff to check in.
  • The stitching room (T) 2 p.m.- 10:30 p.m. (F, Sa) 8 a.m.- 10:30 p.m. (Su) 8 a.m.- 5 p.m.
  • The shopping hours: (T) 8 p.m.- 10 p.m. (F,S) (optional for vendors) 8:00 a.m.- 4 p.m.

  • Late Night Stitching- You may use the hotel’s lobby accommodations to stitch after the official room has closed.​​

 

Activities, Agenda, & Important Info for Attendees

We will be opening official retreat activities with a welcome meeting on Thursday night at 7pm in the Stitching Room. Games, prizes and shenanigans shall ensue! A schedule will be provided within the Facebook group.

  • Dinner Theatre! This year, we have reserved seats for the evening of July 30 at The New Dinner Theatre and Restaurant who are putting on a production of "Clue." Tickets are $65 and will be invoiced directly via PayPal to avoid additional fees. Tickets include your ticket to the show, your meal, an endless refill beverage (non-alcoholic), dessert, and gratuity.
  • Classes! We will have at least 1 class available for an additional class fee. Laura will be teaching a finishing class for flat folds. Information about the class, cost, and materials will be provided as we get closer to the start of the retreat.

  • Local Stores—We have two shops near the retreat location. We recommend visiting both of these locations during your stay as they are 10-15 minutes away from the hotel: 

    • C.C. and Company in Blue Springs, Missouri- A shop dedicated to cross stitch and framing

    • Quilter’s Station in Lee’s Summit, Missouri- A shop focusing on quilting fabrics, however it has a selection of newer patterns, a large selection of pre-cut cross stitch fabrics from makers such as R&R, Picture This Plus, Fiber on a Whim, and Fox and Rabbit.

    • For the quilters among you, Missouri Star Quilt Co. is between an hour to an hour and a half drive from the hotel. It has 12 different quilt shops altogether on the same street.

Vendors

This year's vendors will be able to set up a "shop" in the front portion of their hotel room. If you would like to vend, please email us at BNSocietyHelp@gmail.com so that we can ask the hotel to put you in a separate room block reserved for vendors (so no one's pop-up shop is missed!). We also ask that you donate a prize from your shop worth $25. We will ask you to present your prize, and help us draw a winner on Thursday evening, so you can speak knowledgeably about your product, and other items you may be offering for sale.

Brag Table (optional)

We will have tables set up to show off your gorgeous work! We encourage you to bring your FFOs and finished (but not framed or fully finished) projects to lay out and let others see. We encourage you to include a card with your name, your table number, information about the piece such as designer, and title of the pattern, and any customizations you made. (We will have cards available to fill out with this information if you forget to bring one).

Freebie Table (optional)

Bring any stash you are ready to pass along to a new home including unused charts, floss, fabric, notions, frames, finished pieces, etc. Anything that does not find a new home during the weekend will be donated to various cross stitch programs.

We also recommend bringing any projects you do not believe you will finish stitching for one reason or another. Projects can be "adopted" by other stitchers at the retreat. 

Smalls Exchange (optional)

A smalls exchange is an exchange of a small stitched piece with other stitchers. This exchange is only for a stitched piece, and should not include anything else. (See gift exchange below) For our smalls exchange this year, we ask that your piece fit one of three categories: Mysteries, Camp, or Wild Card. Stitchers participating in the "Mysteries" exchange should expect to exchange pieces related to favorite detectives, mystery books/shows/movies/games, fandoms, etc. Stitchers participating in the "Camp" exchange should expect to exchange pieces with camping motifs or phrases, such as tents, fireflies, s'mores, nature, etc. Stitchers participating in the "Wild Card" exchange should expect to exchange ANY kind of piece. We ask that these participants wrap their exchange piece in packaging that hints at the theme of the contents. Your finished piece must be no larger than 6” x 6”. We ask that the finishing be a reasonable size as some will be packing these into already overflowing suitcases at the end of the retreat, and airline restrictions. If your piece contains walnut shells, or any other item that may cause issues for those with an allergy, please mark it clearly, and let a member of BNS staff know at the time of the exchange. If you have an allergy, please let a member of the BNS staff know at the time of the exchange.

Gift Exchange (optional)

We heard a lot of positive feedback last year about having a separate gift exchange. So this year, we are bringing it back! If you would like to create a package to exchange with other stitchers, we will be hosting a Gift Exchange. All gifts should contain at least 1 handmade item (this can be stitched, sewn, drawn, etc. Anything you crafted or helped craft), and at least $20 worth of gift goodies (this can include stitching items, home/lifestyle items, snacks, etc.) Please make sure gifts are appropriate for anyone to enjoy, and do not include lewd or inappropriate items, or items which contain nuts due to allergens (If your gift contains nuts, or gluten, or another allergen, please mark it on the outside of your package and inform a member of BNS Staff). Your gift should be wrapped, and the wrapping should indicate the general theme of the contents. Please be sure to include your name, and social media/contact information so your exchange partner can find and thank you if they wish.

Swaps (optional)

It’s always fun to keep mementos around from a retreat and new friends! We encourage you to bring a selection of needleminders and/or thread cards (purchased or handmade) to hand out and exchange with others at the retreat. We anticipate around 100 attendees, and will let you know if this number needs to be increased after the sales close for the retreat.

 Food/Drinks/Alcohol Policy

We ask that you do not consume meals in the stitching room. There is a dining area down in the lobby portion of the hotel with plenty of tables and chairs that you can use while consuming food. We ask this so there are no accidents that could damage yours or others needlework at the retreat. All beverages brought in must have a lid, and the lid kept on, and may not include alcohol. You are responsible for cleaning up after anything you consume, including any spills.

Airport
When booking your flight, you will want to choose MCI, which is the Kansas City International Airport. It is a 23 mile drive from the airport to the hotel. We recommend planning to share a ride with a fellow out of town stitcher, or ask within the facebook group if a local stitcher is willing to pick you up from the airport.​​

​Hotel Codes, Registration, and the Facebook Group

  • After purchasing this listing, you will receive a PDF to be downloaded. Please find all relevant information there including:
  • A link to the registration form. YOU MUST FILL THIS OUT to be allowed admittance to the event itself. You must fill out the registration form no later than April 1 in order to receive items based on your preferences. If you use any other avenue of providing information about you or other guests attending the retreat (such as email), we cannot guarantee your preferences will be documented.
  • At the bottom of the registration form will be a link to the facebook group. This group is for PAID ATTENDEES ONLY. It is where we will share upcoming information about the retreat. You can also ask questions, share plans and excitement for the Camp BNS retreat.
  • Hotel booking information

 

Refunds and Payment Plan

You have 24 hours after purchase to cancel and receive a 94% refund (6% of your payment immediately pays for processing fees that we have no access to, and no ability to refund).

  • After the initial 24 hours, your first $150 payment is non-refundable.

  • You may cancel by April 30th to receive a 35% refund

  • You may cancel by June 1st to receive a 25% refund (No refunds will be given after this date).

  • If you need to cancel, we encourage you to sell your spot within the Black Needle Society Buy/Sell/Trade Facebook group or to a friend in order to recoup your funds fully. You are responsible for all financial transactions if you choose to sell your spot. As the original attendee, it is your responsibility to contact BNSocietyHelp@gmail.com to replace your information with another stitcher’s. (Please also contact us if you need help selling your spot. We may be able to connect you with another stitcher on our waitlist, but we cannot guarantee it).