2026 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 "Slumber Party!" Will you be team slumber or team stitch-the-night-away. (Don't worry if you're team slumber. We won't let those pranksters stick your hand in a cup of water.) 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 Legally Blonde for the evening of July 29 for those wishing to join us for a pre-camp show (this is an add-on). A link to sign up for dinner theater will be provided in the downloadable PDF that will be attached to your retreat purchase receipt.


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

This listing is for a single seat at the 2026 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/dRWdTMVS9Mivgmzt9

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Camp BNS 2026 Dates: July 30- August 2. The stitching room will be opening at 2p.m. on July 30.

Location: Residence Inn by Marriott Kansas City Airport, 10300 N Ambassador Dr, Kansas City, MO 64153 (This is not attached to the airport, but shuttles too and from are available through the hotel)

A link to receive our special group rate of $149 a night, and discounted parking is included in the PDF attached to your retreat purchase receipt.
In order to fulfill our contract with the hotel, all reservations must be made through the hotel website directly (no third party reservation services such as Expedia, AirBNB, Travelocity, credit card perks/points, etc.). If you do not use our group rate link, you will not receive the parking discount.

As this was an issue for 2025, for this year's retreat, if we are unable to fulfill our contract due to an excess of outside reservations, we will send an additional fee to those individuals not registered with our group rate to cover the cost of the event space. This could be $$$-$$$$ if we breach contract. We have already talked with the hotel management, and they cannot pull anyone into our block who makes an outside reservation at this specific hotel location.

Your $265 fee includes:

  • A new exclusive project from The Black Needle Society, and the annual Snail kit

  • a Camp Wearable

  • 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. King or Double Queen suites are available for an average of $149 per night.

  • Our check-in time is 4:00 PM, check-out time is 12:00 PM.

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.- 4 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 29 at The New Dinner Theatre and Restaurant who are putting on a production of "Legally Blonde." Tickets are $73 per piece. We have created a PayPal Pool to collect payment for these tickets to avoid additional payment processing fees via Shopify. Tickets include your ticket to the show, your meal, an endless refill beverage (non-alcoholic), dessert, and gratuity. You will need to arrange transportation to the theatre.

  • 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 quilter’s 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 living area 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 two categories: Night Time/Slumber Party, or Wild Card. Stitchers participating in the "Night Time/Slumber Party" exchange should expect to exchange pieces related to night time motifs (stars, moons, etc.), slumber party motifs (sleeping bag, "sleep", 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 4” x 4”. 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. (Please do not include past BNS items in this exchange as the gift receiver is more likely to have already received these items as a customer of BNS.)

 

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) or other small mementos to hand out and exchange with others at the retreat. There will be 8 stitchers at each table and approximately 100 stitchers in total. 

 

Food/Drinks/Alcohol Policy

We ask that you do not consume meals in the stitching room. There are many tables available in the lobby portion/hearth room of the hotel with plenty of seating 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. A complimentary hotel shuttle is available to and from the airport.

The hotel shuttle is also available to transport guests anywhere within a 2 mile radius of the hotel, or to the shopping/restaurant district nearby, Zona Rosa: https://www.zonarosa.com/

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.
    • 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 10% 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 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).