First, the noise! I love being a room full of quilters but that is never quiet. The constant talking, laughing, and occasional screams (a finish!) for a person with MS is exhausting! It isn't just with quilters. It takes a lot of energy to process constant stimulation like this and it happens when I go to other workshops.
So I try to keep my projects simple. I know I'll have difficulty focusing and that I will tire quickly so I avoid projects that require a lot of thought. For our next retreat I'm packing up this Pat Sloan project that pretty much uses two sizes of squares...and since it is scrappy no problem with putting a fabric in the wrong place!
Also, I don't start a new project from scratch. When fatigue hits there are cognitive difficulties. I remember one year when I was embroidering a witches hat...I must have spent an hour reading and rereading and rereading directions! Sometimes there isn't enough coffee on earth to make things make sense...that is when a hand quilting project (already marked) is great...following lines with one type of stitch is sometimes all I can handle! Also when hand quilting no getting up and down to go to the ironing stations!
Which leads to my second point...kit up as much as possible. For the Traffic Jam Quilt I have cut a quilter's bazillion 2-1/2 inch squares...made about 80 four patches and even made a few of the finished blocks. This means as little thought and movements as possible (now if they could just set up a caffeine IV I'd be set!)
And just in case always have a backup project. So say my leg is a but numb so even the walk to the ironing station is tough and my eye is wonky so I can't thread the needle to do hand quilting...go to project number 3. For this retreat I have a stack of 10-inch squares (mostly from my stash with a few cake layer squares) that I will trace a huge hexagon onto.
So MS just requires a bit more planning...and coffee...