New England Stitching Retreat - The Area

Hello friends! I have returned from my trip to New Hampshire, where I was teaching at the first New England Stitching Retreat. WOW....I don't know where to begin...what a fabulous weekend! First of all, we stayed at the Great Stone Dwelling House in Enfield, NH, which is also home to the Enfield Shaker Museum....and the history of this amazing building was not lost on me....what a treat to stay in this unique environment, free of televisions, radios, phones, etc. Some might miss those modern day amenities, but I'll take the charm of this lovely quiet setting any day...and who misses modern technology when you have the GREAT company of fellow needleworkers, fabulous views, delicious food, and a full schedule of great events....I truly had a wonderful time. My days in New England flew by! I have a brand new stitching family - friends I will have for a lifetime - we spent our late nights chatting it up in the stitching lounge and boy did we do our share of laughing...I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard...and many were stitching away into the wee hours of the morning. Our class was so much fun...and most of the students, if not all, finished their scissor fob in class...finishing work included! Plus, the students took home beautiful goodie bags, special treat bags each evening, door prizes, and stash bags...even I was jealous of all the great stuff they were able to take home...it was a good thing some of them brought extra suitcases. Not to mention we got to take a trip to ABC Stitch Therapy where we had a tea party (with perfect little treats) and massive shopping - those of you who live close enough to frequent this shop, I am so jealous...it is spectacular...I told Marie (the owner and sponsor of this retreat) I would live there, if she would let me! I did a TON of shopping and brought home some great stash (which I will share with you in the next few days)...I also brought home some unique things from the museum gift shop.

There is so much to share, I will do several posts...here are just a few of the photos I took of the grounds during my stay...

The Great Stone Dwelling House 1837-1841 (our home for the retreat):
























The West Meadow Barn 1856

























The Stone Mill Building 1849

Laundry and Dairy 1813























The Mary Keane Chapel 1932

























I promise to return with more photos over the next few days...including pictures from inside the Great Stone Dwelling House...and my stash enhancement! I feel so extremely blessed to have been invited to teach at this event...I am truly living my "dream"...