New England Stitching Retreat - A Peek Inside

Today, my New England Stitching Retreat photos focus on the inside of the Great Stone Dwelling House - our home for the retreat weekend. The vast amount of windows and the natural light they provided was a huge plus for stitching...and the quiet halls and rooms added to the relaxation. The first evening of the retreat a tour was provided for those of us who were interested in the history of the building - we got to take a peek inside the attic, the second attic, and the bell tower...as you will see in one of the photos below, the second attic had a room completely filled with antique spinning wheels (quite the sight!). The view from my room window was lovely - overlooking the water and an endless skyline of trees. One of the wonderful things about this particular retreat was the fee was "all-inclusive"...including all of the meals...so we all had meals together and we didn't have to leave the location...and extremely important - the food was FANTASTIC...it was catered by a local restaurant called Mickey's and each and every meal was truly delicious. There was a wonderful stitching lounge...and seating areas at the end of each floor where stitchers could gather....and we did nightly. It really is a unique location. Although the individual rooms did not have the amenities of modern day hotels - I was very comfortable...and once the hot water reached my room (I was on the top floor), my shower was great! My room had the original split shaker shutters on all the windows....and of course the pegs for hanging my clothing. As you can tell, the history of this special venue was not lost on me - I was very inspired!

Inside My Room - taken in the evening with the shutters closed (as seen above the bed)...



























The Class Project - the shaker box with the kit supplies all tied together neatly, the special goodie bag commemorating the retreat - filled with awesome stash, and the class binder...























The Classroom - with loads of windows and natural light...

























The Classroom once the students took over...

























The Dining Room
























The Stitcher's Lounge

























The Meeting/Stitching Area (at the end of each floor)

























The Spinning Wheels in the Second Attic

























Shaker Chairs

























I hope you are enjoying a little tour from my New England teaching trip...I will be back with my stash photos (which for some reason everyone wants to see)...and a look at what I purchased in the museum gift shop!

*House Finch Update*...there are still five eggs in the perfectly round nest...and if I have timed it correctly, we will have baby birds any day...I will let you know as soon as they start to hatch...