Stitcher's Hideaway Needlework Retreats - Mystic I and II

I am home and ready for a good night of sleep in my own bed. What a fabulous time I had teaching at Stitcher's Hideaway! It was two wonderful retreats - both filled with amazing, creative, talented, and unique students - it was so much fun to expand my stitching family. Each attendee did a great job with the class project and many, if not all, had a finished ornament to take home with them (some of my over-achievers had two!)....and some of those who took the beading class the night before even had a finished beaded ornament to take home, as well. It was a true delight spending time with each of the attendees - hearing about their hometowns, their stitching stories, and their personal experiences - I am so excited to have all of them in my stitching family! I took along a trunk show of 15 models and a bunch of my smalls...and piles of charts for shopping...and shop they did...plus Chris and Pam from Chris's Collection set-up an entire needlework shop in one of the hotel rooms which was AMAZING. I managed to purchase two bags of stash and gifts - which I will share next week - I had to ship home all my purchases, as my suitcase was pretty close to maximum capacity at 48 pounds. Several of the students brought me the most special gifts (thank you so much!) and I had to ship those, as well, so I will have a very fun post next week when UPS rings my doorbell. There was a visit from Santa Claus, goodie bags, door prizes, an ornament exchange, and a show-and-tell filled with gorgeous needlework and crafts. Overall, it was the most fabulous experience and I have many wonderful memories of my time in Mystic, CT. Thank you so much to all the attendees - for the laughs, the learning experiences, and the smiles - you are all special.

Mystic I Photos:

I wish I could share them all, but that is not an option - so I am sticking to just a few. The first couple are my hard working students...followed by Santa stopping by for a visit and a photo of him with Sue (Stitcher's Hideaway creator and my lovely, gracious tour guide). The next photo is of the ornaments for the ornament exchange...followed by a couple show and tell photos - sorry I can't share them all, these were some VERY talented needleworkers. The final photo is of Christine - she was my first deaf student with a sign language interpreter - this was Christine's first time stitching on linen and it was sheer joy seeing her eyes light up and her facial expressions each time she mastered a specialty stitch or technique - she was a shining star and all the other attendees cheered her on and assisted with her learning....she even managed to visit Mystic II for the second day to learn even more...

Chris's Collection Shop Photos:

Chris and Pam from Chris's Collection provided a great shopping experience for all. They had such a great assortment and a bunch of new items from the recent St. Charles Market. I honestly couldn't believe how they could fit so much into a tiny hotel room....they did a fantastic job! If they can make a small space this wonderful in a few hours, I imagine the shop in Southwick, MA is pretty perfect....

Mystic II Photos:

I was so extremely blessed to teach a second retreat...and this group was so much fun - they had me laughing a good amount of time and were very quick learners! The first photos show some hard at work and opening door prizes....followed by several photos from our visit from Santa. Next is a photo of the ornaments from the ornament exchange, followed by several photos from show and tell. Again, there were wonderful stories and pieces of needlework shown and I was in awe of all the talent in the room!

There you have it - my two retreats in a nutshell - I tried to show you as much as possible in a short amount of space - there were so many fun images, it was hard to pick the few to share. As you can see, I really enjoyed my visit to Connecticut....I hope I will have a chance to return soon! Next week, I will share some shopping, stash, and gift photos....I can hardly wait for my boxes to arrive....