New England Stitcher's Retreat - "Botanical Blessings"

Have you been thinking about taking a needlework class this fall??...well, then you are defnitely in luck!...I will be teaching "Botanical Blessings" for the New England Stitching Retreat on two separate sets of dates - and there are still a few openings available for each:

Retreat One: October 7 - 10, 2011

Retreat Two: October 11-14, 2011

These retreats are scheduled to take place during the peak of the colorful autumn leaves in New England...and the location for this unique retreat experience is The Enfield Shaker Museum in Enfield, New Hampshire...with accommodation provided within the historical Great Stone Dwelling House...and it truly is the perfect place to hold a needlework retreat. Those of you regularly follow my blog may remember reading about the New England Stitching Retreat after I had the pleasure of teaching there in May 2010....and I was THRILLED to be invited back for another event - and with the popularity of this class piece, they opened a second set of dates to accommodate everyone. If you would like to read about my previous experience in Enfield, see my posts from May 2010:

The Area

A Look Inside

Gift Shop Finds

Stash

The New England Stitching Retreat is an all-inclusive, intimate retreat, restricted to a maximum of approximately 30 overnight guests...the setting is quiet and relaxed...the food is fabulous (the desserts are "to die for")...the stitching lounge is open 24 hours a day...and there is even an afternoon tea with private shopping at ABC Stitch Therapy!

The exclusive class design - "Botanical Blessings":

• The autumn 2011 class project focuses on an 8” miniature Shaker chair. This special design was inspired by my research on the Shaker culture and gift drawings, the simplicity of the Shaker lifestyle, and the beauty of nature. We will be stitching a “seat” for the chair - along with a scissor fob “pillow”, a pin pillow (tied to the top rung of the chair), and a needlebook “rug” – giving you a unique display set of needlework smalls (shown above right)...all of which coordinate with a floral wreath sampler (shown below).

• Class will cover stitching of the sampler and needlework smalls, working any specialty stitches, finishing techniques for each of the smalls (including attaching the “seat” of the chair), personalizing your pieces, and making twisted cord. Plan to focus on (and hopefully complete) your chair “seat” or scissor fob in class.

• Stitches include: Cross Stitch over 2 linen threads, back stitch, Nun Stitch, and whip stitch (also known as a ladder stitch).

• Each piece will be stitched on 32-count Lakeside Linen (Porcelain) with Weeks Dye Works cotton floss. Students will receive complete kits to stitch/finish all of the needlework smalls and sampler (with the exception of framing supplies).

• Students should have previous experience working on linen or linen-like fabrics and should be comfortable working from basic stitching diagrams and cross stitch charts. Students will need their favorite stitching tools or basic sewing kit (sharp sewing scissors, ruler or tape measurer, writing utensil, extra needles, a hoop or Q-Snaps, etc.). If required, student will need to provide their own additional lighting or magnification (remember, if bringing "plug-ins", please bring an extension cord).

• NOTE: This special design will not be released to the general public for at least one year after the events...and more than likely it will be the sampler and a set of needlework smalls only, as the chairs were specially made for this retreat by a local New England artisan.

If you are looking for a very special needlework retreat experience, then I hope you will join us in Enfield, NH this coming October! Visit http://www.stitchingretreat.com for all the details and information on how you can register - I would truly love to meet you!