New England Stitcher's Retreat: Events

Meeting new needlework friends is such a joy - I absolutely adore teaching and spending time with fellow stitchers! I always tell my class attendees that they are part of my stitching family and are stuck with me for life (and I mean it!) - each one (in the wise words of Dodie) leaves an imprint on my heart...I feel truly blessed to meet and work with each individual. Below are just a sampling of my photos from the New Stitching Retreat events (I took hundreds) - obviously I can't share every picture in my photo album here, so I apologize if you attended and are not present in this post (it is definitely not intentional)...I did my best to pick an assortment of fun, flattering photos...

I actually taught two separate retreats - this first photo shows the class binder, class kit (in the box - tied with ribbon and maple candy - thank you Nataly for assembling the beautiful boxes!), and the goodie tote bag (filled with charts and stitching items)...these three items were at each place setting in the classroom...

THE FIRST RETREAT

Before the reception on the first night, we had a quick tour of the Enfield Shaker Museum - this photo shows Rosemary wearing a Shaker cloak - these hooded cloaks were made of heavy wool and lined in silk.

Here are a couple photos of the classroom...

Many of the students finished part of the project (either the scissor fob, and/or the chair seat, and/or the pin pillow) in class.

Here is Debbie with her completed chair seat:
Here are Judy and Diane with their completed chair seats:
Friends for 40 years - Linda and Ruth:
Mother and daughter, stitching together - Donna and Stephanie:
...and here is a fabulous photo of Bonnie and Lisa:
Dinners during the retreat were always entertaining...and I try to sit at each and every table during the events to get to know each of the attendees...
On the second day of the retreat, we took a "field trip" to ABC Stitch Therapy for shopping and a lovely tea party. I adore this photo of Sue and Bree at the tea party table - isn't the table setting delightful? There were lots of tasty treats, including homemade scones, macaroons, petit fours, and cookies....and jam that Marie had her sister bring from New Zealand. There were multiple types of tea (including English Breakfast, my favorite) served in fancy vintage teapots...and you got to choose a teacup from a wide assortment...it was a perfect afternoon.

THE SECOND RETREAT

Here are a few classroom photos from the second retreat. I was quite impressed that many (at both retreats) returned to the classroom after dinner to stitch on the project late into the night...

This next photo was taken in the stitching lounge...a little show and tell...
Marilyn and Kathy (from Australia) enjoying a "cuppa tea"...
Debi and Janette discussing a gorgeous piece Debi brought for show and tell:
I'm always excited when class attendees finish a piece to take home...just check out these proud smiles...

Teresa with her finished chair seat:
Lesley with her finished chair seat:
Jackie showing off her finished chair:
Gail with her finished chair seat:

...and Patricia with her finished scissor fob!
...and here is Debi finishing up the cross stitching on her chair seat:

And finally - a photo of the mouthwatering treats at the tea party:

So there you have it - a look inside the two New England Stitching Retreats...can you tell we all had a great time?! I seriously couldn't ask for a better job! To those of you who attended - thank you for making my time in New England extra special - I enjoyed each and every one of you...thank you for the laughs and smiles...and for sharing my passion - it was truly my pleasure to share "Botanical Blessings" with you!