Dyeing to Stitch Wrap Up

As the saying goes, "all good things must come to an end." Unfortunately, our weekend of fun did come to an end and on Sunday it was time to come home.

After our class ended on Saturday we made a quick trip back to Dyeing to Stitch. I had to take one more look at all of those beautiful stitched samplers on their walls. On the way back to the hotel we stopped to take some pictures of the sea and of this statue of Neptune. Trust me, it was very cold outside when we took these pictures. Brrr! Those surfers are crazy!





On Saturday afternoon we had some time to visit with Ann Robbins; what a delightful lady she is! We talked about samplers and the proper way to press linen. She also shared with us how the dyeing process is done. It was quite interesting to talk with her.



There was a banquet on Saturday night to wrap up the retreat. For some reason, I didn't take very many pictures, only this one, of new friends that we made at our table.



We had lots of food, delicious desserts, and great conversation. Of course there were many lovely doorprizes. One stitcher won the frame and Jill Rensel mat to go with the Shepherd's Bush project. Can you imagine? Wow! At the end of the evening we each received a parting gift --- a Nantucket basket from Olde Colonial! Our project from Friday night (the padded basket bottom) is a perfect fit for this basket!)



As I mentioned in an earlier post, there were approximately 90 stitchers from all over the U.S. at this retreat. In addition to my Minnesota traveling companions, there were a handful of other stitchers who I already knew; it was good to see them again. It was also fun running into stitchers who would say "I read your blog all the time!" And, there were many new friendships made during the retreat (a big shout out to Maureen and her mother Barbara, and to Cathy, Polly, and Vickie - see you next April at Stitchville!) Connecting and chatting with other stitchers from other parts of the country is really the most fun of all!

Before I sign off, I promised to share with you the little project that we did with Teri from Shepherd's Bush. Teri's project was super simple and it only took 15 minutes! We each made a felt flower scissor fob! The petals were already cut for us and all we had to do was assemble and stitch the parts together. Isn't it cute?



The stitched design with the fob is a retreat exclusive from Shakespeare's Peddler; it will be a needlebook once I have time to do the finishing. A nice reminder of my weekend "By the Sea."