Good Times...

I just returned from four + days of stitching bliss. The Needlework Guild of Minnesota held its annual retreat last week at a retreat center in Buffalo, MN. I've heard about this retreat for years from various people but never have attended. When I learned that Jackie du Plessis would be one of the teachers this year, I knew that I needed to check it out! I'm so glad I did. Buffalo, MN is about 1.25 hours NW of where I live. I headed out on Tuesday afternoon and after making a stop at Stitchville (couldn't help it, it was on the way!) arrived at the retreat center on Tuesday night around 5pm. The sleeping accommodations were very comfortable; my roommate, Suzanne, also a first time retreat attendee, was very nice - we got along great!

I settled into my assigned stitching spot -- in the Reconciliation Room!

Pretty funny! This is a religious facility and is generally used for spiritual retreats...I think maybe someone got wind of my devilish nature and decided that I needed to spend some time repenting during the week...we all had a good laugh about it! I'm all set up and ready to stitch!

The view from my chair:

On Wednesday, I had an all-day class with Jackie. I took her Briar Rose class. While the project was a bugger to pre-stitch (all over one stitching) I am so glad that I had my pre-work done. The class focused on the finishing of the etui. Jackie is a wonderful lady with many interesting stories; she's a fantastic teacher. I am so glad that I made the decision to come and take her class. My only regret is that I didn't sign up for at least one or two other classes! She makes finishing easy!

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday were open stitching days for me, or as the needlework guild calls them "independent study" days. I had brought several projects with to work on. Having repented enough for all of my sins (!) I moved to a different stitching spot on Friday and joined this wild and crazy group of stitchers -- they take their stitching very seriously!

On Thursday night we had Show and Tell, sadly I didn't remember to take pictures but there were many beautiful pieces of needlework to "ooh" and "aah" over. On Friday night we played ACORN (aka BINGO) in pursuit of many needlework prizes. Saturday night was vendor night and I'll share my purchases with you in another post. Here are some additional photos of the retreat and the retreat center grounds:

Before I go, here is my finished Briar Rose Etui! There are some scrimshaw pieces that will be added along with a scissors (which is packed away in my stitching bag somewhere!)

It was a great week of learning, stitching, meeting new and old friends and general all-around fun. Looking forward to next year already!