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."

Dyeing to Tell You More...

...about our stitching extravaganza! Take a look at the view from the balcony on Friday. You can see that the view has changed. The sky is cloudy and grey looking and the waves are choppy. Notice that battleship in the distance? There is a naval station located in Norfolk. Twice during my visit I saw navy ships either coming in or going out to sea; plus countless times each day we could hear fighter jets flying overhead. It was amazing to see those too - no pictures though. Felt safe...and proud of our U.S. military.



On Friday morning, Pat and Ann (our hostesses) had arranged for us to tour the old Cavalier Hotel located across the street from the newer version which we were staying at.



The "old" Cavalier Hotel is an historic property; it first opened in 1927 and it is a grand old lady! We were able to tour the public spaces. Since it was off-season, the hotel is closed for renovations - great care is being taken to preseve this old girl! Some interesting stories -- in 1927 Adolph Coors (founder of Coors Brewery) plunged to his death from the sixth floor; the U.S. Navy occupied the hotel during WWII and used it as a training facility; several U.S. Presidents have stayed at the Cavalier; and the hotel is rumored to have ghosts. Today the hotel is used for weddings and large parties; the hotel rooms may be rented during the peak season.





This painting offers a glimpse of the old and new hotels on a hot summer day!



Back to stitching! On Friday afternoon we had our first class; since I was in Track A, my class was with Teri and Tina from Shepherd's Bush (they are rock stars in my world!) The two of them are very funny and shared stories as they helped us prepare our project for stitching. The project is unbelievable! Their season was "spring" and they designed the following amazing sampler for us entitled "Her World":



They also designed two additional pieces which complemented the sampler, a scissor fob and a pincushion; we could purchase these exclusive kits in the Dyeing to Stitch shop onsite.



Our class was held in a room on the 11th floor of the hotel, overlooking the ocean. The wind was howling the entire time (a storm was brewing). There were so many amazing things to see -- approximately 25 or so surfers were out in the ocean trying to "catch a wave", further out we could see dolphins, and every so often, a flock of pelicans would fly by. Yes, pelicans!

We spent our class time sorting threads and then stitched three of the bands at the top of the sampler. Teri also had a fun project for us at the end of class. I need to take a picture of it and will share it in my next post.

Here are Teri and Tina with their beautiful sampler:



Friday night's event was with a "surprise" teacher - Pam from Olde Colonial designs stopped by. She showed us how easy it is to make padded bottoms for our baskets and how the design can be modified to fit any basket. We thought this class was a bit odd, but it all made sense at our closing event on Saturday night. Sorry, no pictures from Friday night - I think I was too busy with the project!

By Saturday morning the wind and the waves were really tearing up the shoreline (keep in mind that to our north, they were getting snow!)




Saturday morning's class was with Theresa Venette from Shakespeare's Peddler. I knew Theresa from when her shop used to be in Fargo, but I had never taken a class from her. We enjoyed her stories and it was fun to hear about how some of her designs have come to be. Theresa's "season" was winter. She designed a beach/sea theme and explained how challenging it is to combine winter and the sea! I think her sampler is pretty cute:



My two partners in crime, posing for me in the back of the classroom:



We worked on the patches in class and Theresa providing good instruction on how to attach these to our sampler when we are ready. Here is Theresa with her sampler:



One last photo of the sea...see all of those black dots? Those are surfers waiting for huge waves to roll in!



I think this post is long enough! I'll share a few more photos and stories with you tomorrow...enjoy your day!

Dyeing to Tell You...

...about the Dyeing to Stitch Retreat last week!

Not only was this my first time attending this retreat but it was also my first trip to Virginia Beach! I've visited many places on the east coast but I have never been this "up close and personal" with the Atlantic Ocean. Each and every day I was in awe of the view from my hotel balcony. Here are a couple of snaps from that very first day (last Wednesday) and make note of the sky and the waves so you can compare with later pictures!





I took an early morning flight from MN last Wednesday so that I would arrive by noon. My friend Judy and her husband left a few days earlier and drove to Virginia Beach. We wanted to be there early enough on Wednesday to attend the Open House at the shop. Here's a shot of Judy in front of the shop, package in hand!



I was overwhelmed by all the samplers, many of which had been stitched by either Ann or Pat (better known as R&R). Lots of Blackbird Designs samplers done over one - wow! The shop was lovely. Pat and Ann are two of the nicest people you will ever meet; they were so welcoming and took time to greet every guest that was attending the retreat.




Eye candy in the window (sorry about the reflections)-




I was pretty tired on Wednesday night and turned in early to rest up for the start of the retreat on Thursday.

The view still looked pretty good on Thursday, yes? These homes were located right next to our hotel. We stayed at the Cavalier Hotel located right on the beach!





Registration was from 3pm until 5pm on Thursday. During this time we worked on a "welcome" project, met the teachers, and found out what our projects were going to be. There were two tracks of teachers; each participant could take classes from one of the tracks. Track A was Shepherd's Bush and Shakespeare's Peddler and Track B was Jeanette Douglas and R&R. I would have been happy with either track but I was most interested in Track A and fortunately, that's what I was assigned to!

Here's photo of the welcome project - we were given the black mesh bag and all the supplies to stitch this sampler. The theme of this retreat was "Four Seasons at the Beach."



Our hostesses, Pat Ryan and Ann Robbins from R&R:



We broke for dinner, but returned to the ballroom at 7pm for "An Evening with Friends." Each teacher had designed a special "small" project for us and received all the materials to complete these smalls.

From R&R, a pincushion design with each season represented:




From Shepherd's Bush, one of their wonderful scissor fob designs representing Spring:




From Jeanette Douglas, a needlebook design. Jeanette's designated season at the retreat was Autumn:




And last but not least, Theresa Venette/Shakespeare's Peddler designed a pinkeep:



There were approximately 90 stitchers at the retreat coming from all over. Representing the great state of Minnesota, LuAnne, Judy, and yours truly!



Using some motifs that my mother had tatted, I made some little pincushions in tart tins and took several of them for special friends and the teachers. Here are Theresa, Teri, Jeannette, and Tina posing for a picture holding their pincushions.



Well, I'm just getting started, but I think this post is long enough! Check back later for part two of the Dyeing to Stitch retreat...

Crazy Challenge Finish #12

I can hardly believe it, but I've managed to finish twelve pieces from my Crazy Challenge list! While I was in Virginia Beach this week, I finished Jenny Bean's Halloween Sampler. I kept with it on Thursday night until it was done; the last stitches were put in at about 12:30am! I love it!

Jenny Bean's Halloween Sampler
Shakespeare's Peddler
36ct LL Pearled Barley
GAST Limited Edition Threadpack

Full retreat report coming soon!

Gone to the Beach!

Was up at the crack of dawn this morning (4am) so that I would make my 6:30am flight to Norfolk, VA (via Detroit). Both flights operated as scheduled and about 45 minutes after landing in Norfolk I was shopping at Dyeing to Stitch in Virginia Beach! They had an open house at the shop this afternoon. Jeanette Douglas and the R&R gals, Pat & Ann, were there. We had a good time looking at the many shop models (lots of samplers). I picked up a couple of patterns and some delectable R&R linens.

After shopping we headed to the hotel and checked in. I have a room with a great view of the Atlantic Ocean. The weather tomorrow is going to be beautiful. The retreat starts at 3pm, but there are a number of stitchers in the hotel already and we're going to try to organize a "stitch-in" earlier in the day.

Looking forward to the next three days!!!

Progress Made, But No Dancing Yet...

Jenny Bean's Halloween Sampler - Shakespeare's Peddler

I'm getting close to another finish here; Jenny Bean just needs the top, bottom and right borders added and then she will be done! I'm not sure that it will happen this week, but we'll see.

I can barely contain my excitement -- on Wednesday, I am flying to Virginia Beach for the Dyeing to Stitch Retreat!

Ready for Part Two!

I'm always bringing up the caboose so I'm kind of glad that Barb and Alma haven't released part two of the current Loose Feathers. I finished part one tonight and in my humble opinion it looks pretty good! Alma posted a picture of part two on her blog this week - can't wait to get it in my hot little hands!



I'm stitching mine on 35 ct R&R Irish Creme, otherwise everything else is as charted.

One of my stitching buds convinced me that I could finish another Crazy Challenge piece - it's getting close -- I'll share a picture with you this weekend.

Right now this crazy stitching lady needs to go to bed!

Plum Dumplings and Some Stitching

One of my most favorite treats in the fall are plum dumplings! My mom will make them a couple of times while the italian plums are in season. I've purchased plums at the grocery store for her twice now. Do you think if I pick up some more she will make one more batch?


They are a lot of work. The dough is made using potatoes; the plums have to be pitted; and after the dumpling has been cooked it is rolled in fried bread crumbs made with lots of butter and sugar. Yum!



Not too much on the stitching front to share. I wish I had taken time to iron this before I took my photo; I'm kind of being lazy this morning. I am glad that Barb and Alma are late in getting part two out - gives me time to get part one stitched!



Happy Stitching!