As most of you know it was our 8th Shepherd's Retreat this past week, and we had such a super time. Our beautiful fall weather was perfect and hopefully a great time was had by all. If you were not able to attend--or even if you were--come along with me and take a look at the highlights of our week. We started off by celebrating our shop's 28th birthday. Some of the teachers and participants for the retreat flew in early and came to eat home-made ice cream and birthday cake and celebrate with us.
I was just opening the doors when I snapped this shot outside the shop.
Rabbit and Diane are checking out the new stocking- Charland's Stocking.
Tina and Jeannette Douglas (one of our darling teachers from Calgary Canada) are chatting with each customer as they check out.
Left to right- Our Sister Sheree, Mindi Bruner, Sue Bauter, and Nancy Critchlow sport our new t-shirts. How fun it was to have new shirts printed for the shop. They run $15.00 each, come in various sizes and colors such as: Cayenne, Mango, Celery, Grape.
Wednesday was our Retreat open house at the shop. Because it was a Christmas theme, we served sugar cookies, the yummiest mini cupcakes in Ogden from Villa Bella, brownies, apples from Lynnette's tree and sweet grapes. We also served our favorite punch. The day was filled with friends greeting friends as they all came together for the week.
Then off to Park City where the air is clear and cool, and the Canyons welcomes us all.
The Retreat started with the welcome project. These bags were stitched for us by Adam Originals. They were a great way to start things out. Each of the teachers designed a motif to be stitched on the linen band inset in the bag. Everyone had the choice to do their bag just the way they wanted it. Below you see my bag and Lynnette's--both fun and different.
Next came the Project reveal, where all the teachers show their projects for the first time and talk a bit about them.
Pat Ryan and Ann Robbins of R & R reproductions show their Christmas sampler in a beautiful box.
Also included in the kit was a matching hand painted thread pallette and fob.
Linda Lautenschlager of Chessie 'n Me shows her darling piece
(I took these photos with my phone so some of them are a bit dicey)
Here is Jeannette Douglas's beautiful Christmas Sampler. It has so many fun stitches, it will be a blast to stitch.
Charland and Sydney Garvin show their project--a marvelous needlework case. There are so many sweet motifs filling this piece.
Paulette Stewart shows her Christmas sampler. I just love the tree in the sleigh and the little elf. Such a fun piece.
Tina designed a beautiful sampler from an old English carol.
Cece Stricklin shows the Friday evening project. A wool embroidery needlework case that will hold needles, scissors, threaders and a santa waxer. A number of people even finished them during the week end.
Thursday evening we did the Great Cookie Swap, everyone got a cookie tin and then make 4 cookie projects to go inside. Jeannette and Linda are working on the Pinwheel cookie. I think Linda's is done.
Small christmas gifts were given out at each class- We have had so much fun figuring out the different packaging for everything. These were sewn and twisted, they have a needle threader inside.
Friday afternoon in the Park City Store, we were lucky to have 3 designers who were attending the Retreat, come and visit and talk about their designs.
Sharon Verbos of the Purple Thread, had beautiful scissor fobs, ornaments, and stitching smalls.
Bonnie Woomer of the Nebby Needle had a marvelous array of pincushions.
Wendy Peatross of From the Heart brought a wonderful collection of framed pieces and pincushions.
The Final Banquet was so much fun. The tables looked very festive. We sewed Christmas stockings for all the participants and everyone had a Christmas Cracker. Thanks to Carolyn Seldon (from England) who did an impromptu cracker training. The stockings were filled with holly scissors that we had specially made from Italy.
Crowns on every head, jokes galore, and a Christmas trivia game to top the night. It was a great night.
Dessert was so delish and looked so festive.
Many thanks to the girls at our shop, both the ones that came up to Park City and the ones that stayed back at the shop in Ogden. To the best group of teachers, and all the enthusiastic and darling participants- Thank you so much, it was the best Retreat ever.
See you in 2 years...
Most of the the teachers at the Canyons- Park City.
