Mid October, 2016
Dear Friends,
Before I go one paragraph further, I want to introduce you to our newest stocking for 2016. She is finally here--a little gypsy who has slowly wandered her way into our lives. In some ways she is an homage to my childhood. My siblings always said that my parents adopted me from a gypsy caravan, which I maintained until the story made Christian cry, and I had to leave my gypsy ways behind. I hope you love her.
Roma's Stocking
chart: $9.00
entire kit: $96.00
Here it is the middle of October, the weather has taken on a definite chill, and it is hard to believe that the Retreat is over. Ahh...sort of sad. We did have such a fabulous time that I thought I would share a bit of it with each of you. All of the teachers were wonderful, and I think that everyone enjoyed all the time spent with them in classes and evening events. Teri and I always brag that we have the very nicest people in the world attend our weekend, and those words are very true. Everyone was so friendly and inclusive and helpful that I wanted to give each person a gold star for perfectness. And of course all of our girls worked very hard and just kept on going making it so much easier for us. All in all, I think it just may have been the best retreat ever for us. A huge thanks to all who helped and attended. I hope you are all catching up on your sleep...and stitching. I am working on a pin cushion, but I might be calling one of you for a few clarifications. I really should have taken notes.
It's funny, but here at the shop we have been busily preparing for this event all year long. Lynnette has been cutting and folding thousands of pieces of fabric. Sue has been assembling charms and packaging and keeping track of each and every thing. Reeta and Nancy have been making kits like a mini factory and trying to help Teri keep the shop stocked. And Teri and I have been trying to keep everything moving forward towards October. Sometimes I think that we have lived and breathed Retreat for so long that we haven't done much else. (I know that I have been a bit preoccupied when Bob starts posting restaurant ads on the refrigerator. ) Of course task master Teri doesn't believe in wasting even 1 minute, and she stitched pin cushions on every airplane trip we made to Indiana. All the way in the car to DC, she was busy sewing buttons on little cloth bags, and every time I would whine, she would just smile and say: Isn't this the most fun any person could ever dream of? I know, I am weak, but there were many nights --and days--when I wanted to tell her that we just couldn't do this again--but I thought I would wait until this one was over. And then everyone arrives, and the great fun of the week begins, and every single person is so sweet and darling and wonderful, that I woke up Sunday morning and thought: Next time... And there you have it. We have't stopped talking about what we are going to do in 2 years. So read on, McDuff, and come take a stroll with me through some of the highlights of this very fun week. Our finisher dropped this off just in time for our shop open house...
Prairie Schooler Santa
Card $5.00
Complete kit $49.85 (backing fabric not included)
How fun, that Prairie Schooler has designed another Santa for this year. I just love him, and I think that our pillow turned out fantastic. We stitched him--as always--on the 7 count Klostern with #3 perle cotton and added darling buttons. What a perfect continuation of a wonderful tradition.
Retreat Week!!!
It's here, the shop is dressed and ready.
We are all very excited to welcome everyone to Ogden.
Treats to entice
Jeannette Douglas and Teri are working at the counter. Those are 2 pretty great smiles.
A few darling friends at the end of the first open house day.
Des picked up Paulette and Brenda, and whisked them up to the shop open house.
Park City....here we come.
The boutique in the hotel is beginning to take shape.
Here we are almost ready for the grand opening.
The freebee table, each morning stocked with a new free pattern and small kits to make it.
Here is a whole long table full of very fun accessories that we have been ordering and collecting all year long.
Blackbird Designs Table
Darling Buds of May
New by Blackbird $9.00
By the Light of the Moon
by Blackbird $8.00
Teri chose the greatest spooky linen for this darling pattern. It has been such fun this Halloween.
Blackbird magnets
$12.00
Barb and Alma are holding our Garden Club. It is totally fantastic.
This has been such a super project. Twelve months of fun and mystery--done on different types of linen and all sewn together in the end to create this lovely piece. Of course all parts are still available if you want to get started.
Chessie and Me Table
I love Linda's new Pumpkin House kit (left) and the darling frame Jill used. American Stag (center) and Winter Woods (right) are other great kits in this charming series.
With Thy Needle and Thread Table
Here are new wonderful patterns from Brenda Gervais.
She was kind enough to bring them to debut at the Retreat.
All of them are available now from us as patterns or kits.
Christmas Tea
$12.00
Snow for Christman
chart: $12.00
The Christmas Bird
chart: $12.00
Wool and Flax
chart $12.00
October Feast
chart and little table: $20.00
This is super darling. It is a little pin cushion that is mounted on a tiny wooden table.
The Plum Street Samplers Table
Paulette brought so many fabulous brand new charts. Everyone loved them.
Turkey Bay
chart: $12.00
New Siren Cove
chart: $12.00
Autumn Ewe
chart: $10.00
Olga's Autumn Stocking
Chart: $16.00
The next few designs were a pre-release for the retreat. All so fabulously fun and Christmassy.
We love those sheep.....
Kringle and Woolard
Chart: $ 12.00
1831 Christmas
Chart: $10.00
Merry Friends
Chart $10.00
The Adams Family
chart: $12.00
This one was new earlier in the month, but it was such fun to have Paulette's model in the shop. This is a favorite of Teri's and she has already started stitching it for herself. So darling....
Jeannette Douglas' Table
Quilt box is new and so cool.
pattern $
pattern $
Gorgeous!! Her Seasons by the Sea series all connected together.
Pumpkin Box was new for the Harvest Hop and everyone loved seeing it at the Retreat. So perfect for October and November.
The Purple Thread Table
Sharon always sets up the most darling display just filled and brimming over with enticing little projects.
The hustle and bustle of the shop during the weekend.
How fun.
The Welcome Project was a luggage tag to go on the tote bag we gave everyone.
Our Humanitarian Project this year was to send a girl from an impoverished country to school. If you wanted to participate, you could stitch a scissor fob to exchange and donate $5.00. We had over 100 fobs entered into the exchange as well as many, many generous donations from tons of people. Shepherd's Bush matched all money raised, and we are able to send 10 girls to school and change the lives of those children and their families. Yay. What inspiration and kindness.
The Class Projects
Our darling teachers are shown here with their class projects, these designs are not available now, but watch for them in a years or so.
Jeannette shows her fabulous Journey Box
Brenda shows her wonderful shadow box design: O Tannenbaum
Barb and Alma with their beautiful Scottish sampler and pincushion
Paulette holds her fantastic Americana Sampler. So amazing!
Linda shows her sewing casket and the small stitching pieces to go inside.
A perfect traveling sewing box
On the Road to Paris
I loved creating this sampler inspired by a train journey from Nice to Paris. I hope that everyone will have a great time stitching it. Sorry no photo of Teri and me...darn.
Cece gave out her beautiful new sampler pattern and a sweet pincushion taken from the sampler.
This replica of an antique sampler is simply gorgeous.
Hazelnut mousse cake for dessert after Cece's wonderful talk on the journey of the color Red.
Shepherd's Bush's darling classes
Macaron button boxes, cookies, and needle keep
Leslie is holding her travel scissor fob. We gave them the start of the fob and then they collected travel charms to add at each event.
Here are the pincushions we all presented on the Shared Stitches evening
A close up of the fob and the scissors and the postcard and magnets-- all were small tokens given at each event. The polka dot scissors were made for us in Italy and arrived just in the nick of time.
Here are three of the magnets that were given out. We had them specially created for our retreat.
The blue washed tray was our final gift--perfect to keep all our pincushions together.
The banquet is always silly fun and delicious food.
After a song from the "Vienna Men's Choir," the game began..
All the teachers pose together for a photo.
Nancy and Teri pose with this amazing sheep which our friend, Susan Cavanaugh, brought to us. She had an artist--local to her area--make this and it is unbelievable. Even down to the little Shepherd's Bush flowers growing in the grass. I think he might be pasturing at my house for a little while.
Well...I could just go on and on. Oh yeah, I did. I just can't express what a great week we had. Thank you so much to everyone who suspended their lives for a few moments to travel here... to all our friends who encouraged and helped... to all the teachers (also friends) who brought such lovely projects.
Our theme was about a journey, and what a journey it was...a journey of stitching, of course, but also a journey of love and soul that I will treasure in my heart forever.
hugs, Tina
