Dyeing to Stitch Retreat, Part 1

What a fantastic weekend the retreat was! If you've never been to a Dyeing to Stitch retreat, you've got to plan to attend the next one! It was so much fun, and the time spent with friends will always be a cherished memory for me.

I took lots of pictures to share, so if you can play a soundtrack in your mind of lots of oohing and aahing and clapping and laughing, you'll get an idea of how it all went. What fun we all had!

Here's how it started out, at least for me:

The retreat was held at the Cavelier Hotel on Virginia Beach, which was lovely! Here are some pictures of the boutique that was set up for the attendees to shop:

Stacy Nash Primitives…(what a sweetheart Stacy is!)

(I have to include a photo of her Halloween at Hollyberry Farm to show you what the linen really looks like. For those of you who ordered it kitted, it isn't as gray as the photo appears, but that's the curse that designers deal with – the digital print! The model was fabulous to see in person, though, and I can't wait to get started on mine.)

Here's a photo of the gorgeous designs of Bonnie Woomer/The Nebby Needle:

(I actually just discovered Bonnie's blog, which will give you a far better idea of how the retreat went than mine will!)

The Purple Thread… (Sharon is an excellent teacher, by the way)(and her boutique table had so much to look at, you saw something different every time you blinked!)

Olde Colonial Designs… (this was my first time meeting Pam and her sweet husband Bob, and I loved every minute spent with them)

Jeanette Douglas Designs…(my way-too-much-fun Canadian sister, who was also my roomie; I'm still recovering from our 2 am designing-brainstorming session!)…

I love Jeanette's imagination, and her new A Most Suitable Name series is so sweet! Alphabet Annie is my favorite, I think…

And of course, Shepherd's Bush has always been a super favorite of mine…(Teri and Tina are a hilarious duo when they get in front of a group, and they're so much fun to spend time with!)

There was so much to look at, all around the room…

(Love, love, love Pat and Ann's hand-dyed trims; the mini rickrack in Cinnamon is my favorite!)

 The first night of the retreat was spent learning how to finish a beautiful stitched booklet in our Evening with Friends, taught by Sharon of The Purple Thread. I don't have a photo of the book, but it was absolutely stunning! Each page featured a different design from each designer, and the theme of the book was a celebration of life – from friends to marriage, and everything in between. I'm hoping Pat and Ann will show a photo of it on their blog soon!

I'm not sure which night our Evening with Stacy Nash was, but I believe it was the second night we were there. The weekend went by so fast, it's a blur! Stacy had the sweetest project for us to work on (is there anything of Stacy's that isn't sweet?)…

I think this is a good stopping point! I'll get the rest uploaded soon, so if you'd like to check back, I'll be here! 🙂

I do want to end today's post with saying how much I enjoyed meeting each one of you. I loved spending time at the tables chatting, looking at your photos and your beautiful stitching, and swapping pet stories. It's so much fun to get together with those who are so sweet to sign up for my classes, and I can't thank you enough for your always-warm welcome and kindhearted support. I hope you were all pleased (even if the fabric for Jack's Bash ran out before some of you even knew it was there!), and I especially hope I see you again at a future retreat.

And of course, a huge thank-you to Ann and Pat for the many months they spent putting together such an amazing retreat. It was one of the best weekends ever!