Day 20

Good morning gang!  I've missed posting over the past few days because I was away at a stitching retreat.  Now, normally I would have taken my iPad or a laptop or some reasonable way of keeping in touch.  Thursday morning I was congratulating myself all the way to the retreat, because for once I was on time and not running around like a chicken with my head cut off.  So, la, la, la...happy, happy me, with thoughts of how wonderful I am running through my head as I drove the highways and byways, only to arrive, open my trunk,  and...........Whaaaaaaaaat?  I was missing a big bag.  And that meant no iPad, no book, no medicine, no special coffee, no special tea and NO WINE.  Somehow as I was packing the car, I left that whole bag behind on a chair in the living room. 

My stitching friend Debbie, who is always calm, cool and collected said, "Lee, do you have your stitching?"  Yes.  "And do you have your clothes?" Yes.  "Then everything will be fine."

Don't you love how she prioritized my life in two questions?  #1:  Stitching.  #2:  Clothing.  And even if I had forgotten clothing, I had enough fabric packed and enough friends with needles there that we could have stitched together some kind of crazy outfit for me to wear. 

But anyway, I'm back from a weekend of total stitching immersion, and now continuing with the February theme of people, places and things that I love.  Now, I don't know whether to call this a place or a thing - I love stitching retreats.

I've been to several - near and far - and let me tell you, if you can find one, GO.  Here are links to shop sponsored retreats I've written about in my blog over the years.

Silver Needle 2007 - My maiden voyage. Read here and more here
Silver Needle 2008 - Here
Hearts Desire camp 2011 - here and here
Cross My Heart camp 2009 - here

Then there are the getaways formed by a bunch of stitchers that one day look at each other and say, "Hey!  Let's go somewhere!".  Those are awesome.  And it doesn't even need to be a whole weekend.  I went to one marathon stitch day in a Holiday Inn that went from 8AM till 11PM.  Also very great.  So if you can't find a retreat, you can create one.  It's just a matter of finding a couple of like-minded stitchers, a date and a place.  And speaking of like-minded stitchers, here's the group of lovely and fascinating women I spent a long weekend with.  A few are missing - Ginny, Brenda and Judy, but here are the rest!  We were (starting on the left) Colleen, Patty, Nancy, Denise, Janice, Shirley, Linda, Debbie and Donna. 

Playing

Working

 We spent the weekend at a retreat center called Villa Maria, near New Castle PA, a totally peaceful and perfect place.  There was a chapel attached, and you know my fondness for stained glass.

Stitching that I love today was our sole finish of the weekend, by the ever-cool Deb.  It wasn't because we were fooling around, but that we all had these BAP's.  But back to Debbie - She finished her Ann Sandles sampler.  Such a beauty!  I wish I had taken close-ups, but you get the idea.