Wednesday, 31 October 2018
The awesome needlework retreat - Needlework Galleria - St. Charles Missouri has been and gone.
What a lovely time was had by all! Such a friendly, happy atmosphere.
To return to where I was in the middle of September, after somehow managing to get all my kits prepared, all my stitched models out of their frames and into “travelling” frames and then securely wrapped and then sorting them by size into three suitcases, I then somehow managed to get all of the remaining products pictured on the sofa and coffee table into the remaining space of the almost three full suitcases and my fourth case containing my clothes.
Despite feeling desperately unwell, left for the States on Saturday, the 15th of September. Fortunately my travel agent had arranged ‘wheelchair assistance’ for me at all airports and this was wonderful as I did not have to walk the long corridors between departure gates or stand in the Customs queues. However, I did not like the realisation that I’m getting older! Another fortunate decision was I had allowed myself several days of “free” time before the busyness of the needlework retreat began.
Thus, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday I spent the days resting and stitching. Didn’t venture out of the hotel apart from one day when I went for a walk around the outside of the hotel building and adjoining conference centre.
Beautiful sunny hot days - all the days of the retreat.
As mentioned in my last blog, my stitching project was to stitch more of my third version of my ‘Family Quaker Sampler’ - over one thread on 32 count Permin linen (White Chocolate) with a Simply Shaker Sampler Thread (Endive). I didn’t get it finished as from time to time I stitched other pieces - but more about those pieces later in this blog.
Pictured below is how my sampler looked when it was on display during the shopping days of the retreat -
Wednesday was a GREAT day as most of my designing friends began arriving and so there were hugs and kisses aplenty!
It was also the day that I rearranged the furniture in my hotel rooms (lounge & bedroom furniture) into the lounge and set it up with all my needlework models and goodies. I do like this type of retreat venue. So much easier to set up and a lot more relaxing than setting up in an exhibition site in a conference room venue.
To follow are some pics of my room / displays.
I loved how the organisers decorated the doorways of all thirty two (32) exhibition rooms. Yes! Thirty two rooms represented by thirty (30) vendors (designers, thread & fabric manufacturers, needlework retailers - shop & Internet) as two of them exhibited in two rooms.
The Needlework Galleria logo is of a shop window with a striped canvas canopy over it, thus each hotel room doorway had a fabric canopy above it - either of an orange, yellow or green colouring.
The canopy over my doorway was orange - see images below.
Classes began early on the Thursday morning and continued throughout that day and all throughout the following two days. My class was on the Thursday : 11am - 2pm, and in the afternoon the first of the three ‘Round Robin’ events was held. Each of these events was for a maximum of 50 students and all three of these events were SOLD OUT. Some ladies had enrolled for each event! All ‘Round Robins’ had six different Exhibitors who introduced themselves and presented their needlework projects or products, gave a lightening-quick class and verbal tutorial, a quick overview of how they became a designer, etc. and then popped out of class and seconds later, the next Exhibitor popped in, introduced themselves and so on.
A VERY popular event.
Pictured is my friend, Janis Note of Noteworthy Needle - the BEE lady. Her specialty is making beeswax into gorgeous shapes such as hearts, bees, cats, dogs, etc. For the evening she dressed herself as a bee - a striped yellow & black bodysuit with black wings and a curved black ‘sting’, black leggings & fluffy yellow slipper feet with faces drawn on them and on her head, black curly antenna. She created quite a sensation.
I did not participate in this event. Packing up another 50 kits in addition to those that I had already done was too daunting a task. Also, it would have meant I’d have to take another suitcase. Four is more than enough for me to handle these days without another one!
Shopping began Thursday evening and continued all day Friday & Saturday and most of Sunday. Most attendees left Sunday afternoon and at the close of the shopping hours, all vendors began the unenviable task of dismantling their displays, packing up their wares and
I spent the remainder of the day resting in my room and stitching another letter of my new ‘Alphabet’ series.
Although only having completely finished six letters of the alphabet, I had these on display during the retreat.
Five of the six are pictured below.
As I have designed all letters of the alphabet, I offered the attendees the opportunity to order a particular letter or letters. Received 13 orders!
I now have a lot of stitching to do - and as quickly as possible. I cannot provide the chart for a particular letter until that letter has been stitched, finished as an ornamental, photographed, and the instructions written and the chart printed for that letter.
Here are two of the letters I managed to stitch whilst I was in the States -
That’s all for this note.
I do hope you are able to attend a needlework retreat one day.
You will have a wonderful time!
Bye for now.
