Treats!

I finally got 'round to loading my VSR photos, sorting out my gifts and goodies (a beautiful door-prize!) as I went. First, the penthouse-level room at the Harbour Towers, early on Friday, the first full day of stitching:

Besides Your Humble Photographer, only one other intrepid stitcher has shown up -- but it was only 8 a.m.!






Thursday evening and Friday, there were door-prizes and gifts given out, and Saturday the gifts continued. Here's a photo of my some of my "booty":

The patterns -- most with accompanying thread packs! -- were all gifts from Thea and her staff. The fabric and thread you see on the bottom right were in my door-prize package! I am beside myself, as there is by far more than enough linen there for a very decent project. Amazing!

The wee red, white and green pin-keep you see tucked into the right side of the photo is part of the gift I received at the gift exchange, which took place Saturday afternoon at Thea's home/studio. Each of us was asked to make or bring an item. Accompanying the pin-keep was a tiny pair of gold-coloured scissors, complete with beaded fob! The scissors and keep were from N, an extremely accomplished needleworker, who sat next to me that afternoon. Instead of embroidering the wee wreath that goes over the door of the Gingerbread House in our project, N showed us how she was making it in stumpwork. Fabulous!

Of course, no stitching retreat would be complete without a wee bit of shopping. Thea's studio was Open for Business! Given my stash, I was being careful, but I did buy a piece of Thea's I've long wanted (pattern and thread pack): Where Stitchers Gather. I also had her autograph my project piece, the pattern for the Gingerbread House (not shown). Then I bought a knitter-appropriate pattern designed by Cathy Jean: Sheep -- the pattern, thread pack and accompanying "Bitty Buttons" frame, which I understand Cathy's husband creates with her for her designs. She was delighted to autograph it for me too!

Last but not least, a photo of Thea (centre), Lisa (left) and Cathy Jean (right), designers and teachers extraordinaire, whose company and hospitality we enjoyed -- and were spoiled by! -- all weekend.

Thanks again, ladies! It was spectacular!

What I Did Last Weekend

I guess it's time I showed you a bit more about what I did last weekend -- Thursday through Sunday, actually. I flew to beautiful Victoria, B.C. for a weekend of stitching, accented by chocolate (!), as one of 24 participants in the twice-yearly Victoria Sampler Retreat. This fall's project was a wee Gingerbread House that is actually a stitcher's box. The roof becomes a needlebook, and the chimney, a pin cushion! Inside, there will be a biscornu (aka 'tuffet') and a fob for one's scissors. The candy is represented by beads of various bright colours and sizes; the snow/icing is all white silk mori and/or perle cotton. The whole thing is tiny and exquisite -- and not usually something I'd tackle, but I wanted the experience, all of it -- the get-away, the Company of Women, a visit to Victoria where I hadn't been in years...

After I checked in Thursday afternoon at the Harbour Towers, I grabbed my purse and went out to explore. I walked up past the Empress -- still a Grande Dame of a hotel! -- and up Government Street, where I marvelled at both changes and spots I remembered. I dropped in to Murchie's for a mug of dark roast, and a yummy frosted biscotti; I browsed thoroughly through Munro's Books, I drooled over the wares in the Irish Linen shoppe. I arrived back at the hotel in time for our "Meet and Greet", held up in 1207, one of the penthouse-like rooms that was also our classroom for the next day.

There were women gathered from B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Washington State, Oregon, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and a multitude of other amazingly-far-away places. Some of them come every year, at least once. Some come twice -- it is their treat to themselves. I met my room-mate, B, from just outside Vancouver, B.C. -- a terrific gal with 2 grown kids who is an excellent stitcher -- and typically, we talked (far) too late into the night...

Nonetheless, I was up early enough Friday to have a good breakfast and a 45-minute walk around the same route as Thursday. This time, however, I scouted out the location of the Button and Needlework Boutique, one of the weekend's sponsors, reputed to be an absolutely delicious place to shop.

TO BE CONTINUED...