Hello, Friends!
I mentioned in my last
post on September 6th that there would not be much stitching or
sewing happening for me. My daughter came for a visit and only left the day
before I traveled to Montgomery, AL for a cross-stitch retreat.
We walked around Lake
Junaluska, took trips to see the sights, shopped in our little town and just
had fun watching sports and putting together a puzzle. The last couple of days of her visit was
spent preparing for the retreat.
Stitching in the Wild
Retreat is hosted by Gary and Ronny Hovatter. They have an online shop here
and they opened a brick and mortar shop in Ozark, AL last April. Their 2023 retreat was held in Fort Lauderdale, FL. I attended that one as well
and you can see that recap here.
On Wednesday the 18th I loaded the car and headed to ‘Bama. The last stop before reaching the retreat hotel was a stop in Auburn to get my Buc-cee’s banana pudding.
A large, of
course, to get me through the weekend.
That evening was spent
putting together the attendee gifts I brought.
We checked into the retreat early Thursday morning. We were presented with a nice burlap bag filled with goodies.
The travel scissors unfold
Several designers provided exclusive FREE charts for attendees
Ronny made a 6" x 9" notions bag for everyone
We selected our seat after check-in.
I was fortunate to sit at Table #2. Here is a photo of my
tablemates with Gary. Gary is eating his favorite sour cream cookie that I made. I
gave him one dozen and our table shared a dozen.
My tablemates were Stephanie (from Fabrics by Stephanie), Robbie, Dianne, Linda (Stitchy Linda on IG), Kristine and Maria.
Before settling in for business, a few of us enjoyed delicious BBQ at Dreamland. The food didn’t last long enough to get a photo.
Once settled, I started stitching Halloween Alphabet by Primrose Cottage.
Notice the big project bag matches the small bag that was in our gift from GaRon. I received the larger bag when I was in the GaRon bag-of-the-month. It was a coincidence I selected that one for the retreat.
Our tablemates also
exchanged gifts.
My gift to Table 2 was a
jar of apple butter from our local orchard (no photo), Waynesville sticker,
candy and a beeswax thread conditioner.
Gift from Linda and Dianne was a printed Pinkern Punkin’ chart, called for floss on Halloween floss drops and delicious Key Lime cookies.
Robbie had a Halloween
theme for her gift which was socks, orange Sharpie marker, orange post it notes
and pumpkin spice Werthers…what?!? Werthers and pumpkin spice are two of my
favorites, and together??? So good.
Maria and Kristine gave us
an adorable crocheted doily and ort bag, counting pin and scissor fob.
A friend who was not in attendance sent a gift for Ronny to pass along to me. A floss bling with my name on it. Jackie made the rings for everyone but personalized one for me.
Some attendees brought a
little something for everyone, not just their tablemates. My gift was candy
and beeswax floss conditioner.
I received several useful handmade gifts.
I won’t show you my embarrassingly large haul but there is one item I must show.
I mentioned Stephanie of Fabricsby Stephanie was one of my tablemates. She dyes the most beautiful
fabric and was a vendor at the retreat. I already have several pieces of her
linen and added three more to my stash.
36 count Bewitched, 40 count Chocolate Milk, 40 count Friendship Greene
I couldn’t resist getting
a photo with Stephanie, Gary and Ronny on Saturday evening.
There were approximately
120 attendees. A great group of stitchers!
Sunday was the last day.
As much fun as it was, it was also very nice to be home.
The eight hour drive home was easy. I
quickly unloaded the car and unpacked. By Monday evening I had worked a full
day, done all the laundry and organized everything I brought home.
Now I am in full cruise
prep mode. We leave next Wednesday on a 10-day New England and Canada
cruise. I haven’t even made a packing
list yet…geesh!
The next few days will be
work, prepping for vacation and catching up on blog reading and flosstubes.
If you finished to the
end…thank you 😊
Enjoy your day!
9 comments:
It looks like you had a fun time. I am sure the cruise will be delightful also.
Wow that was a big retreat! Looks like a ton of fun. I gained weight just reading about the food - lol! Your cruise sounds heavenly.
Looks like you had a great stitching getaway;))
Oh I hope you enjoy your cruise--we went on 3 cruises when we were still traveling and they were super--I love cruising--
Wave to me as you pass by CT hahaha enjoy hugs, Julierose
Good morning, Jeanne and Happy Wednesday. September has been a fabulous month for you starting with a visit with your daughter and ending with an amazing retreat. It sounds like you had a grand time and what fabulous goodies. I love your new start on the sampler . I hope you squeeze in a few moments of rest before you next adventure. Eeeh a cruise ! How exciting! Safe travels. Hugs.
You have had a busy month, and it sounds like you're not done yet! The retreat looks like so much fun. I love that Halloween alphabet - so cute! Have a wonderful time on the cruise, too!
What a great time! You received some great gifts. The food sounded good too. Enjoy your cruise! I hope you get to rest at some point!
Sounds like lovely quality time with your daughter. What a great time you had on retreat, so many lovely gifts. I do love hand dyed fabrics and your collection is beautiful. Enjoy your cruise. xx
What fun and I love that vintage Halloween fabric and your project. I pray you were not affected by Helene and are having a wonderful time on your trip.
What a load of fun - so many swap gifts! I am not very good doing cross stitch in group situations...too much chatter!
Enjoy your trip!
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