Stitcher’s Hideaway Mystic 2013 Wow! A Christmas-themed retreat with designer Thea Dueck of Victoria Sampler brought in so many stitchers that two back-to-back retreats were held to accomodate everyone! They came from CO, CT, FL, MA, MD, ME, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA andVA. Both retreats were absolutely fantastic! We were all VERY excited for the retreats to begin! Each attendee received a Fun Pack loaded with goodies from designers and companies -- Bush Mountain Stitchery & Framing, Chris’s Collection, DMC, Giulia Punti Antichi, Jeannette Douglas Designs, Kreinik, Lavender Wings, Nordic Needle, Rosewood Manor, Stitcher’s Hideaway, Tempting Tangles, The Prairie Schooler, ThreadworX, Udder Cream, and Victoria Sampler! We had a little time before class and began to do some fun Stash Enhancement, courtesy of Chris’s Collection, who set up a special shop for us. What treasures we found! I noticed several people looking for the materials they needed to complete some items in their Fun Pack! Look at our incredible retreat project, the Mystic Christmas Sampler! Thea’s design was inspired by the earliest printed version of the modern Christmas Carol, “I Saw Three Ships.” “There comes a ship far sailing then... This version is from the 17th century, perhaps from Derbyshire, England although many versions were sung since then. Thea loved the references to the three ships, the Lord and Lady of the manor, and the bells of all the churches ringing on Christ’s birthday. She reflected them all in the motifs. At the bottom there is a rendition of old Mystic town, with tall buildings close to the water, and the church where the bells ring on Christ’s morn. How wonderful to have Thea’s expert instruction as we learned Hardanger, hemstitching, drawn thread, bargello and much more. Her patience and good humor made even the most challenging technique fun. We were able to learn new skills, tricks, and tips that we will be able to use all our lives. Thea did a lot of one-on-one coaching and she was so encouraging! You’ll see her all over the classroom in the retreat pictures having fun along with the attendees. Just imagine having two full days and nights with this talented designer! We had all done a bit of pre-work to prepare for class, including working Kloster Blocks for the Hardanger at the bottom of the Sampler. For some this was a very new experience, so a few of them chose to do their kloster blocks on some doodle cloth for practice. On the first day of class Thea guided us through the Hardanger. It was pretty awesome to see it form before our very eyes. Here begins the story of the Mystic ONE Retreat. Click here to jump to the Mystic TWO Retreat.
Throughout the retreat door prizes were distributed. They were donated by A Sweet Stitch, Bush Mountain Stitchery & Framing, Elizabeth’s Designs, Glory Bee, Jeannette Douglas Designs, Karen Capello, Kreinik, Nordic Needle, Praiseworthy Stitches, Rosewood Manor, Stitcher’s Hideaway, ThreadworX, Udder Cream, With My Needle, and two friends of Stitcher’s Hideaway, Denise McLoughlin and Karen Cappello.
We had an optional Christmas-themed stitch exchange and it was fun to see what each person received!
With this large and enthusiastic group, you can just imagine how wonderful our Show ‘n Tell time was!
Each of the attendees received this little keepsake design from me. Well, it sure was a lot of fun and we sure learned a lot -- from Thea and each other. Read on to find out what happened at the Mystic TWO 2013 Retreat!
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Stitcher’s Hideaway®, 9 Edith Road, Vernon, CT 06066 |