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June 1, 2010
Hello Stitchers!
Wow -- it seems like forever since I last wrote! Things got a little hectic on the homefront. What a busy couple of months!
At the end of April I helped to run a women’s retreat connected with my church. It was held way up in the mountains of NH. That was SO much fun -- and a spiritual recharge, too.
Then, in the begining of May I was at the Celebration of Needlework, which I attend every year. What a great time! Just imagine how much fun it is for me to go -- I don’t have to plan a thing! I just show up and enjoy! There were a variety of classes to choose from and a great shopping mall where I happily did some damage to my wallet! It was great seeing so many other stitchers, seeing Stitcher’s Hideaway alum and designer friends, and meeting new stitchers. We pretty much take over the hotel there. The large lounge area gets completely filled with people stitching and laughing away. I took a class with Barbara Jackson that was excellent, and attended a lecture about appraising needlework. I enjoyed 4 days there with my stitching buddy Deb and we had some great dinners with friends.
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Stitcher’s Hideaway donated two retreat registrations at the Celebration of Needlework. One was for a raffle, and the other for an auction. Both the raffle and auction raises money for breast cancer research. Linda Marchand won the raffle registration, and Sue Geisler won the auction registration! Congratulations to them both!! They will both be attending the Mystic 2010 retreat in October.
I’m getting ready for the next Stitcher’s Hideaway retreat in Sturbridge, MA with instructor Dawn Fisher. We are in for some wonderful summer stitching fun! I always look forward to time at the Publick House and the surrounding area. Dawn is going to stay an extra day to play - yay!
And speaking of Dawn, she sent me some exciting news about a needlework exhibit taking place not far from Mystic during the October Stitcher’s Hideaway retreats in October! I can just imagine that many of the attendees will want to check it out. The Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, CT is hosting a needlework exhibition entitled With Needle and Brush: Schoolgirl Embroidery From the Connecticut River Valley (October 2, 2010 - January 30, 2011). The exhibition has approximately 60 embroideries, watercolor sketches, and portraits (many on loan from private collectors) and is guest curated by Carol and Stephen Huber, needlework experts and dealers in Old Saybrook, CT (http://antiquesamplers.com/). “The exhibition will showcase the distinctive styles and needlework subjects associated with female academies throughout the Connecticut River Valley. For example, at Lydia Royse's academy in Hartford, CT girls specialized in stitching silk needlework pictures of allegorical or historical subjects based on popular prints. Accompanying the exhibition will be an illustrated book with an introduction by Amy Kurtz Lansing, curator of the Florence Griswold Museum, as well as essays by the Hubers and independent scholar Dr. Susan Schoelwer.” I’m thinking that Belinda, the instructor for the Mystic retreats, just might be interested in checking that out!
Just in case you weren’t aware, I opened a second Mystic retreat to take place on the Monday & Tuesday after the first Mystic retreat. Don’t miss out on this great Christmas-theme retreat with Belinda of Blue Ribbon Designs!
On the homefront, in early April my mother fell and broke her hip. At the age of 90 and with Alzheimer’s, she just wasn’t able to participate in physical therapy to work towards any kind of recovery. On May 9th she passed away peacefully in her sleep. It had been a long journey for her as her disease had progressed, and her last 2 years were spent in a nursing home with wonderful and caring staff. I know that many of you know about my parents from my newsletters or from the many funny stories I’ve told about both parents at my retreats. In fact, one alumn wrote immediately to say “What will we do without all those great stories?” That really made me smile. There really were some extremely funny moments to share!
My Dad continues to live with my husband Michael and I. He is doing very well, even in coping with the loss of his wife of almost 67 years.
So, I hope you won’t mind indulging me a little as I tell you a bit about my parents. It is not with a heavy heart that I share their story at all -- but with great thankfulness for the love they shared together and shared with their family. There’s was quite a love story.
Mom was born in 1919 and was from Florida. Dad was born in 1921 and was from Connecticut. Their families spent their summers at Camp Bethel, a Christian campground in Haddam, CT. The families knew each other well. My mother had even been named after my father’s mother -- “Iva June.” Who knew there would one day be a second Iva June Watkins!
My parents always knew each other, and by the time Dad was 16 he knew he loved her and only her. While he was in college they were engaged to be married.
Then the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred. Dad rushed to finish his final semester and then enlisted in the Marines. They married in July 1943 and barely 5 weeks later they said a heart-busting goodbye as Dad went off to fight in the South Pacific in some of the worst battles imaginable. (http://brothersinbattle.net)
My Mom worked at the Winchester Repeating Arms Company during his absence, and I have often heard how she waited and prayed for his safe return. During that time my father wrote this poem for my mom.
TO MY WIFE
It seems but yesterday,
I left our home to fight.
You said, AYou have to go, I know.
And, Darling, you were right.
That was my destiny
And yours - to wait.
I vowed your love would go with me
Though all around was hate.
Long is the day and long the night
For Dear ones far apart,
But blood and rage have never changed
Your image in my heart.
And after every fight, My Dear,
Another battle won,
I build again those dreams of ours
A house, a home, for AHon.
I know those castles built on air
Have seemed so incomplete,
But someday we will surely hear
The sound of little feet.
Oh I have seen the darkest hours,
When Death stood by our side,
But God gave heed to prayers of yours
And bridged the chasm wide.
It may be long, it may be soon
But surely as the rain
Your loving arms will welcome home
Your husband - once again.
God bless you, my Darling -
Your Bruce
Dad was gone for two whole years before returning for what he has described as “the reunion of a lifetime.” I still hear about it to this day from him.
While Dad was away, Mom had lived off her earnings and saved up Dad’s military pay, which enabled them to buy their first home upon his return. Soon my oldest brother was born, then me, then two more brothers. We spent the majority of our summers at Camp Bethel, the campground I have often mentioned in my newsletters -- the place where my husband and I married and now have our own cottage, as do my brothers.
Mom’s life revolved around her family. She enjoyed cooking for us and for guests. Many people have very fond memories of her delicious rhubarb pie, succotash, strawberry shortcake, and home-made iced tea. Mom also enjoyed dabbling in crafts. I have a very nice framed piece of her crewel work, but she also made quilts and ceramics. Although she didn’t do the same type of needlework I do, she always appreciated it and loved receiving stitched gifts from me.
It seems to be a rare thing for people to have so many years of marriage these days. But theirs was a different generation. Commitement meant so much more, I think. They married for life and never looked at another. They went through some very tough and challenging times throughout their marriage, but their love and commitement to each other saw them through it all. I think that living through the Depression and WW II impacted their lives in a way that those of us who did not may find difficult to comprehend.
My father was amazed to have survived WW II. On a ship bringing him back from what turned out to be his last battle, my father promised God that he wouldn’t complain about anything else that happened in his life because God had spared him. And that is truly how Dad has lived his life, always accepting changes and disappointments along with life’s joys. His incredible attitude continues now, even through the loss of his beloved partner of almost 67 years.
My Dad is very comforted at the thought of seeing Mom again one day, and has even said to me, “Well, I am almost 89 -- so I should be seeing her again soon!”
Yes, I think Dad is right. He and Mom will never again have to have another heart-busting goodbye, and one day they are going to have the reunion of an eternity!
Dad, Michael and I just spent 2 days at Camp Bethel and the weather was so perfect. Dad had a wonderful time visiting with many friends and family there, and spent a couple hours on a balcony porch that overlooks the Connecticut River. He must have smiled to himself for a good half hour straight -- just watching the boats, water, swans and other river activity in this place he loves so much. It is amazing, but life really does go on and is good once again. We will always miss mom, but our good memories are always with us.
To the Sturbridge stitchers - we are going to have a fantastic time!!!!!! I’m getting ready for you and am counting the days! See you soon!
Happy Stitching!
Sue
April 6, 2010
Woo-hoo! Stitcher’s Hideaway now has a Fan Page on Facebook! See the link to the left, and get in on some more fun!
Sue
April 2, 2010
Hello Stitchers!
I just posted the Fun Report for the Winter Escape Alumni Retreat! It was fun to work on and brought back some great memories. Thank you to everyone who sent me pictures!
We had some awesome goodies in our Fun Packs at the Winter Escape, and great door prizes, too! They were donated by Brightneedle, Celebration of Needlework, Earth Threads, Elizabeth's Designs, TheGift of Stitching, Jeannette Douglas, Karen Capello (a Stitcher’s Hideaway alum), Nordic Needle, Olde Colonial Designs, Rosewood Manor, The Prairie Schooler, Trail Creek Farm, Victoria Sampler and With My Needle. Thank you so much, donors!
 It is gorgeous out today! It’s almost 80 degrees in Connecticut and things are just beginning to green up. The grass is definitely taking on a fresh new green, some of the smaller bushes have little green leaves on them, and larger trees are getting leaf buds. I have forsythia, grape hyacinths, and daffodils blooming in my yard! Tulips are on their way up now. Oh, joy! Spring is here!! And just in time for a wonderful Easter! My church celebrates Easter big time. We have a lot of special music planned and, as the pianist, I have been very busy working on it. I can hardly wait!
By the way, I’ve been warned recently to beware of identity theft this Easter, as evidenced below!
Considered yourself warned!!
Tomorrow my friend, Tim the Geek, is coming over to get my new computer up and running. It is going to make my work so much easier. I’ve been pushing to get the Fun Report done today so that if I have any transitional issues the website will have been completely updated until I resolve them. I’m switching to some newer software versions and to Windows 2007 (from 2003). Many things are being upgraded, including what I use for email. I don’t think I’ll have any problems with all this, but just in case, I’m mentioning it here in case there are delays to responding to email.
Stitcher’s Hideaway is now on Facebook! I hope you’ll join in on the discussions! Stop on by!
See you at a retreat soon!
Sue
March 27, 2010
We had a blast at the February Alumni Winter Escape retreat! I’m working on the Fun Report now and should have that wrapped up real soon. We had an awesome time!! I’ve been cracking up at some of the pictures and wondering how I’ll be able to explain some of them!! Maybe it’s best not to explain! LOL!! Maybe I’ll just let your imaginations take over when you see them!! Wha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
Seriously, what can I say about THAT?!?
Or this?!?
Or this?!?
Well, I supose I’ll think of something! Bwha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
 Dawn Fisher of Morning Glory Needleworks brought her beautifully framed Martha Washington Sampler to the Alumni Winter Escape Retreat. It was just stunning. The frame was a perfect complement to the sampler. Ladies - DON’T MISS THE STURBRIDGE RETREAT! Dawn is a fantastic instructor and she’ll be providing some fascinating history on Martha Washington throughout our time together. Each band on the sampler represents a highlight from the life of Martha Dandridge Custis Washington. We’ll learn many different stitches and hear about Martha’s upbringing, first marriage, the births and deaths of her children, life with George especially during the Revolutionary War, her life as the original “First Lady”, and after the death of George.
Isn’t that frame perfect?!?
We had some great door prizes and fun pack items donated for the Winter Escapers from Brightneedle, Earth Threads, Elizabeth's Designs, The Gift of Stitching, Jeannette Douglas, Karen Capello (a Stitcher’s Hideaway alum), Morning Glory Needleworks, Nordic Needle, Olde Colonial Designs, Rosewood Manor, The Prairie Schooler, Trail Creek Farm, Victoria Sampler and With My Needle! All the attendees received Stitcher’s Hideaway mugs, too!
Well, now let me fill you in on the latest scoop! The Mystic 2010 Christmas-theme retreat with Belinda of Blue Ribbon Designs has just one opening left and the retreat is still almost 7 months away. I have been contacted by a group of stitchers who would very much like to come, so I have just now opened up a second Mystic Retreat to be held on Monday-Tuesday, October 18-19. I’m calling this one MYSTIC RETREAT TWO. If you missed the opening of registration for Mystic ONE, here’s another chance for you to grab your stitching buddies and get in on the fun at Mystic TWO.
See you at a retreat soon!
Sue
February 24, 2010
Tomorrow I am picking up Dawn Fisher (of Morning Glory Needleworks) at the airport and then we are headed to Mystic for the Alumni Winter Escape Retreat!!!!! Woo-hoo! Dawn is bringing her “Lady Washington” sampler that she designed for the Sturbridge 2010 retreat. And I hear she is bringing a surprise for us!! I love surprises!! I can hardly wait!!
 Today was quite a day for me. It was my last day of employment at my full-time job. Yes! I am retired!! Well....sort of! LOL! I have felt for a few years now that I’ve been doing what is equal to two full-time jobs. Retiring from one of them makes all the rest much easier. I’ll be able to devote more time to Stitcher’s Hideaway while being home for my Dad, who needs my help now. I also produce a newsletter for a non-profit group, serve on a technology committee for the same group, play and sing in a band, and plan retreats and events for women at my church. You can just imagine that all this has been quite a stretch to accomplish while working full-time. It will be so nice not to have to work every evening and on weekends to get everything done. I’m fantasizing about the stitching I’ll be able to get done, the books I’d like to read, the walks I’d like to take. Spring can’t get here fast enough for me now. I know that Dad and I will have lots of walks once the weather warms up. We’ve been talking about making a garden, what we’ll plant in it, etc. Of course, with Dad having memory loss now, we pretty much have the same discussion over and over again! It’s like that movie “Fifty First Dates.” LOL!
Well, let me get to the latest retreat news. Belinda Karls-Nace of Blue Ribbon Designs, instructor for the Mystic 2010 retreat, has sent me a picture of her framed “Pocketful of Peppermint” and also sent a picture of three ornaments we’ll be creating, too!
SO cute! Belinda will be teaching us how to finish the ornaments, and that knowledge will be something we can use for many projects in the future.
And now I’m off to finish packing up my personal items to bring to the Alumni Winter Escape Retreat. Oh, boy! Two whole days of hanging out with other stichers, shopping, stitching, eating....WOW! Let the party begin!!
Happy Stitching!
Sue
January 31, 2010
Hello Stitchers!
I have just now closed registration for the Alumni Winter Escape Retreat. There are 34 stitchers coming! Omigosh, we are going to have a total riot! The hotel staff love it when we come. They always enjoy our enthusiasm and fun. I think they were quite entertained at the last Alumni Retreat when several of us showed up in pajamas! {giggle}
I’ve been quite busy planning fun and surprises for everyone coming to the 2010 Retreats. Dawn Fisher of Morning Glory Needleworks is teaching at the Sturbridge 2010 retreat, and she is a fantastic and fun instructor! Dawn taught for me in 2007 and did a truly superior job. This year she’ll be combining her unique ability to teach needlework with some fascinating history on Martha Washington, who also loved needlework!
Belinda of Blue Ribbon Designs is teaching at the Christmas-theme retreat in October in Mystic, CT! I’m very excited about bringing her to my neck of the woods to enjoy New England’s beautiful fall foliage and look forward to having her teach her adorable Pocketful of Peppermint sampler and show us how to turn portions of the sampler design into ornaments! That will be so much fun!
It’s always very exciting for me to see the registrations come in and know who I’ll be seeing when and where. There are a number of new folks registering, too, and that’s always great! There’s nothing quite like getting together with other addicts! LOL!
I have some GREAT news to share with you! Hop on over to Sneak Peek to see who will be teaching at the 2011 Stitcher’s Hideaway Reteats! WOO-HOO!!! Queen Thea will be returning to Sturbridge, and Jeannette Douglas to Mystic!!!!!!!!! Wheeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!! Both Thea and Jeannette have taught a number of times for Stitcher’s Hideaway, and I am so pleased to have them both teach in 2011.
This is one of my favorite pictures of Thea. The two of us spent a wonderful day strolling about Old Sturbridge Village after the Sturbridge 2009 retreat. Our time together was one of my favorite memories.
And this is one of my favorite pictures of Jeannette! LOL!! She and her husband Dale were able to spend some time together in Connecticut with my husband and I when she taught at Mystic. Jeannette absolutely loved our fall foliage, and we had fun burying her in some of the fallen leaves!
Well, this is all fantastic news! What a lot to look forward to --- and I haven’t even told you about 2012!! LOL!!
It was so nice to hear from so many of you after I posted the Spooky Retreat Fun Report. Everyone enjoyed the pictures -- whether they were able to attend or not. That was an amazing time together -- but then, I feel that way about every retreat! We sure do have a lot of fun. For me, it’s like planning a party for groups of friends -- and that is sheer pleasure. It is more than wonderful to get together for two solid days of stitching, stash enhancement, great food and FUN! I’m so pleased, too, that so many new stitchers have been getting in on that fun! There are several newbies coming to the Alumni Winter Escape Retreat in a few weeks -- boy, are they in for a rowdy time! Heh-heh-heh.....
Stitchers Gone WILD!!
Oh -- and I have something more to tell you! Every year I go to Celebration of Needlework in NH, and every year they have an auction to raise money for breast cancer research. This year I will be donating a retreat registration!! I can’t wait to see who wins it! AND, Celebration of Needlework is donating a free 1 year membership to Celebrations and free admission to a Round Robin Event to some lucky Stitcher’s Hideaway attendee! Woo-hoo!
To all those headed for the Alumni Winter Escape in a few weeks: I CAN’T WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
See you at a retreat soon!
Sue
 January 6, 2010
It’s 2010! Get ready for a brand new year of Stitcher’s Hideaway fun!
There are now 30 stitchers signed up for the Alumni Retreat on February 26-27! Now that’s a great way to jump into the New Year. What can be better than to gather with other stitchers and work on our own stitching while delicious food is delivered to us and shopping is available right on site! Chris from Chris’s Collection will have her shop set up for us and she’ll be fresh from a needlework market with new designs and stitching toys we’ll just have to have!! I have a number of WIPs (works-in-progress) to work on -- it’s just a matter of choosing which ones from the pile to bring. Or maybe I’ll work on a brand new project! LOL!! I’m going to have trouble deciding, I can see that already! There’s a cool design I’d like to get stitched for a nephew before next Christmas. Maybe I should go for that one! And yes -- I do still have a few openings -- just 4 more at the moment.
Registration for Sturbridge 2010 has already started! Sturbridge, MA is a favorite with many of the attendees because of the beautiful location, rich local history, incredible food, the very nearby Old Sturbridge Village, and much more. This year’s retreat project, Lady Washington designed by Dawn Fisher of Morning Glory Needleworks, is a great fit for the Sturbridge Stitcher’s Hideaway. Dawn has designed this sampler around the life of Martha Washington, who was an addicted stitcher! Who knew?!? LOL!! Complimenting our retreat project is a lecture by Jean and Rebecca from Old Sturbridge Village. Their presentation will focus on early samplers, needlework and art created in the late 1700s and early 1800s in New England. You won’t want to miss this fantastic retreat. ...And guess what?!? Dawn is attending the Alumni Retreat and will have Lady Washington with her to show us!
It always amazes me as registrations come in to see where people are traveling from to attend each retreat! Already I’m seeing stitchers from states that haven’t been represented at my retreats before. So many people come and plan wonderful vacations around the retreatd to take in some of the local sights. New England is truly beautiful. I personally wouldn’t want to live anywhere else in the world! I love our seasonal changes and look forward to each one.
Now....shall I tell you the hot news for the day here?!? I have just opened up registration for the Christmas-themed Mystic, CT 2010 retreat! Yes, it’s true! I’ve posted a picture of Belinda Karls-Nace’s retreat project for us -- Pocketful of Peppermints -- and almost all the information is now on-line. Belinda will be sending more photographs of our project soon. The one you can see now is Pocketful of Peppermints as a whole, but this project is designed so that you can also take sections to use for Christmas ornaments and/or needlework smalls, and she will be sending pictures of those ornies/smalls soon.
As if all this wasn’t exciting enough, I’ve been booking instructors for 2011 and 2012 already!! LOL!! But youj’ll have to wait for those juicy details for a few months!
I hope your New Year has gotten off to a wonderful start!
See you at a retreat soon!
Sue
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