NG of MN Retreat - Day Five

The last day of the retreat I have an all day class with Jackie DuPlessis called Beautiful.  It is kind of an unusual project.  It is something that lays on your lap as you are stitching and has thread rings for your floss and a place to store a hoop.  When the phone rings or doorbell sounds, you can pick it up by the ribbons on either end and set your project aside until you come back.  I thought this project had pockets in the ends.  It doesn't but Jackie did show us how to make pockets in this although it requires more fabric.  My aim today is to totally finish Beautiful.  First off I am worried that my thread choices aren't going to go with the fabric.  But when we see the fabric, I decide ( and am reassured by others) that the threads go with the brocade fabric just fine.  Even Jackie says so.  (Is she just being nice?)

  We start off with ironing on interfacing to the back of the brocade and our stitching.  But when we turned on several irons and sewing machines a fuse blew and we had no power in the room.  Disaster!  The retreat place called a handyman to fix it (it required going into the "dirt room"!?!?)  So we set up irons in the next room.  I was so glad that I had all my stitching done as I could get to work on the finishing.  I sure wished I had my own familiar sewing machine but I made do.  We made the gussets for the drawstring ribbons.

  But I was missing a couple of my ribbons.  I think Jackie is going to send them to us.  I wish Stitchville was close to me so I could go see if they had some overdyed silk ribbon to match my threads.    I've been trying to find out if there is a Gloriana Gilded Lavendar 1/2 inch ribbon.  I haven't found it yet.  Anyway, I work hard all day to finish Beautiful.  At dinner time I am the last one in the room. trying to finish sewing on one of the flaps.  Karen generously loans me some pins.  Thanks!

Kim has made me an acorn scissors fob.  It is so cute.  Thanks!

Jody says to me "We need you" for a photo with Jackie.  I go stand by Jackie ready to have my picture taken when it dawns on me.  They don't want me in the photo, they want me to take the photo.  Too funny.
I meet a girl who is going to the New England Stitcher's Retreat in October.  This is great!  I will know someone there.  Maybe we can rent a car together.

 I had to cut all of those buttonholes open.  That was nerve wracking.  I have a disaster while finishing Beautiful.  I pull out a basting thread near a buttonhole and several threads pull out of the buttonhole.  Oh no!  But it is great to see Jackie handle this problem easily.  She cuts a tiny bit of stitch witchery and irons it just under the threads.  She also used some Fray Stop on it.   She repairs it well.  I can't even tell which one it is.

   I work diligently on Beautiful and am within inches of finishing when it is time for the evening activity.   It's what everybody has been waiting for all week -Vendor Night.  My BFF has told me that everybody runs for the teachers' tables first and then hits the other tables.  I know Jackie's table will be mobbed.  There are a couple of needlework stores that have tables and my BFF has a table of baskets and jewelry.  At 7:30 they let everybody in to shop.  What fun to see all the stuff.  I try to get into Jackie's table.  It is easier to see what other people have picked up already.  I don't want to over spend.  I see two kits I really want.  One is a tape measure kit that matches the Berry Thief that I stitched.  Then there is a darling blue rose tape measure cover.

I get a couple of small thread waxers too.  I see some really neat little needlepointed beads on Orna's table called Dolci beads.  They aren't for sale, they are a cyber class that she offers.  I'd really like to take that class.  Also there is a lady that has some greeting cards with blackwork designs on them.   Jeri is helping my BFF at her table and she has a surprise for me.  She has brought her  Le Jardin sampler to show me.  It is one of the ones I am considering for my casket.  It is great to see it in person.  I am considering the iris on it for the side of my casket but I really like the violets on it even better.  I am happy with the stuff I got but I am also happy to get out of the sea of humanity and craziness.  I go back and finish Beautiful.  It feels so good to have accomplished that.

Tomorrow - Home!
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