Archive of What's New at A Stitcher's Retreat Leading Up To Our Tenth Anniversary Retreat
May 15, 2006
Update
June 15, 2006
Update
July 15, 2006
Update
August 15, 2006
Update
September 15, 2006
Update
October 15, 2006
Update
November 15, 2006
Update
December: No Update due to
Christmas Break!
January 15, 2007
Update
February 15,
2007
I have LOTS of special surprises in store for our next retreat. I pride myself on hosting unique cross stitch events, but next year I am going to work hard to make it a very special one you won't want to miss! I have lots of special surprises already lined up which I will be revealing in monthly updates on my web site. We will have special guests, special music, and lots of treats for those who attend. More about that below!
As
previously announced, the retreat dates are Wednesday-Friday,
March 28-30,
2007. The retreat will be held at
The Sauder Heritage
Inn in Archbold, Ohio. This beautiful
country inn is a wonderful spot for one of our retreats. Located
about 40 minutes west of Toledo, Ohio, this secluded inn is no more
than a short day's drive from most of the Midwest. A longer
description and more photos can be seen at our Ohio
Retreat Page.
The
teachers next year will be Liz Knudsen and Ann Pettit of
Brightneedle
and Amy Bruecken and Koneta Hurlstone of
Sisters & Best
Friends. More information and access to
examples of their designs is on our Teachers
Page.
We always award doorprizes at the conclusion of our retreats. Next year the Grand Prize will again be a free registration package for one of our future retreats!
An important note for those who have not previously attended one of my getaways: Each year I give those who have registered for one of my retreats in the past the opportunity to be "early bird" registrants. I announced this retreat to my previous attendees a short time ago and when I prepared this page last Friday in anticipation of posting it today, I had typed: The retreat is already well more than 2/3 full! But after the mail came today, I now have to say: The retreat is already well more than 3/4 full! To say I am gratified by such a strong early response is an understatement, but I do want those who have not attended before to be aware of this fact. At this point I can accept only 16 more stitchers.
I plan to do something a bit different this year than I have ever done before. I have lots of surprises in store for those who attend but I am not going to reveal everything right now. Instead, I will make 10 (of course!) ongoing announcements in monthly updates to this site. (Those who register but don't have an e-mail address will be sent a hard copy of the updates.)
The first announcement is something you would see by looking at the registration form: All attendees at next year's retreat will receive a commemorative 10th Anniversary t-shirt. When you sign up there is a spot on the registration form to mark your shirt size.
Next month's announcement will be the first to reveal one of the special guests we will have in attendance. I can't reveal details right now about some of the upcoming announcements, but I can give you one advance hint. I often say at the retreats that most of the attendees have saved their nickels and dimes all year so they can shop to their heart's content while at our getaway. As I told the stitchers at our retreat in New Harmony, Indiana recently, start saving those nickels and dimes now! The Shop at A Stitcher's Retreat is going to be bigger--much bigger--than it has ever been (and probably ever will be until there is a 20th Anniversary Celebration someday)!
I really hope you can join us next year in the great State of Ohio! I promise this retreat will be a truly unique cross stitch experience! Click here to download a registration form.
The retreat features:
• Extended class with the teacher
of your choice (classes filled first come, first serve)
• All class kits and materials
• Lodging in the beautiful Sauder
Heritage Inn
• All dinners and breakfasts
• Goodie bags
• The opportunity to win door prizes, including the Grand Door
Prize in 2007 of free
registration at a future retreat.
• Optional additional class and lunch package
• A very special evening of musical entertainment
Basic 2007 retreat package is $595 based on double occupancy. Other rates apply for private rooms without a roommate and for non-stitchers. Full information is available on our Ohio Retreat Page and the 2007 Registration Form.
Don't forget to check out all the recently posted new information about our just-completed 2006 retreat. To say all had a fabulous time would be a massive understatement! Bent Creek and La-D-Da drew rave reviews. Everyone loved the inn, the food, the concert, and the town! And we have the photos to prove it!
In fact, we have LOTS of new photos on the Indiana Retreat, May, 2006 Photo Page (and all our retreat photos can always be accessed at our Photographs Page).
Comments from attendees at our just held retreat are on our Comments by Attending Stitchers Page.
Be sure to see and support the generous companies listed on the Friends of A Stitcher's Retreat Page who gave their support to A Stitcher's Retreat this year. We are always amazed at the generosity shown by the cross stitch industry!
Stitcher Barb Bloemker brought a couple of new photos for the A Stitcher's Retreat Around the World Page taken in Hawaii.
As always, thank you for your support of A Stitcher's Retreat!
As I told everyone last month, I have LOTS of special surprises in store for our next retreat. (I have also added an archive page of the full 2007 Retreat Announcement Pages as they originally appeared on this web site.)
This month I have both an announcement I had planned to make and one I had not anticipated!
First, the unanticipated announcement.
As I told everyone last month, the retreat was already three-quarters full when I announced it due to the immense response I had from early bird registrants who had previously attended one of my retreats. Those who have attended before know that it is part of our philosophy not to put too many stitchers in a class as we feel this takes away from the one-on-one contact stitchers get with the teachers for which we are so well known. Based on the resulting original number of available spots, I would normally have to be announcing that the retreat is now sold out! However, I am pleased to announce that the teachers for our Tenth Anniversary Retreat (Brightneedle and Sisters & Best Friends) have both graciously agreed to teach their main class a second time! As a result, there is now ample room for more stitchers to attend!
There are three things I want to point out about this change:
• This does change the schedule somewhat for
those who sign up after this date. Instead of taking the extended
class with the teacher of your choice in the morning, new registrants
will take that same class in the afternoon. This obviously isn't a
big deal but I do want to make sure it is understood.
• Once the spots are gone for these additional classes there is
no possibility for me to add more.
• I am doing this primarily because I want as many people to
share in the "bounty" of our Tenth Anniversary as possible, as we
will have special guests, special music, and lots of
treats for those who attend. In 2008 I will definitely not have
all the teachers teach a second time, This is the first time I have
ever done this with both teachers and it will not be a habit. I view
the Tenth Anniversary Retreat as a special exception.
Second, the anticipated announcement.
As previously promised, this month we are pleased to reveal one of the special guests we will have in attendance: Charland Garvin of Charland Designs!
Charland is a delightful cross stitch designer and Charland Designs is known in the industry as the creator of beautiful sterling silver embellishments used by popular designers. My wife Cecilia, the designer behind Heart in Hand Needleart, is just one of the many designers that use Charland's beautiful creations. And the A Stitcher's Retreat charm sold in The Shop at A Stitcher's Retreat and pictured to the right was created by Charland!
Charland has a wide variety of silver, including not just charms but bracelets, necklaces, pins, charm holders, and the like. Be sure to visit her web site to get a fuller representation, but we have provided a few examples for you below. Note that Charland now has a line of charms based on the licensed artwork of Frank Bielec, known in the cross stitch world as part of the cross stitch design company Mosey 'n Me and known to many others as our favorite designer on Trading Spaces!
A Mosey 'n Me
Charm
Another Mosey 'n Me
Charm
One of Charland's
Garden charms
One of Charland's
Americana collection
Charland even has some articulated charms, such as the Uncle Sam pictured to the right (another of Frank's creations).
And of course Charland will bring some of her own beautiful cross stitch designs which can also be seen at her web site!
I often say at the retreats that most of the attendees have saved their nickels and dimes all year so they can shop to their heart's content while at our getaway. As I told the stitchers at our most recent retreat, start saving those nickels and dimes for our Tenth Anniversary Retreat now! Those of you familiar with Charland's beautiful silver will know why I made that suggestion! The Shop at A Stitcher's Retreat is going to be bigger--much bigger--than it has ever been (and probably ever will be until there is a 20th Anniversary Celebration someday)!
More special guests will be announced in the coming months, all of who will make The Shop at A Stitcher's Retreat an extra-special experience next year!
I am especially excited to announce the newest of our special surprises for our 10th Anniversary Celebration Retreat.
A
hallmark of our stitching retreats has always been a night of
entertainment included for our retreat attendees. Our 2007 retreat
will be the first time we have used a musical entertainer Cecilia and
I know very well: our daughter, Elise Turner!
Many of the stitchers who have attended our retreats have heard about Elise and my consistent joke that she did not get her singing ability from my side of the family--and now those attending will get the chance to see what I mean!
To read a longer bio of Elise, as well as see information about some of the previous entertainers we have used at our retreats, visit our Music at A Stitcher's Retreat Page.
In June I previously announced that Charland Garvin of Charland Designs will be one of the special guests we will have in attendance in March. I am happy to announce that not only will Charland be a special guest, but she will also be teaching a Round Robin session! This results in all attendees getting an additional kit for a total of four kits! (The main class kit, the two original Round Robin kits [one from Brightneedle and one from Sisters], plus now a third Round Robin kit from Charland.) There is NOT an additional fee required; this is just another celebratory perk for stitchers attending next year. Just like the other class designs, Charland's will be exclusive to A Stitcher's Retreat until at least the Nashville Market in 2008. Be sure to visit her web site to see a selection of her designs.
At all 17 of our retreats we have held throughout the 10 years since we began hosting unique cross stitch getaways, Just Another Button Company has always been very generous to our attendees. In honor of our tenth anniversary, owners Cecile and Patti have graciously agreed to a first! Just Another Button Company will be debuting a new button at the retreat! Attendees will be the first stitchers anywhere to see this adorable button designed by Sisters & Best Friends. The button will be part of one of the Sisters' class kits. Every stitcher in attendance will receive one. This embellishment will eventually be sold to the general public, but our stitchers will be the first to see it and own one!
Since our inception as a cross stitch retreat company, one of Heart in Hand Needleart's best distributors has been more than generous to our attendees. Many stitchers might not know the name of NordenCrafts, Ltd., but those in the cross stitch industry know it very well. And many of our attendees have grown to know it too, as owners Dave and Kris Stott have been extremely generous to our getaways. For example, last year we began giving away a free registration for a future retreat as our Grand Door Prize, but for some time before that Dave and Kris very generously split the cost of an Ultimate Daylight Floor Lamp (an approximate $250 value) with A Stitcher's Retreat to serve as the doorprize, even in years in which we held multiple retreats.
It was originally planned to have Dave and Kris attend as two more of our special guests at our 10th Anniversary Celebration! I had contacted Dave quite some time ago but unfortunately after we made last month's announcement he realized a scheduling conflict that will keep them from being able to attend. But since the conflict is a scheduled cruise he is taking Kris on for their 30th anniversary, he can hardly be blamed!
This doesn't change the fact that stitchers planning to attend should be saving their nickels and dimes as The Shop at A Stitcher's Retreat will still be bigger than it has ever been (and ever will be again until possibly our 20th Anniversary!). We will still have a larger than usual selction of items from NordenCrafts!
While I won't be revealing the designs in advance, The Shop at A Stitcher's Retreat will have a number of new t-shirt designs available! We have always had shirts with our logo and added a new design at our last retreat. In addition to the commemorative 10th Anniversary t-shirt all attendees will receive, the retreat in March will also see:
After a "Christmas break" from the updates, we are back with our another announcement!
From the beginning of A Stitcher's Retreat, the great people at Weeks Dye Works have always been extremely generous to our attendees. In honor of our tenth anniversary, Miranda and John have graciously agreed to a first for us! Weeks Dye Works will be debuting a new thread color at the retreat! Attendees will be the first stitchers anywhere to see and use this new fiber which will be part of Brightneedle's kit. This fiber will eventually be sold to the general public, but our stitchers will be the first to enjoy it!
First, we are delighted that Michael Holiday of Eastside Mouldings has generously agreed to another A Stitcher's Retreat first!
Eastside will be debuting a new frame at the retreat! The frame used by Brightneedle for their round robin design will be made with this new moulding. Attendees will be the first stitchers anywhere to see and be able to purchase this frame, enabling them to frame their finished design exactly as Brightneedle has done.
Second, the creative women at Sisters & Best Friends will be creating their own exclusive frame for their main class design!
This frame will be exclusive to the retreat and is sure to be a must-have for those taking the Sisters main class or purchasing an extra of their main class kits!
We will have a limited quantity available of both special frames for sale in the shop but Michael and the women behind Sisters & Best Friends have promised to make more and ship them out promptly if we sell out!
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