Stitchers Dream Day Out 2012 - WOW!

PHEW!!!!!! What a BIIIIIIIIIIIG weekend I've had! In fact ... I think I'll have to take a couple of posts to tell you all about it or I'll hear about it from "Queen of the short blog post" Chookyblue! Tee! Hee! Hee! I'll start by saying that although I feel like I packed a LOT into my weekend and am rather foot-sore and weary today ... I had a BLAST! :0)

This weekend was set aside as the 2012 Stitchers Dream Day Out, hosted by the Marvelous Marion and Stupendous Steph of The Quilters Angel ... AKA ... my "Home-Away-From-Home". This annual event is always such a fun weekend of relaxing, stitching and chatting with fellow-stitchers without having to worry about cooking or feeling guilty for neglecting the housework ... apparently some people DO feel guilty about the housework-neglect ... although I can't claim to be one of them! Tee! Hee! Hee!

This year, I offered my services to Marion and Steph as a "Volunteer Slave" to help set things up ready for the big two days of stitching fun. With a new venue to 'break-in', there were plenty of jobs to go round.

There were tables to be dressed ...

 

... bows to be tied (Helen concentrating on her bow-tying skills!!)

 

... a mini-shop to be set up (there's the Fabulous Fiona intent on tying more chair bows!)

 

... display screens to be assembled ... how many quilters does it take to assemble a display screen?? Gotta tell ya ... four was the minimum without anyone busting their foo-foo valve cos these suckers were HEAVY!!! :0)

 

... goodies bags to put in place (Ooooohh!! There sure were some goodies in those bags!!!)

 

... more goodies to be stocked in the mini-shop and designers' samples to be displayed (on those heavy-suckers display boards!! Tee! Hee! Hee!)

 

PHEW!!! It's easy to forget, when attending these retreats, just how much work goes into them behind the scenes so that when the ladies arrive, all they have to do is sit, stitch, chat and enjoy the day. Marion and Steph have been planning this year's event ever since they finished packing up after LAST year's event (in fact, I think Steph may have had plans in mind even BEFORE that! Tee! Hee! Hee!) and their attention to the little details that make a day successful just blow me away. They work so hard, worry about forgetting things, make lists (and check them more than twice!!), arrange, rearrange, do their best to cater for all needs for the day, lose lots of sleep ... I don't know how they do it year after year ... but ... on the day ...

 

... they're cool, calm, collected and greet participants with a welcoming smile! :0) Here's Marion vamping it up with this year's guest designers ... Natalie Bird from "The Birdhouse" designs, Marvelous Marion, Nikki Tervo of "Nikki Tervo Designs" and "Brandygully Designs", and the gorgeous Gail Pan of "Gail Pan Designs". And what-do-you-know, we've got a show! :0)

Stay tuned for the second installment of Stitchers Dream Day Out, when I'll share the GORGEOUS original project designs created especially for the day by our clever-clogs designers and I'll show you the blogging buddies that I 'bumped into' during the weekend. I'll keep you in suspenders a little while longer! Tee! Hee! Hee! Til next time ..

 

SUSPENSEFUL BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS