Machine Embroidery Workshop

Thank goodness those links worked. I even tested them myself, but that was a weird situation. It had never happened to me before, and then it happened twice in the same post! 

I'm pleased to report that the machine embroidery workshop is a rousing success! Even the more experienced are going home with some new knowledge. It's been loads of fun, and we have another exciting adventure this morning. I will adjust the schedule for the one in May, but that is all. 

I usually sleep like a log here, but I was awake the night before for a bit longer than I would have liked, and I was drained at the end of yesterday. But that's nothing that a bit of sleep can't cure. I hoped to read some of my book, but nope—it was lights out for me! And all is good this morning.

I've had a chance to stitch some things early in the mornings before everyone gets up. I'll share those in a moment, but first, let's see what the group did. 

They worked on projects in the hoop, the first of which was a little card holder. They all did a fantastic job; everyone learned something new about their embroidery machine. 

The cardholders 

We even had some fantastic learning moments. One of the machines had a significant jam, and we had to figure out how to recover the project. It involved shutting the machine down completely, but everything worked out just fine. There was lots and lots of learning—let's say they kept me hopping with all the questions. 

The cardholder they did is a generic one from the mySewnet Embroidery Software. I stitched one out and used the blank one to add my design. It's made of cork, and I might have to use it instead of the one I got from someone years ago. I'll share it with you, but I use this as a purse. I no longer use cash, so these cardholders work for me. 

My cardholder

The second project was this cute little mug rug from Designs by Juju. Do not worry - I had bought them each a design. We did not share one design! 

The Busy Bees mug rug

Aren't they absolutely adorable? And it's incredible how different they look - the same pattern but different color choices! Again, they learned a lot while they stitched this one. Lots of questions and learning more about how their embroidery machines stitch out. So far - I think we've had a very successful workshop. 

This morning, I had the opportunity to stitch this feather out. It's a prototype, as I had a few issues with it, and it's not related to the machine - just learning how to use thick (12-weight) threads in the embroidery machine. Now that I've had a chance to play, it's time to perfect what I learned and stitch it out again. 

My embroidered feather

From the front, it looks absolutely stunning. The back? Not so much, and even if that's going to be inside something, I need to figure out a better way to stitch it. 

The people on this retreat are a mix of my friends and a group from a store (Stitcharie in Petrolia). The group has been to this house before, and they do what we used to do for our previous retreats. The amount of food is unbelievable. It reminded me of the old days when we had so much food there was barely room to bring our sewing stuff. Those days are gone for us! 

This is their fixings for breakfast!

Breakfast for the "other" group

 

A note to my group -- do NOT expect this to happen. It's too much work on the part of the organizer, and I'm not doing it. And you have to bring to accommodate many people's likes and dislikes, especially for breakfast. Bringing our own breakfast and lunch will continue! And the "no extra" sweets rule also stays in place. We could cater an afternoon tea for a hundred with all the sweets in the house! 

But that's OK. Everyone does what makes them happy, and the two groups are getting along just fine. We're all meeting new people, although I know some of the others from Quilt Canada and Zoom sessions. It's all one big party! 

One of the ladies ventured out yesterday for a walk, and it was stunning! I think I'll go out to the end of the driveway myself before we get started today. But I don't think I'll have any takers in a campfire setting, and I'm not sure I want to either. 

Looking closely, you can see the TIP of one of the red chairs. They are buried! 

Yes - there is a red chair there! 

Well, that's it for me. We go home today, and my only goal is for the group to stitch out one more project or part of a project - three hoopings! Then they can go home! 

I'm off to do some work. I have some calculations to do for a monthly quilt project. I hate it when a pattern has mistakes, and no one has published corrections on the designer's website. Sigh.

As usual, the Spring House Retreat is a fantastic place that works perfectly for this kind of event! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!