Just a couple of comments on the retreat. Once we receive your application you will receive a letter with all the hotel information and further information for the retreat. The room costs are $109 double occupancy per night and you must be registered for Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights- no exceptions. The room block is not available yet so please don't call and book your room yet.

The Master Class is a tips and technique class which is open to everyone. Pat Ryan knows more hints and tips than anyone I know. I am sure that is why she is such a fast stitcher but I know you will learn something that will make your stitching easier and more pleasant. We are both professional ironers- so even the tricks to ironing your fabric are fabulous!

If you are thinking of coming alone and would like a roommate, I think we can help you with that and we have a whole team of ambassadors that will take good care of you- and make sure you have a great time. Our girls are the BEST!

Looking forward to a fabulous retreat. WE have so many fun things planned.
Til Tuesday......................

Brrrr! It sure is cold outside. We got several inches of snow yesterday here in Virginia Beach. It doesn't happen too often here and they asked that everyone stay home today so we didn't open the shop. Now that's a Rare event.....

I have been feeling like I live under a dark cloud. As cold as it was yesterday we woke up to 57 degrees in the house. Obviously the house heat was not working. I called several people to come and look at it and finally found someone late in the afternoon. I was terrified that the bill would give me a heart attack but this guy was so nice and he had it fixed and warming up in less than an hour. Yeah........

I got the idea to show one of our reproductions every week just so folks who have never seen them can have a look. Everything I show will still be available. The first one I choose is Mary Roberdeau. She is from Germantown, PA which is where I was born. Marys aunt was Peggy Shippen- wife of Benedict Arnold! This is just a simple marking sampler but you can tell she was learning as the first letter has a mistake and the second letter was perfect. The colors are soft and so sweet. Mary comes from the Smithsonian . Let me know what you think. ( Thank you Marly - at Samplers and Santas for this idea!)

Hopefully most of you have received your Prim Club by now. How do you like the freebie? We have ours stitched and hope to show them finished next week. I know some of you have it stitched already. Wow- you guys are amazing. We still have a few spots left for those who have been trying to decide....

Maggee is putting up the information for our retrest this weekend. We will start accepting applications February 5th. We are so excited. Our theme is, "It's a Party!" We want this retreat to be a huge celebration. Many of us have been celebrating our jubilee birthdays and the weekend of the retreat R & R will be 20 years old. Can you believe that? This is going to be great.

We should have the fabric in the shop by the end of this week for the Celebration sampler in JCS magazine. This is an exclusive color we dyed just for them. Currently, only one shop has requested it other than us and of course it's available from JCS too. Let me know if you want to order some! We also have the special thread.

Many, many thanks to all of you who have emailed and sent cards due to Madisons death. You touched our hearts in ways you will never know. One person in particular- she sat down and hand wrote us a note- truly moving me to tears. Lois, you will never know how much that meant to us. ( folks just don't write notes by hand anymore) Every sentiment was much appreciated.

The fabric for the new Valentine piece from WTNT is in stock along with the fabric for Stacy Nashs Butternut Tavern. We are happy to ship whatever you need. ( after the Prim, I am a professional shipper!)

Wanted you to see these fabulous gifts I received from Marly at Samplers and Santas. These samplers are some from our collection. Marly-your work is incredible. Thank you so much!

I know I told you we keep track of stitching finishes all through the year but this year I am also tracking my starts- wow I will need a lot of paper for that. So far I have three- not too bad.

Can I say how much fun it was talking to so many of you that signed up for the Prim Club? I feel like I made so many new friends. It's amazing that stitching can bring all of us together. I am always available to answer questions and hopefully solve any problems that arise.

Next week I want to show some progress on some of my projects. I also have a very cool betrothal bag from the early 1900's with some history to share with you.

Stay warm and stitch something fun this week..................

Still shipping the Prim club but I will be finished by tomorrow. If you haven't received yours yet- its on the way! Lots of fun and positive comments- thanks.

This blog will be short as I am having a hard time today. We had to put our beloved Westie- Madison to sleep this morning. She had surgery for a bladder stone two weeks ago then developed neurological issues. She was experiencing way too much pain despite the medication so we let her go over the Rainbow Bridge. I told her to wait for us...... For all of you who have been through this you know what its like.

More next week..................

Happy New Year! Hope you all had a joyous holiday and got some stitching done. We always try and start a new project on January 1st. It should be something you really want to stitch and the rule is you must finish it within that calendar year. As most of you know I am the worst serial starter so finishing mine will be a challenge. BUT- I started the Christmas piece from Paulette Stewart that she designed for the Shepherds Bush retreat. I have had my eye on it since September and am very excited about doing this piece.

Our Ladies Prim Society is almost full. We are so excited. We will begin shipping these kits on the 15th. This first piece is so fabulous. Take a look at the "Wynter Peacocks" Sewing Pouch by Threadwork Primitives.  I know you are all going to be excited.

If you have not registered yet PLEASE send your application in ASAP. We have gotten so many phone calls and I just don't want you to miss out.

I am ready to announce the teachers for our fall retreat. We have: Shepherds Bush, Jeannette Douglas, Paulette Stewart ( Plum Street Samplers), and Pam Reed ( Olde Colonial Designs). Our Friday night featured teacher will be Nan Lewis of Threadwork Primitives. We will be posting the application in the next few weeks and will start accepting applications Tuesday February 5th. You will need to choose your tracks carefully this year as we will not be doing extra kits. Feel free to email us with questions. This is going to be great. Dates: October 3-5.

For all of you who know Pat Ryan- her 60th birthday is February 5th. IF you think about it- could you send her a card? I just want her day to be special! Shhh- please don't tell her ahead of time.

We are starting up a large project Sunday here at the shop. The first one is January 20th. You must bring a large project to stitch and call to reserve a spot. Many of us our starting Heaven and Earth designs. Ok- I can almost tell you who will complete this and who will not. Just saying.......

We have switched the shop over to Valentines and it looks so sweet. I love hearts- any type of heart- always have. If you are looking for a quick Valentines project we have tons to choose from. One of the newest arrivals is this new piece from Threadwork Primitives. Isn't it dear? It could also be stitched as a wedding bag or an anniversary bag for a special anniversary to hold cards and mementos. I just love this!

As many of you know our little Westie, Madison had surgery last Friday for a bladder stone. We were really worried but she pulled through fine. If you stop by the shop this weekend you might even meet her- we can't trust her at home with the other two until she is all healed!

Hope you get some stitching time this week. I managed to get a lot done last night watching Downton Abbey- wasn't it great? Have a fun week.................