Shakespeare's Peddler - needlework on the net since 1997

August 2000: Shepherd's Bush Retreat

It's a good thing there's all of this excitement with market releases, or I'd be mighty sad. My retreats are finished for the summer. I hosted one in June, and one this month (a week ago at the time of this writing.) I had another great group of gals. All weekend we watched movies, stitched, sat in the hot tub, stitched some more, ate great food, stitched, nibbled on chocolates, shopped. What could be better? One of the stitchers said it was the most fun she had ever had.

The weather was perfect, and the street fair was wonderful. During the weekend, we found out that Fargo's Street Fair has been named one of the top 100 events in the country! The fresh-squeezed lemonade was awesome, and the whole downtown area smelled wonderful -- onions and peppers, hamburgers, potpourri, sunshine.... The crafts were great -- I got a new piece of pottery with raspberries and vines on it. One of the jokes of the weekend was that one stitcher had the Scandinavian guitar player from the corner in her bag to take home with her. Some of the gals actually had to buy LUGGAGE to get everything home. The group of us is doing an ornament exchange and a round robin, too (because of all of these new friends we have!)

If you didn't come, you better start saving your pennies! I have a lot in store for next year.

Attendees from this year will have first dibs on registration for next year. I'll be holding three retreats -- one mid-June, one mid-July and one in October. As I mentioned above, Maureen Appleton will most likely be coming to one of the retreats, another will be a Drawn Thread weekend (to celebrate Cynthia's designs) and the third is a mystery to me yet...it may be something like a Chocolate Lovers weekend, or a "spa" weekend (complete with neck, back and arm massages, spa-style food, and mild exercise sessions like walks or pool time -- maybe facials? Could be fun!)

Prohibitive to some this year were airline prices. Some got around the higher rates getting into Fargo by flying to Minneapolis (usually a cheaper flight) and then driving to Fargo (a 3 1/2 hour drive). Two gals in July rented a convertible silver Mustang and got a great tan (and felt the wind in their hair.) Some flew on accumulated airline miles, and some drove in small groups. I'm hoping lower gas prices (?) next year will keep airline ticket prices down, but in any case, those who did come had a blast -- one stitcher said it was worth every penny!

I'll keep you informed via the website and the newsletter these next few months. Registrations will most likely begin in January 2001. Let me know if you have any fab ideas, and maybe I'll see you next year!

(P.S.: "There is a very fine line between hobby and mental illness." -- Dave Barry (my sister-in-law sent this to me, and I think it fits some of us perfectly, don't you think?))

© 2007 Theresa Venette. Articles on this site may be reproduced in needlework group newsletters or other handouts with permission of author and proper attribution. Send questions, comments and suggestions to: xspeddler@yahoo.com