Day 5: Retreat Begins

I was awake at 4.30 am this morning, having forgotten to take my melatonin the night before. Still, 6 hours sleep overnight is in the right path. I got to breakfast by 7.40am, met up with some mates and was ready in the lobby for our 9am start.

There are 36 students and six tutors. I’m doing Nicola Jarvis’s beautiful insect pillow. We are set up in the guest lounge, overseen by the bard himself (peering over the board) as well as a few actors.

It was quite a sunny day and the light is good in our room (photo taken late in the day doesn’t do justice).

Our goody bags were waiting for us - new bag design this year.

I make good use of my Crewel Work Company bags. I was overjoyed to find a pair of decent scissors inside. My little aeroplane- friendly ones are fit-for-purpose but have their limits.

Our intimate group had a really lovely time.  Each insect in Nicola’s design is named for a Shakespearean character. The dominant one is Titania, the butterfly. The elements are tiny  (we all used magnification) but varied in both stitch and thread. The threads are lovely - silk, cotton and wool, sourced, as always, with care to achieve exactly the effect the design demands. We began on the carnation. I found the points tricky, but got a nice plumpness.

We had made a lot of progress by 5pm when eyes and backs called a halt.

Along the way we had long silences and great discussions. I have gained in confidence about the embroidery I’m considering for the Guild Exhibition later this year. Members of the group reinforced some of my thinking and gave me some great suggestions for elements I’d been puzzling over.  They just get it! 

Lunch was a buffet. The vegetarian lasagna was fabulous.

This year, with Laura's permission, I brought with me some of the Embroiderers’ Guild of SA's Ort Pot kits. I always have one with me and, in the past, retreaters have asked me for the pattern, which I can’t provide, as it is copyright.  Gay Sanderson, who prepares the kits for the Guild, gave me 20 kits to bring, and 20 finished pots. I sold my first - a finished pot- to Nicola!

Before dinner we had a presentation of the program from Phillipa. There are some very promising visits tomorrow evening and on Wednesday.

Dinner was abuzz with conversation and the food was good.

I’m itching to continue Titania!