My love of teaching comes from a love of sharing. Once I learn something and find joy in it, I want everyone else in the world to know that joy. And so I became a needlework teacher. Of course, sharing is a two-way street. I learn as much from my students as they learn from me.
I also learn from the needlework teachers I have met along my journey. And when I get to teach at a retreat with others, there’s just a whole lot of sharing going on!
I’m looking forward to the Work of My Hands Retreat, a weekend of being immersed in whitework. I get to share. I get to teach. I get to learn from my students and I get to learn from Terri Bay.
Terri Bay is an extraordinary teacher of Hardanger and other forms of whitework. I am fortunate to be teaching with her at the Work of My Hands Retreat. Terri will be teaching Ukrainian whitework embroidery. She designed “St Paul Snowflake” as an introduction to this beautifully elegant form of needlework. Satin stitches, several types of eyelets, hemstitching and a unique little stitch roughly translated as “Topwinder” are featured in this project.
St Paul Snowflake is an introduction to Ukrainian whitework embroidery, designed and taught by Terri Bay.
My project is a whitework sampler in that it features a sampling of stitches typical to whitework. There are filling stitches, pulled stitches, satin stitch variations and is generally a collection of stitches that I think are pretty.
“The Work of My Hands” includes a dozen traditional whitework stitches.
When Terri and I got our heads together to plan this weekend we decided that our goal would be to simply pamper the 24 attendees. We chose the historic Brookstown Inn, a lovely small hotel located in a refurbished 1837 mill as our host site. We decided that we would limit class size to 12 so that everyone could learn in a relaxed atmosphere. We decided that each class would be an all-day class with relaxation breaks. We decided to include all meals in the package so that we could continue to enjoy the classroom camaraderie into the evening.
We love the elegant simplicity and focus on comfort you will find at The Brookstown Inn.
We also decided to add a day before the retreat so that everyone will have settled in on Thursday evening and be ready for class on Friday morning. On Thursday afternoon, we’ll tour The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (we call it MESDA) and have dinner at Salem Tavern, located in the heart of the restored town of Salem. (MESDA and Salem Tavern are included in the three-day package price.)
We’ll “sup” at Salem Tavern located on the quaint Main Street of Salem, a restored Moravian settlement.
This is not to be a hustle-and-bustle, try-to-fit-everything-in type of weekend that requires a vacation day when you get back home. This is to be a very deep breath, a very satisfying sigh type of retreat.
We hope you will join us. We want to share with you!
Details are available by writing to me at jeanfarish@gmail.com or you can find the event on the Stitchers’ Escapes Facebook page.
The Work of My Hands Retreat
July 7-10
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Three-Day Retreat Including Hotel Accommodations:
$625 per person, double occupancy*
Three-Day Retreat Without Hotel Accommodations
$440
Two-Day Retreat Including Hotel Accommodations
$495 per person, double occupancy*
Two-Day Retreat Without Hotel Accommodations
$375
*All rooms in our block at The Brookstown Inn feature two double beds. If you plan to attend alone, as a couple or with a non-stitching companion, please contact me for pricing.