Stacy Nash, Not Forgotten Farm and a Giveaway!

Well, it has been quite a week, so grab a cuppa, pull up a chair...I've got some stories to tell, and a giveaway...so stay tuned!

It had been less than a week since I left my family to fend for themselves while I went for some R&R in Ocean City...and already I set off with another set of pals for a stitch retreat.  I want to thank Ms. Wendy for making all the travel arrangements, booking a wonderful B&B in a lovely old farmhouse, a side trip to a stitching store on the way there, and finding and booking us for the amazing class we took from Stacy Nash at Not Forgotten Farm in Virginia.  She even drove there!  And what fun did we  have?  Anyone who knows Wendy knows you are in for a laugh a minute.  Alice and Pat are no better!  We giggled and snorted and laughed all weekend...what a hoot!  Thanks ladies for a wonderful weekend.

On the way to the Orchard House B&B we stopped in Fairfax, Virginia to visit the Stitcher's Stash.  We met the owner, Jacquelyn, and spent two...yes TWO hours in her store!!  What a treasure!  She has some amazing models on her walls, and thankfully she had 4 of most of the ones we oooohed and aaaahed over.  The ones she didn't have enough of, she was most accommodating and offered to send them to us.  I'm pretty sure I bought enough other patterns that I won't need the ones she will be sending for a while.  LOL  What a pleasant visit we had with her, and she was most helpful with choosing colors for a project and gathering all the materials we needed for them.  

Thank you so much, Jacquelyn, for recommending the place across the street for lunch...it was WONDERFUL!!  My sandwich was so big, I had a hard time getting my mouth around it...no comments from the peanut gallery please!!  

I was impressed that Jacquelyn is having a sale and the proceeds from donated items is going to Wounded Warriors.  I think she said it was next weekend, but don't quote me on it...visit her website by clicking on her name above and shoot her an e-mail.  I'm sure she will be most willing to share the information.  Any activity to promote and help our "warriors" is wonderful in my eyes (since my husband is retired military) so she  now has a soft spot in my eyes, I only wish I could go and make a contribution myself.

Next stop was our "home away from home" for two nights, the Orchard House B&B.  We stayed in their "farmhouse"  or the Apple Blossom Farm House...

just down the driveway from the "Big House" or the Orchard House.  

It was so comfortable, the kitchen so big and roomy, and the table big enough to support 4 stitchers with enough room to stretch out.  We gabbed and stitched (some of us until 3 AM ) trying to finish the stitching parts of our Stacy Nash class.  We were making a basket, a treat bag, and a small strawberry.  

The class the next day was being offered at Not Forgotten Farm. Lori Brechlin is the owner and designer of Not Forgotten Farm patterns and her shop is just amazing!!  She was also so friendly, helpful, and fun!!  She made us feel at home and like we were long lost friends.  There was so much to see, we took some time before we settled down for the class to peek in every corner...whew, what a mistake!  LOL  I was tempted buy WAY too many things!!  Please check out her blog at the link above by clicking on Not Forgotten Farm and you will see me and my companions working away.  What fun!!

Stacy Nash's class was AMAZING!!  She is very patient, had all the materials ready for us inside the little box and came by each table to show us step by step how to assemble the box, the bag and the little strawberry.  Her way of making the bag that is fully lined was so simple and even I, who am finishing challenged, was  able to follow the directions and finish the bag nicely.  You can check out her website at the link above by clicking on her name.  

The lunch Lori provided was so yummy!!  And she took us on a little tour of the farm when we were finished.  It was such a fun day, I can't thank them enough for their hospitality and patience with us.  I hope I'm able to go back again next October.  Here are my friends and I with Lori and Stacy.  What fun!!

Now that the class is over, I'm back to working on my Crazy January Challenge piece.  I decided to try and finish this piece, it's called "Find the Cure" and is a chart designed by The Sweetheart Tree.  I'm actually trying my hand at hardanger....eeek!  Wish me luck!!  I hope to finish this in October, that will make my 13th finish of the crazies.  I've given up hope that I'll be able to finish all 31 that I started in January this year.  My goal now is to finish at least 15.  And my challenge for next year is to finish the other 15 that I started and work on one large chart that I have sitting in my stash...either London by Thea Gouverneur, or the Maia Kit, Winter's Majesty, my hubby gave me for our Anniversary.  Any thoughts?

If you've stayed with me, you're a trooper!!  You've finally made it to the giveaway.  In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness  month,  I'm offering these two items, Lizzie Kate's "Peace Love and a Cure" chart, and The Prairie Schooler Kit "Stitch to Win".  

Please make sure you get your mammograms or whatever your method of examination is each year!!  I know for a fact that a mammogram saved my life by catching my cancer early at stage II.  I am forever grateful for the doctor who read my mammogram and found those tumors!  I was completely shocked when I was diagnosed, as breast cancer does not run in my family at all!!  So, do yourself and your loved ones a favor and get checked!  All you need to do to enter the giveaway is leave a message at the bottom of this post with your e-mail address on this post only and I will choose two winners (one winner for each chart) on October 31st.  Good luck!

Oh...and I wanted to draw your attention to the little blue thingy that is holding up the charts.  When we arrived at our weekend retreat, Wendy had one of these things for all of us that went with her.  It has two slots as you can see to hold charts and  a small hole in the front for scissors. This thing is amazing and will hold a 8 1/2 X 11 size chart  with no problem.  Look Ma!  No hands!!  It slips easily into my stitching bag...I love  it.  Thanks again, Wendy, for all the goodies, and for a memorable trip!