Jammin' at Jamboree

No..not the musical kind of jammin'...but the fruit variety..mainly pears!!! That was the theme of our classes this past weekend at Salty Yarns and even though no actual "jam" was made, we did create some wonderful "pear" treats. 

I was able to travel down a day early, peruse Salty Yarns, enjoy dinner with friends  then settle in for an evening of stitching in the lobby with the other early birds. Upon arrival, we received our "goodie" bucket and boy were they full of "goodies". Lots of fun stuff including a kit from Jackie DuPlessis.We got scissors/sheath, Bohin needles, a purple "thang" , walnut shells for stuffing, JABCO pins, lotion, a Salty Yarns gift card and more. 

Sally also designed a couple pieces for us, a "shoe" pincushion and a "spool" scissor keeper kit. Thanks Sal!!!

Friday morning I awoke to this beautiful scene....

...then an early walk on the boardwalk before the "cruisers" parade started.

So, with the "cruisers"  in town,  every morning we were treated to an hour and a half  parade of cars down the boardwalk. Engines revved, horns blew and music blasted as the "boys (and some gals) with their toys" preened their way down the boardwalk.

Friday evening the festivities officially began with a homemade lasagne dinner followed by an hors d'oeuvres and dessert reception. We met the teachers and found out what out what our projects would be. More stitching in the lobby that evening.

Saturday morning my first class was A Perfect Pairing with Cathy from Hands On Design. We took our pre-stitching and made a needlebook. Cathy was a fantastic teacher and took us step by step through the process. Most ladies left the weekend with a finished piece. Here's mine:

A delicious lunch awaited us, then it was on to the afternoon class with Rachel from JABCO. Rachel taught us how to make a 3-D pear out of felted wool  and I think everyone left class with theirs completed. It's adorable and sits on my mantle. We got the little bee tag and "gather" pin as part of the class. We also had a special visitor to class, Rachel's 4 month old baby, who was good as gold throughout the whole weekend!

Do you like the beach back drop?

Saturday evening we were on our own for dinner so a group of us went to Panera's for dinner. It was a chilly/dreary day and everyone was in the mood for soup! I had a craving for potato soup but had to settle for creamy tomato. Then back to the Lankford for a dessert bar and lobby stitching.

Sunday morning was my last class and it was with Cecile from JABCO. We learned how they make their fabulous buttons and I definitely have a new appreciation for them.We were given cubes of clay and Cecile walked us through making pear buttons. There were also instructions on how to make a variety of different shaped buttons and the makings for two cute little projects--a tag for a basket and a ribbon stating "I made buttons".  I gave it the good ole college try, but this is definitely NOT for me. I'm not a 3-D person and even though I can shape a single button, making the canes of dough and pulling them out to make millions of tiny buttons was beyond me. I enjoyed the experience and stretching (pun intended) myself, but will definitely leave the button making process to the professionals! I did leave with some buttons however!!!

I helped with cutting fabric during the down times from class and I so enjoy talking to everyone, seeing their projects and helping them with their fabric selection. It takes me back to my old TT days!!!

This was such a great weekend. Thanks to Cathy, Cecile and Rachel for the fabulous classes and a special thanks to Sara, Sally, Mary and gang for taking such good care of us and providing us with this wonderful opportunity.  It is always so nice to hook up with old friends, meet new friends (shout out to Robin) and share our passion. Needle and thread truly binds us!

 So, sadly I had to leave Monday morning but with a lovely memory to tide me until the next time.

Thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship!
Stasi