Great Weekend....big post, lots of photos.

Wow, how spoilt, refreshed and relaxed do I feel. It was amazing to head off on a retreat and just relax, and be on the otherside of the fence.

Kim from Jukejema Quilting Barn in Nowra, organised a fantastic weekend at the Waterslea Conference Centre just 20 minutes south of Berry a two and a half. hour drive from Sydney. For her first ever retreat, Kim did a fantastic Job...i was very impressed and felt for her on Sunday when she lost her voice...as i know the stress, and workload organising such an event.

Who wouldn't be relaxed when the view you woke up to was this...this first pic was taken at 7.20am on Saturday morning from our room doorway.....just stunning and weather was fantastic...that really winter chill, but the sun was glorious.

This is the view from the balcony outside the dinning room....it was just so peaceful.

And these were the stairs to the pool, or just to another amazing view of some awesome trees....

The tutors for our weekend, Leanne Beasley, Gail Pan, Rosalie Quinlan and Viv Robinson. We had these projects and patterns in our goodie bags....lots of work to achieve....

Leanne's project was an apron, with three different designed pockets....this was the one i loved...but i think it is too much work for an apron, myself...so i will be making it into a framed stitchery, or pillow i think.

Gail Pan's project was this sewing combo...project bag, needle case, pin cushion and scissor keep.....I loved this project, and the different way Gail has filled in her hearts rather than satin stitch but a varied back stitch...

Rosalie Quinlins project was this trio - buttonhole appliqued pillow, stitchery stockings, and needle punch framed work...the needlepunch was something tricky to learn, so i got in and gave it ago...I think i need to persevere with it, as it really didn't grab me...but i got it started.

Viv's sitchery sampler, is just divine even if it is huge....i can't wait to work on it.

So as you can see there was no hope in hell to complete them all, but i felt good at what i did achieve, and that was tracing off and backing all the stitcheries with their iron on webbings. Giving the needlepunch a go....and sitting back and completing my scissor keep, the pin cushion stitchery work, and starting on the stichery for the needle case.....so i have lots of UFO's on the go....and nothing nicer than sitting back and doing a little stitching.

I did all this with my girlfriend, we had such a blast, and laughed lots - just enjoying the total girly time. - this is the larger group photo of us all before we headed home.....

home - what's that....lol my girlfriend and i had decided we would treat ourselves to an extra day....and enjoy the shopping...so we booked ourselves into the Berry Village Boutique Motel on Sunday evening, so that we could do a little Retail Therapy before heading home...yes that dreaded four letter word.

Well after the coldest afternoon ever, we had a stroll into town and enjoyed a fantastic meal at the Thai Berry restaurant, before walking back to our room, for a nice glass of red, a bit of stitching, yes we did some more, whilst watching CSI, before snuggling down to bed, and waking at a liesurly pace, and then strolling through and shopping till we had to leave.....and look at all these goodies.

Tins, sewing notions, signs, candles sticks, handbags, oh and don't forget all that fabric....and yes i even got some Anna Griffin Fabric....oh so yummy. Oh and i just loved this Apples sign....

Oh and then the laugh and pose outside the IGA supermarket with the plastic Cow...made our day complete...

An awesome girly weekend,.....can't wait till i get to do it all again next year...hope Kim keeps organises another next year.