Thursday afternoon I'm heading to Scottsboro, Alabama, and Grand Oak Retreat! Our sewing group, The Stitcher's, has made the arrangements. This is the first quilting retreat I've ever been to, and I have to admit that I'm a strange combination of excited and nervous.
Excited because it's an opportunity to quilt my little heart out Thursday afternoon, all day Friday, all day Saturday, and into Sunday! Nervous because I'm relatively new to the group and this is *way* outside my introverted little comfort zone!
I'm two and a half years into my guild membership. At the August potluck this past year, I sat at this table with a grand group of extroverted women, one of whom was Charmaigne, the lady who single-handedly is responsible for me staying at my first guild meeting. Anyway, I was extended an invitation to join their bi-weekly stitching group, and I hopped on it. I'm not able to meet too regularly, because of work, but I do when I can and I try to join them for dinner before our monthly guild meetings.
Not too long after I joined, the opportunity presented itself to go on this retreat. I was immediately interested; even more so when I heard where it would be -- Grand Oak Retreat. I had knowledge of this place and its owners -- my company did all the iron (rails, brackets, etc.) for the place, and the owner, Cindy Hildebrand, was wonderful to work with. I loved her vision for a place for quilters and scrapbookers to come and play! She also took my advice on some fiction quilting books to add to her collection of reading stash for guests! So I knew I wanted to go, and I was quick to sign up and get my deposit paid . . .
But the closer it gets, the more anxious I get!
This is a group of women who know each other really well -- and I'm still on the fringe. I know this is my opportunity to get to know them better (and for them to get to know me better), but like I said, it's really outside this introvert's comfort zone! I'm not painfully introverted; I won't not be able to function -- I'll just have to WORK for it!
It will give me the opportunity to really put some time into Joc's wedding quilt, which I really want to pay some attention to. I'll also bring Sawyer's quilt, some reading material, and probably some DVDs. I'm semi-considering my laptop, too . . . !!
So. Today I will pack up my sewing stuff for next weekend. The more prepared I am, the easier it will be to go! Getting my stuff together is no big deal. I think. I don't know! What do you bring so you've got everything you need when you're sewing/quilting away from home!!!!!!
Big breaths.
Who would have thought a quilting retreat would bring so much . . . drama??
Enough!
:)
Excited because it's an opportunity to quilt my little heart out Thursday afternoon, all day Friday, all day Saturday, and into Sunday! Nervous because I'm relatively new to the group and this is *way* outside my introverted little comfort zone!
I'm two and a half years into my guild membership. At the August potluck this past year, I sat at this table with a grand group of extroverted women, one of whom was Charmaigne, the lady who single-handedly is responsible for me staying at my first guild meeting. Anyway, I was extended an invitation to join their bi-weekly stitching group, and I hopped on it. I'm not able to meet too regularly, because of work, but I do when I can and I try to join them for dinner before our monthly guild meetings.
Not too long after I joined, the opportunity presented itself to go on this retreat. I was immediately interested; even more so when I heard where it would be -- Grand Oak Retreat. I had knowledge of this place and its owners -- my company did all the iron (rails, brackets, etc.) for the place, and the owner, Cindy Hildebrand, was wonderful to work with. I loved her vision for a place for quilters and scrapbookers to come and play! She also took my advice on some fiction quilting books to add to her collection of reading stash for guests! So I knew I wanted to go, and I was quick to sign up and get my deposit paid . . .
But the closer it gets, the more anxious I get!
This is a group of women who know each other really well -- and I'm still on the fringe. I know this is my opportunity to get to know them better (and for them to get to know me better), but like I said, it's really outside this introvert's comfort zone! I'm not painfully introverted; I won't not be able to function -- I'll just have to WORK for it!
It will give me the opportunity to really put some time into Joc's wedding quilt, which I really want to pay some attention to. I'll also bring Sawyer's quilt, some reading material, and probably some DVDs. I'm semi-considering my laptop, too . . . !!
So. Today I will pack up my sewing stuff for next weekend. The more prepared I am, the easier it will be to go! Getting my stuff together is no big deal. I think. I don't know! What do you bring so you've got everything you need when you're sewing/quilting away from home!!!!!!
Big breaths.
Who would have thought a quilting retreat would bring so much . . . drama??
Enough!
:)
