Last year about this time, I was reporting back from a Stitchy-Retreat at a location near Hamilton, New York, a lovely small town in central New York and the home of Colgate University. Unfortunately the retreat center near Hamilton changed hands, causing an abrupt pivot and search for a new retreat location for the retreat organizers. Lucky us, they located another lovely location, a little further away at Winter Clove Inn close to the Hudson Valley in the Catskills.
The sleeping accommodations are in the inn (above) and the carriage house across the lawn (below) quickly transformed to a stitching studio for about 30-40 women with all the stitching and quilting equipment you can imagine exploding into the room.
Besides a focus on needle and thread, there was plenty to do at the Inn. Just a few steps away this covered pedestrian bridge leads to one of maybe a dozen or more walking trails in and around the property. A nearby farmhouse was a favorite stopping point for some in the group to converse with Manny, a friendly donkey who lived just down the street a bit.
You know me, if there's an opportunity to 'hit the road' and venture out, I'm all in. Off we go (myself and two other retreat-ers) went in search of Bloom, an exquisite quilt and craft shop in Margaretville, NY. The drive through the Catskill mountains on a picture-perfect spring day was worth every second of the two-hour round trip.
And the finds inside the shop weren't too bad, either! The shop even has cozy and inviting sleeping accommodations for up to 6 or 7 weekend retreaters.
Back at Winter Clove, my main objective for the weekend was hand-quilting the Iceland cruise project, featuring big-stitch quilting and lots of specialty stitches to secure the quilt layers. The only step left to complete the project is binding, which I'll finish this week--or maybe next week--or 'soon!'
A wander around the Inn revealed comfortable spaces to relax and mingle. There is even an indoor swimming pool - or at least there will be one once repairs are complete and everything is back up and running later this year.
It's always good to change up the routine, get out of your comfort zone, learn about and try new things, and reconnect with friends or make new ones.
The painted canvas below isn't mine but belongs to one of my table mates. As you can imagine, I just love the design!
Happy Stitching!
Head Hummingbird
Hummingbird-Highway.com
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