This weekend I had the pleasure of attending Stitching at the Beach in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina sponsored by The Lazy Daizy, and featuring Teresa Wentzler (TWDesignworks), Karen Weaver (Black Swan Designs), and Jennifer Aikman-Smith (Dragon Dreams, Inc.). And it was a real “trip”!!
It started out with a winter storm warning for our area. Now you must understand that this is SOUTH Carolina! When snow hits this area, everything shuts down. Well, it was supposed to hit in the wee hours Thursday morning. So after much thought and careful consideration I decided to head out on Wednesday evening in the hopes of beating the storm. Within five minutes of leaving home I ran into snow. It was coming down fast and furious but at least the roads were still clear. I fought snow and sleet most of the way. About fifty miles from the beach it turned to rain. By the time I reached Myrtle the wind and rain was at hurricane strength. And I could not believe how cold it was. You just don’t expect it to be 30°F.
I arrived at 4:15am and I didn’t know where the Sea Watch Resort is located. I knew I would never find it in the dark so I decided to find a place to park and rest a bit. Then I would have breakfast and visit Blue Bear Beads and waste a little time until check-in. Since it was raining so hard I decided to visit the hotel where I usually stay when I go to Myrtle. I knew they had a covered parking garage. So I made my way there and parked. When I turned off the engine it was merely seconds before the bone-chilling cold penetrated the car. It was then I realized that I had left home in such a hurry that I didn’t even pick up a jacket and my sweater was packed in my suitcase.
As I tried to take a nap the cold began to seep into my very bones. My joints and bones began to throb and I couldn’t tolerate it. So every few minutes I had to start the motor. This wouldn’t have mattered that much but I was afraid I was going to run out of gas! I watched with anticipation as the sky began to lighten slightly and the rain and wind lessened somewhat. I decided to look for the Sea Watch. I would pay for an extra day and try to get warm. I just could not take the cold any longer.
I found the resort with very little trouble and was told that I could check in early. As soon as I got to the room I turned up the heat and found a blanket in the closet. I wrapped up but I couldn’t get warm. It seemed hours before I began to thaw enough to unpack and get comfortable. Since it was still raining I decided to wait until Friday to go bead shopping. Instead I went to sleep!
When I awoke I realized the time, and began to get concerned that my roommate, Judy, had not yet arrived. But it seemed she was having an adventure of her own. She finally got to the room about 6:00pm and we immediately began catching up and stitching. Ordering Pizza quickly became the solution to dinner.
Friday morning arrived with overcast skies and still cold temperatures. Class was to start at 9:15 and we discovered that Karen who was to have been our first teacher had not been able to make the drive on Thursday. So Jennifer would take her place. We also learned that Teresa’s bag with our project piece and kits had been bumped from the plane and had not yet arrived.
We spent the first part of the morning sharing “horror” stories of our adventures and then played a stitchers version of Bingo. We had fun just getting to know everyone. Sarah gave us each a “Stitching at the Beach” tote bag designed for us by Jennifer and a packet of free designs including the six Fantasy Faire exclusives from Nashville Market.
After lunch Jennifer began her class and we were shown our first exclusive design. She also gave us a ‘make it and take it’ project of a small pincushion. Her husband Nick was with her and helped out. We learned that he is known as Mr. Dragon Dreams. He is just as funny and enjoyable as Jen is.
That afternoon Annette, Erin, Heather, Cathy, Melissa, Sue, and Jen joined me for our beading expedition. So off we went. I was adept at enabling several of the ladies and now I’m not sure if I will be forgiven for taking them! I could have spent a lot more than I did. (Actually I think I spent most of the weekend enabling everyone I saw.)
Afterward we were to celebrate Heather’s birthday at dinner. While trying to park the car we heard this horrendous noise. I thought for sure the bottom had fallen out of my car. I immediately got out and realized that my wheel chair lift had scraped a manhole cover and got stuck. The extra weight of my chair made my car sit much lower to the ground and with the rain I had not seen it. So there we are in the cold and rain unloading my chair and raising the car enough to get it moved and then re-loading the chair onto the lift. Bless Jen and Sue for staying with me and helping—even though it was freezing. By the time I got into the restaurant my hands were throbbing from the cold. So Annette and Cathy took pity and warmed them for me! There are times I feel that I am so much trouble but these ladies were the greatest and made me feel great. Everyone went out of their way to make things easier for me. When we finished eating we got back to the hotel without further “incidents”.
Saturday morning showed significant improvement in the weather although the temperature was still a little chilly. Class began with the news that Karen had made it! Her husband, Mike had driven her down so we owe him a huge Thank you! We also learned that Teresa’s bag had finally been delivered! So we would get to do our class projects after all.
Karen had designed a piece for us called Mermaid Magic and I immediately fell in love with it. I hope to get it finished without too much delay. She also gave us each a copy of a free design that she had intended for the Nashville market Fantasy Faire. It is called Fire and Ice and is beautiful.
Lunch was a lot of fun with Sarah, Karen and Mike, Jennifer and Nick and Teresa. Lots of door prizes were given. Lots of joy was shared and lots of friendships were made.
The afternoon class was with Teresa and it was well worth the wait. Her design incorporated everything that makes it a Teresa Wentzler and I cannot wait to have it finished. So now I have another three WIP’s added to my growing pile, as I just had to start all three pieces! Teresa is a great teacher and showed us all her specialty stitches and made us eager to start.
The day ended with Teresa, Karen, Mike, Jen and Nick joining a group of us for dinner at The Giant Crab. There were a total of seventeen of us. In addition to our guests of honor, there was Annette, Heather, Erin, Jen, Sue, Judy, Cathy, Melissa, Lisa, Leslie, Melinda, and I. We laughed a lot and talked a lot and shared memories and stories. And Teresa, Jennifer, and Karen signed my tote bag making it a very, very special memento of my trip.
These three ladies really made this weekend worth all the stress, worry, and effort it took to get there and my only regret is that it ended so soon.
Judy and I stitched and talked until the wee hours, reviewing everything we had seen and done. Finally we knew we had to get some sleep. On Sunday morning we left Myrtle Beach behind with clear skies and 60°F temperatures. The trip home was uneventful and rather anti-climatic after the adventures of the trip down. But now it is back to reality and the dreams of “next time”!
A Special Thanks to each of the ladies who helped make my life a little easier--Jen, Sue, Annette, Cathy, Melissa and Judy who put up with my whining and took such good care of me.
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