For the most part, it was absolutely fabulous!!!!!!!!!!!!! Louisville was hosting an ironman triathlon last Sunday and had very poor traffic control in the downtown area. It took us almost 2 hours to go 5 blocks. I hopped out of the car thinking I could get us registered at the hotel while my friend was stuck in traffic ... not so good idea -- there was no record of me sharing a room with my friend so they wouldn't give me a key ... plus they were totally overbooked and we were going to get a smoking room with a king size bed instead of non-smoking with 2 doubles ... D. finally made it in and we had to wait online for another 30 minutes for her to get the keys. Then we went to get our stuff from her car and had to 'fight' for a luggage cart. After finally getting one, the valet tried to move the van and it wouldn't start ... I'm thinking really bad thoughts but D. was so rational and calm... The elevators were mobbed but we finally got to the room where we tossed around ideas about getting the car fixed. D. gave permission for the valet parker to jump start the car but unfortunately that didn't work. D. decided to call AAA in the morning after they gave us permission to leave the van to the side of the entry way. Triple A came during a lunch break, installed a new battery, and we crossed everything that could be crossed to ensure that the car was cured. We also got moved into a non-smoking room.
Monday morning, we began our classes -- D. took a 4 day (Wednesday off) what sounded like a personalized stitch guide for painted canvases. I had signed up for 2 2-day classes (nothing on Wednesday). My first class was Knots, Fur, and Turkeywork taught by Meredith Willett. It was a 'notebook' class -- instead of a project, you learn techniques-- and was fantastic!!!!!!!!!!! Meredith is a hoot and kept us in stitches (pun intended) as we experimented with different threads. The cost of the week was worth it when she taught us the pinhead stitch which is a way to anchor starts and ends on the top of canvas or fabric, minimizing the need to turn and faux bullions. The other techniques were good too For those of you who like to add dimensional elements to your projects, I highly recommend taking one of her classes or buying her book "Knots, Fur, and Turkeywork"
Each day after class, my roomie and I shopped in the boutique operated by stitchersworld.com or a reasonable facsimile and the bookstore(Ruth Kern Books). We barely glanced at next year's seminar offerings or the Fiber Forum exhibit, until Wednesday which was a free day for both of us. Although the pieces for next year are good using a wide variety of techniques, I didn't feel like making a committment.
Wednesday was market day -- the hotel ballroom was filled with people selling stuff. Several EGA chapters had donated items that were very very cheap. Several of the vendors were also clearing out their stashes and I got some real bargains. I 'splurged' and bought a Tanja Berlin dragonfly kit which is described as 'modern Jacobean crewel' and 2 stumpwork things by Marsha Papay Gomola. Her work is phenonmenal!!!!!!!!!!!
I picked up some kind of bug as was feeling really crabby and crappy but went to my Thursday class, Gorgeous Gardinias, a punchneedle class taught by Patty Smith Gardner. The class was conducted in EGA HQs, rather than in the hotel and convention center ... the works on display are phenomenal!!!!!!!!!!! Pictures don't do them justice... oh yeah, the class was good too Patty is a good teacher and her design taught us all things we didn't know before. I thought punching with ribbons would be easy -- boy was I wrong!!! One has to be very careful not to pull tight previous loops of ribbon while making new ones.
The seminar committee did a great job, assisted by hundreads of volunteers. The hotel staff were very helpful but the long waits for elevators and seating in the restaurants were annoying. Given the problems checking in, we were a little apprehensive about the check out process which went super smooth!! A bellman came within 10 minutes of our call and we were on the road by 8:30 a.m.
On the way home, we stopped at the Kentucky Art Center associated with Berea College. Several other groups of stitchers had the same idea. It's a good thing I was feeling bad or my wallet would have been even thinner than it already was. When I got back yesterday afternoon, I crashed big time!!!