SBTS Last
Minute Notes – Fall 2013
It is getting close to time for our sewing and arts retreat Thursday afternoon November 7 through
Sunday November 10, 6 PM March. The
studio will be open by 8 AM on Wednesday, November 6, for early
birds. The retreat Opening Program will
be at 8 PM on Thursday. Here is some last minute information that may be
useful to you.
MEETING ROOM: We will be using the Ballroom on
the 4th floor.
HOTEL: You
should have made your hotel reservations. If you have not, call the Grand Hotel
immediately. The hotel’s reservation number is 1-800-447-6779 or 410-289-6191.
(When you make your reservation you must identify yourself as part of the
NeedleArts Adventures Group to receive the special group rate.) Check-in is
assured by 4:00 PM. Checkout is 11 AM.
Remember, there is a 72-hour
cancellation policy. This means if your plans change you MUST cancel your
reservations at least 72 hours before your scheduled arrival or you will be
charged for the first night’s lodging. It is hotel policy to charge for the
total nights originally reserved by guests when they check out earlier than
scheduled. If your departure date is changed by 24 hours prior to arrival there
is no early checkout charge. There is an additional charge for more than 2 in a
room. We hope there are no family emergencies and no one gets the flu, but
these things DO happen so please be aware of the hotel policies.
CLOTHES: Casual clothing is appropriate. The weather can be
changeable so plan accordingly. Bring a bathing suit; there is an indoor pool.
BASIC EQUIPMENT: Bring the sewing, beading and art
supplies and equipment you need. You will have one 6-foot banquet table for
your workspace. You may wish
to bring a chair cushion for added
height and comfort. A long heavy-duty extension cord and a work light may also be useful. It is a very large room so we will need
lots of long power strips. If you have one it will come in handy. We will have
one or two irons and ironing boards set up for all to share. A “wheelie” (a carry-on bag with
wheels) or collapsible rolling box is handy for transporting your supplies and
equipment.
We can leave supplies in the
ballroom overnight. (Note: Some people use small chains or computer security cables [wire covered with
plastic, with a lock] to secure their sewing machine to the table when they
leave the studio area. You may want to do this.) The hotel will lock the door when the last person leaves the
room. We have never had a problem, but you don’t know what may happen.
OPENING EVENING PROJECT: Our project is a surprise. Come to the Ballroom. We will
begin at 8:00 PM. If you arrive later you can catch up easily. We will provide all
of the supplies except sewing thread. You
may want to bring 4 buttons about ½ in diameter. Choose colors you like; they
can be the same or different. (You can “shop” for you buttons at the “Button
Buffet” if you wish J ) This is
sewing for this project. If you are
not bringing your machine you can probably share with someone who has a machine.
SHOW-&-TELL: We will have our show-and-tell of our weekend’s accomplishments on Sunday morning 10:00 to 11:00. We must
keep Show & Tell to 1 hour. Please do not take photos during Show & Tell.
We have a lot of really interesting work to see and a very limited amount of
time in which to do it. So, if you want a photo of something please arrange to
take it before hand.
INFORMAL SHARING: Carrying on our tradition of sharing, we are planning
several informal workshops during the retreat. You should have already received workshop descriptions and
schedule. If you have not already pre-registered for the workshops and you want
to take a class you may sign up at the Opening – if there is space available.
Kit fees are paid to the session leader in cash
at the workshop.
The workshops are:
1. Vintage Music Wreath, with Lisa Cowan, (Friday 2-4 PM)
2. Bead and Tube Doll Pin, with Judi Ward, (Saturday
2-3 PM)
3.Twig Brooch, with Mavis Walker, (Friday 10 - 11 AM)
4. Star Book, with Judy Lapato, (Friday 1-2 PM)
Remember there are kits for some
classes so you will need to bring whatever is on the supply list ----- or make a run to WalMart or Michael’s :-) !
Soaps and Toiletries Needed: Lois
Uditsky is still collecting soaps and personal hygiene items --- like the shampoo, lotion and
soaps you get in a hotel room.
Bring whatever you may have to share and save what you do not use at the
hotel during the retreat.
“GOOD STUFF” EXCHANGE: We all have a lot of fun sharing “good stuff” we no longer
need. If you have some fabric, books, sewing, art or craft supplies, patterns,
etc. that need a new home please bring them to share. We will have “Give Away”
tables in the Ballroom. These must be things you’re willing to GIVE away --- no
sales. We will put out these treasures after the Opening on Thursday evening.
Note:
Please be sure your give away items do
not have pet hair in them. Some people are allergic to cat/dog hair. We
want to keep everyone healthy!
SOMETHING
NEW: Button Buffet - coordinated by Judi Ward: Let's have some fun with our
unneeded buttons. Everyone who wishes to dispose of those "thousands"
of buttons, bring them and we will have some shallow bins to dump them into and
cups and/or plastic bags to fill.
One bin will be for
loose buttons and one for carded buttons.
The Button Buffet
will open on opening night, just like the free tables, and you can pick and
choose some new buttons …… and have fun doing so.
So pack up those buttons
and be ready to pick out new ones to take their place or simply be rid of the no-longer-needed
buttons for good!
SNACKS: The
hotel policy is that any food in public spaces, for general consumption, must
be provided by the hotel catering services. This is because of the health
laws. This means we cannot have a
snack table from which we share. You may have your own snacks at your own table
and share as you wish.
SOUND CONTROL REMINDER: If you want to bring a
tape or CD player or a TV, it should be small enough to fit in your work area
and MUST have earphones so it does not disturb others.
SPA: The spa
is giving a 10% discount to our group on services over $20. You may make
appointments before you arrive. (The massage and facial appointments often fill
quickly.)
WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU ARRIVE: When you
arrive check into your hotel room and get settled. A lot of us are coming a day
early and departing on Monday morning. Our studio space is on the 4th
floor in the Ballroom. The room
will be set up by 8 AM Wednesday for Early Birds. Someone from NeedleArts
Adventures will be in the area Wednesday. Stop by the Ballroom and pick up your
nametag and find your workspace.
Some of you have asked to sit with
certain other people. We have
asked the hotel to arrange the
tables to accommodate your wishes to the best of their ability. Because of
physical constraints in setting up the room we are limited in the placement and
sizes of clusters of tables.
We are going to try something different this time. Near the
entrance we will post a map of the room with the table clusters marked and a
list of the people we anticipate will be sitting in each cluster. We will put
all the table tags for that cluster on one table in the cluster. The people in
that cluster decide who sits next to whom
*****Please DO NOT move table markers to/from another cluster without
consulting Sandy Sapienza or Judy Lapato. ***** We have done our best to assure that people who want to sit
together are close to one another. We can make last minute adjustments when we
arrive but we need to be coordinated about it. Remember, while it is nice to sit with old friends it can
also be good to meet new ones. We have an especially large group this time so
we need your help to get the final seating arranged as smoothly as possible.
You can set up and start working when the room is ready. We strongly
recommend that you do not leave your sewing machine unattended. While the hotel
is safe and secure, anything can happen. (Remember: Some people use security
cables to secure the machine to the table when they leave the studio area. You may
want to do this.)
This is going to be a wonderful, relaxing and productive
retreat. We are looking forward to seeing one another! There are several new people joining
us. In the mean time, if you need more information, please call me at
410-923-6133 or e-mail at sandra@annapolis.net. NeedleArts Adventures, PO Box
331, Crownsville, MD 21032
Remember: you can always find the all the SBTS information
on our blog
http://www.needleartsadventures.blogspot.com
See you soon,
Sandy
PS FYI, I will be away and off-line October 11 thru 18 so I
won’t be answering e-mails then. I suggest you do not leave phone
messages during that time; my family won’t be able to answer your questions and
it seems I rarely get phone my messages J
