I spent a week at the Alegre Retreat teaching a very talented bunch of stitchers this month. And, what a place! The Gateway Canyons resort is nestled into deep canyons in Colorado near the Utah border. Watching sunrises and sunsets was like witnessing a movie as the sun crawled up and down the canyon walls. I woke to the moon setting one morning, it sank below the rock wall as if hiding itself. I felt like I was part of a postcard.

This is the way I walked to the classroom each morning. Each day was different. Gateway Canyons, Colorado

We had a light snow one day. Frosting on the cake.

We stitched for 5 days. And, after a little hesitation the artists went full steam ahead. Sixteen fearless stitchers. Here are some of the results. I can’t wait to see what they create with these new ideas.

Teaching brings me great pleasure. I love it when a student expresses excitement about a new technique. I love it when they make it their own. I love to be with people who have the same passion as mine. Traveling fills my mind with new inspirations, new vistas, new ideas.

And, now, I will settle down to stitch some of what I felt and saw, and smelled, and touched and tasted.

I love teaching. Especially teaching people who are ready to experiment. I learn something from each person in the class. I love to see the variations that people come up with. We have so much fun comparing notes, trying new things and letting ourselves travel unknown pathways. My Miami class had some really skilled and creative folks in it. They were a joy to watch.

The At Play in the Garden of Stitch workshop presented by Partners for Art + Design in Miami

The Miami workshop organized by Abbey Chase of Partners for Art + Design was in an exquisite historic church. The light was fantastic, the stitchers enthusiastic.

Here are some of the things I learned from my students.